Putting lifelong learning up on the agenda at a time of constant change

In today’s workplace, what complicates even the best-laid plans for learning is the pace of change, much of which is technology driven. Just as one urgently needed skill appears embedded, another one emerges.

Previously, learning tended to focus primarily on us becoming better at the roles we were already in. Now, it’s more about developing the skills required to shift between different roles and responsibilities. We’re having to future-proof ourselves in a world of increased job mobility – which is why lifelong learning is so important.

If senior leaders can see that, in 12 months’ time, a role will be very different, they need to create the conditions for people to learn and stretch themselves today, rather than waiting until that role takes shape more fully and then playing catch-up.

In turn, that’s why workplace learning needs to be readily available and accessible. It can no longer be confined to particular places or points in time. People need opportunities to develop these critical skills in ways that fit with both the demands of their work and how they learn most effectively. 

Campaigns like Get the Nation Learning Week (2-6 November) are a valuable way of reminding people that time (and technology) waits for no one and putting learning back on the agenda. They provide a useful opportunity for learners to reflect on what they’ve learned in the past 12 months and the impact this has had on them, their colleagues and their organisation.

They prompt line managers to think about the extent to which they’re supporting their team members’ development and how they’re accommodating all the different ways in which people like to learn. They encourage senior leaders to dig beneath the surface of their latest requirements; thinking why they need these skills, how best to develop them and the blockers that may arise.

Such a week can also be used to highlight how we’ve lost so much of the informal and social learning that previously characterised our workplaces; the in-person interactions, the water cooler moments, the opportunities for people to watch and learn from their peers. This learning by osmosis is far harder to replicate in a hybrid working world, making it more important to carve out opportunities for social and on-the-job learning.

Meeting the changing needs of workplace learning requires a breadth of expertise that’s rarely found in one place. That’s why we brought together 15 world-leading learning organisations under the umbrella of Skills Symphony. Combining established providers with newer industry disruptors, we offer specialist expertise across upskilling, reskilling, learning technology, strategy and evaluation, helping organisations make learning more accessible and deliver tangible improvements in workplace productivity.

Campaigns like this matter to us because we think they provide an opportunity to shine a light on workplace learning’s bigger picture considerations like strategic alignment, organisational culture, leadership and line manager engagement – and the connections that exist (or should exist) between them all.

Understanding that bigger picture gives organisations greater confidence that they’re investing their learning budgets in the right places and in the right ways to deliver the impact and behavioural change they need.

Get the Nation Learning Week is not only a chance to celebrate learning, but an opportunity to renew our commitment to it and create the conditions for it to thrive. Because learning is no longer simply preparation for work; learning is work. Find out more about Skills Symphony – a new force in learning, education and skills.