Lifelong learning - a never ending story

How the concept of "lifelong learning" came about

As early as the beginning of the 1970s, there was a consensus that the "collected wisdom " from school or university would no longer be sufficient to cope with the many years of working life to follow. In these years it  became clearer than ever  that global competition was determined by the educational status of the population, as knowledge production increased enormously. Twenty times more new knowledge was generated in ten years than in the hundreds of years previously. The topic of "lifelong learning" became an educational policy area and an important component of EU policy.

According to the European Commission, lifelong learning encompasses "all learning throughout life that serves to improve knowledge, qualifications and competences and takes place within a personal, civic, social, or employment-related perspective.” 

"Lifelong learning" thus includes not only continuing education in order to take on new professional tasks, but also to keep oneself mentally fit and ready for everyday duties. For example, the technical developments of recent decades now shape our private everyday life - writing e-mails, online shopping or generally using a smartphone or a PC on a daily basis are now taken for granted. Lifelong learning is thus a never-ending and also lifelong educational process in all walks of life. 

Since the requirements for each person can be individual, the possibilities of lifelong learning are also diverse. Constant learning brings benefits to everyone, whether professionally or privately. We present five important reasons:

Five good reasons to continue learning:

• Continuing education and training can help you respond confidently to new demands in your job and everyday life. An up-to-date level of knowledge creates self-confidence and security.  
   

• The acquisition of additional qualifications enables better opportunities for promotion and further development opportunities in your  respective professional field. 
   
• Technological training is particularly helpful in times of increasing digitalization for better orientation in the digital professional world, but also in our private lives. Examples include artificial intelligence, driverless cars and the development of new products through 3D printing.
   
• Retraining or advanced training imparts new knowledge and helps you to gain a foothold in a constantly changing world of work. Entering a new professional field can also be made easier through further training. 
   
• Lifelong learning can be seen as exercise for the brain. The brain is always challenged by learning and permanently has something to do. Keeping  yourself mentally fit helps you remain more active, more balanced and can also ward off dementia. 

Continuing education? Yes, but how?

Learning new things is possible in your private life as well as at work. The simplest method is to read technical journals and other specialist literature and to keep up with news about the politics and current affairs around the world. The media offerings are endless - from YouTube videos to libraries filled with specialist literature, to online seminars and podcasts. New knowledge can be generated via any medium. 

Speaking to colleagues or people from your own  circle of friends and acquaintances also helps you to acquire knowledge. Other perspectives, other experiences and adventures broaden your  horizons and make it possible to see the bigger picture. Anyone wishing to learn in their free time can also attend distance learning courses, online courses, adult education courses or conferences and specialist lectures, for example - the options are many and access to knowledge is possible at any time. 
New knowledge especially for actuaries is offered by our partner platform www.actuview.com with video recordings of actuarial lectures. The platform offers specialist lectures as well as complete recordings of specialist conferences from all over the world.