Lifelong learning for millennials: the backbone of fruitful employership

Lifelong learning is an upcoming term you might have come across at some point. It’s a relatively new concept, which encourages a curious attitude and continuous education. Different from formal education, lifelong learning is the “ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated” pursuit of knowledge for either personal, or professional reasons (1).

Millennials form the generation, born roughly born between 1980 and 1995, grew up in a world where technology became an integral part of their daily life. In a rapid pace, the digital possibilities became endless. To be able to keep up, it was, and still is, necessary to learn how to use all new inventions. Growing up in a digitalising world, millennials turned into a tech-savvy, intuitively learning generation.

Another characteristic of the millennial generation is their passion for learning. When working, this makes them driven and curious employees, who have a strong desire to further develop skills and knowledge that can help them in their professional lives. Furthermore, millennials seem to understand the importance of setting and achieving goals, both for personal growth and their careers (2).

Besides having a strong digital instinct and being used to living in a fast world, millennials on the other hand tend to strongly value doing meaningful work, intrinsic motivation, and self-development. They value personal development as much as professional development.
The introduction of lifelong learning strategies, caused by the rapid pace of developments nowadays, together with the eagerness to learn and develop of millennials, makes a great match in business.

The challenges and developments of nowadays demand the constant nurturing of existing workforces. Trainings and education used to become scarce after the initial onboarding, and this is exactly the point which will change with the implementation of lifelong learning, continuous education, or ongoing learning.

How millennials’ thirst for knowledge can result into a competitive advantage for the manufacturing industry

Few sectors of the global economy embody the fourth industrial revolution’s ideals and challenges more than manufacturing. The constant change in the manufacturing sector makes it necessary that their workforces are always ready to adapt. To continue operating at peak productivity, as well as adapt to constant changes in the manufacturing environment, employees need ongoing skills development and training.

Technological advancements continually reshape work processes. Organisations must acknowledge the need for skill upgrades to stay relevant and competitive in the global market. Employing new methods of learning and development within companies in the current industrial revolution can serve as a strategic advantage.

Coincidentally, millennials are well-equipped to meet these challenges. They have a great thirst for knowledge and have experience with traditional learning-by-doing methods, as well as the more modern methods as AR- or VR-simulated scenarios to study, or working with an e-learning platform. Besides great operational value of a skilled millennial, you will also have a more satisfied employee.

In conclusion, the synergy between lifelong learning and the millennial generation has the potential to revolutionize the manufacturing industry. By fostering an environment that embraces ongoing learning, companies can equip themselves with a competitive edge in a rapidly changing world. Millennials, with their technological proficiency and dedication to growth, are the key to unlocking this potential.

Sources:

(1) https://emeritus.org/blog/benefits-of-lifelong-learning/
(2) https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/10-millennial-generation-characteristics