It’s easy to assume that learning stops when someone exits a formal educational environment, but it does not have to. In fact, learning should never stop. When a person commits to continuous learning, they set themself up for greater personal enrichment and success.
The benefits don’t end there, either. Stay with us to understand what continuous learning is and why it is beneficial!
Understand What Continuous Learning Is
Continuous learning refers to learning as an ongoing process. In other words, even when your formal education ends, you don’t have to stop pursuing opportunities to learn more. Through structured and less structured ways, you can seek out new skills and content that can help you become a lifelong learner.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money or even invest large chunks of time to make continuous learning part of your life. Simply picking up a book, attending a free lecture, or meeting with a seasoned colleague can lead to continuous learning.
Continuous learning in an organizational or academic setting can help build a culture of learning. And it’s far easier to take the first steps toward continuous learning when you’re in an environment that supports it.
Know Its Value
When people of any age embark on a journey of continuous learning, they’ll reap the rewards. Prioritizing continuous learning can result in a more fruitful use of spare time and a better sense of direction. It also can lead to newfound knowledge and skills that can help you get ahead.
For employees, continuous learning can pave the way for career advancement. This could come in the form of taking e-learning courses or enrolling in internal training programs
Engaging in learning beyond one’s job responsibilities always reflects well on a person. It demonstrates a thirst for knowledge and continual improvement. Organizational leaders love to see this, and they may be more inclined to support an employee’s promotion within the company.
For students, continuous learning can help them move from struggling to successful. OhanaHC’s focus on mentorship, for instance, pairs students with adults who can serve as personal and academic resources.
Look for Ways to Support and Pursue Continuous Learning
Supporting and pursuing continuous learning can happen in a flexible manner. For example, adults may choose to attend a scholarly lecture at a nearby university or enroll in a certificate program. Other ways to pursue continuous learning include setting aside time to read a book on a topic of interest.
You can support continuous learning by lending your expertise to help others. This may translate to volunteering to teach adult education classes at a non-profit or tutoring a student. You can host workshops sharing your legal or editing skills, or allow a student to shadow you at work.
At OhanaHC, continuous learning is central to the work we do to support young people in our community. Please fill out the contact form on our website or email us at info@ohanahc.org to discover ways you can help others grow!