Life Long Learning – A Wise Investment in You
Lifelong learning is an absolute necessity for everyone, especially when we consider how much our lives can change in the span of a year due to technology alone! How many of us have iphones, Blackberries and HD TV in our homes? This simple statement demonstrates how we need to develop our skills throughout our lives, not only for personal use but for employability factors as well. Our careers are constantly evolving as well. How we receive communication, how we are managed and how we perform our jobs, changes constantly with technology. Some of us work from home now, who could have imagined that a mere decade ago?
As workers, we are exposed to the rapid pace of change all of the time. Jobs have been eliminated because of these changes and this trend does not seem to be slowing down. When new technology is introduced, processes somewhere are streamlined which means someone could be out of a job. How are you keeping pace?
Challenges of Life Long Learning
Wearing my many hats as career coach, employment counselor and recruiter, I have met with many clients that have found themselves searching for new jobs but face a skills gap in their experience. Many workers have been long tenured in their roles. These workers did not upgrade their skills or how they performed their jobs during their career journey. Upgrading or new training may not have even occurred to them because there was a perception of long-term employment or security within their organization. These workers appeared onto the job market with excellent work histories but lacked the up to date skills that employers of today’s streamlined workforce demand. An example of this may be a bookkeeper who always worked on in-house or proprietary systems. Administrative clerks in a company that never upgraded to the recent versions of Microsoft. Even equipment operators with in-house certifications found out these papers were not transferrable to new employers. Many IT professionals also experience the gap because their companies may not have continuously upgraded programs or equipment. These workers cannot compete with new graduates of business colleges who have the shiny new versions of programs or skills.
What Can You Do
The solution is simple, become a continuously learner throughout your life. That answer is not so simple however. It is not always possible to find funds that will allow you to take a courses. Perhaps there are other commitments in life that leaves little room or time to learn. Fortunately, continuous learning and training can be tackled from a variety of different approaches.
Self Funding
By investing in yourself and paying your own way, you are in control of your learning. The expense can in many cases be written off on taxes but the obstacle to self-funded learning can be finding the money to do this. There are small courses available for office skills through community programs, night schools and other resources within your local area. Examples of this may be basic bookkeeping courses, Microsoft Office courses or very basic computer courses that can teach you to email. Many of these types of courses are inexpensive and very part time. Many courses are accessible over a period of an evening or two over a few weeks. Larger education commitments may require more resourcefulness.
Community Employment Resource Centers
There are a number of employment resource facilities available within your local area. These centers typically service unemployed workers but will be able to direct you to nearest training facilities for computer skills, IT training, equipment operation or forklift courses as well as short-term certificates. If you are unemployed, these centers can assist you in accessing benefits through unemployment that could help with the funding for training as well. Speak to a local case manager and see where this possibility can take you. You can find these services by contacting your local employment office or performing an internet search for services in your local area.
Employer Funded Programs
Depending upon where you work, many companies do have employer funded training. These programs will typically sponsor training as long as it is job related. Some programs will reimburse you immediately; others will pay once you have completed the course. You must present the employer with a transcript at the end. Others will pay the bill up front. Speaking with your manager or Human Resources representative can provide you with the information and direction you will need to get started.
Other Options
If you are unable to access training through employer funding and you just do not have the means to pay, not all is lost. What can you do to support your continued growth? You may consider reading up on your trade or vocation through journals, credible websites and other publications. Stay current with market place trends and read about technology changes or corporate changes within your field. Joining associations to network with people in your career path is great because you can find out what is going on out in the world of your profession. Which company is upgrading to new equipment or technology? Who is hiring? Who is laying off? Through professional networking groups, you can meet your peers and or their managers. This can be the open door to your next offer as well! You can get started today on LinkedIn depending upon your field of work.
In your workplace, you can ask about learning new roles or positions. This is not about moving upwards within the company but perhaps laterally for a while. By cross training in a variety of roles, you can gain some valuable experience. This can assist in making you more employable and agile in the job market. The more opportunity we can have to learn how to do something new or different, makes us more desirable for hire with future employers.
I had the pleasure early in my career to work with a wonderful woman who was new to the field of recruitment and staffing. I asked her what she wanted from me as a manager and her request has stayed with me for many years. Her response was “I want every possible experience I can have here for my resume and for my future”. That response could be interpreted many different ways including “this person is not going to stay in this job” but it really was an entry-level role. I did my best to provide her with her request. The employee stayed with me for several years and as a manager I learned a valuable lesson that day. Let employees learn, encourage them to learn as much as they can, give them the chance to see new things, always provide the opportunity for growth because our futures need continuous learning.
The journey to life long learning can begin with something as simple as a foreign language CD purchased from a bookstore. It can be all of the things discussed in this blog. The important message to take away from here is to make sure that you are giving your career room for growth, stretching and ongoing challenge. This learning will take on new forms as you evolve in your role(s) but you will be the ultimate winner and hopefully the most sought after candidate at a job interview.
