Lifelong Learning Initiatives Research Articles

The impact of lifelong learning and investments in employee development on employee productivity and performance

This abstract highlights the significant positive influence of lifelong learning on both individual employee performance and broader organizational effectiveness. In today's dynamic and ever-evolving work environment, the concept of lifelong learning stands as a cornerstone for individual and organizational growth. This study investigates the profound impact of lifelong learning initiatives on employee performance within various professional settings. The findings underscore the pivotal role of lifelong learning in fostering a culture of adaptability, skill enrichment, and heightened problem-solving capabilities among employees. As employees engage in continuous education, upskilling, and professional development, a direct and positive effect on individual performance is observed. The acquisition of new competencies and knowledge positively influences productivity, innovation, and overall job proficiency. Moreover, the study revealed that a commitment to lifelong learning not only contributes to improved individual performance but also impacts organizational outcomes. Organizations that encourage a culture of continuous learning see higher levels of employee engagement, lower turnover rates, and greater levels of innovation and flexibility. A learning-centric workplace such as this leads to improved organizational performance and a competitive advantage in the marketplace. The abstract closes by arguing for the incorporation of lifelong learning initiatives into organizational strategy, emphasizing their role in improving employee performance and cultivating a resilient and adaptive workforce capable of managing the changing needs of the modern workplace.

Navigating the Future of Work: Human Capital in the Age of Industry 4.0

The advent of Industry 4.0 signifies a pivotal transition, driven by the integration of digital technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, and big data analytics. This revolution is reshaping the landscape of both industrial and service sectors, highlighting the need for economic restructuring to pave the way for sustainable development. This paper investigates the profound impact of Industry 4.0 on human capital within the framework of sustainable economic transformation. The analysis embarks on detailing the revolutionary essence of Industry 4.0 and its repercussions on traditional industrial operations. A focal point of this inquiry is the transformation in human capital, deemed essential for achieving sustainable economic targets. This transformation is distinguished by a shift from manual to cognitive capabilities and the imperative for continuous learning, which are crucial for cultivating an adaptable and innovative workforce. Furthermore, the emergence of new job roles demanding advanced digital skills, the obstacles in workforce transformation such as the digital divide, and the need for comprehensive skill development are discussed. Strategies for the development of human capital are proposed, emphasizing the significance of educational, training, and lifelong learning initiatives by organizations and governments, all aligned with sustainable economic goals. Concluding, the paper provides a future outlook on the role of human capital within the sustainable economic development framework in an automated era. Recommendations for navigating the challenges and opportunities of human capital management in the Industry 4.0 epoch are provided, aiming at fostering sustainable economic growth.
 
 Received: 27 February 2024 / Accepted: 22 March 2024 / Published: 23 March 2024

Exploring Lifelong Learning Initiatives: A Study of ULLAS Program

This research article investigates the ULLAS Program, a pioneering initiative aligned with theNational Education Policy 2020 in India. Operating under the New India Literacy Program from 2022 to2027, ULLAS (Understanding Lifelong Learning for All in Society) aims to empower individuals aged 15and above who have been denied educational opportunities. Using a mixed-methods approach, the studyexamines the program's conception, execution, and effects on lifelong learning using qualitative interviewsand surveys. Implemented through volunteerism and emphasizing social responsibility, ULLAS goesbeyond basic literacy, seeking to instil essential life skills and foster a culture of continuous learning.Preliminary findings indicate a positive correlation between ULLAS participation and ongoing educationalpursuits, highlighting the program's effectiveness.The research extends to assess societal impact and participant experiences, illuminating the qualitativedimensions of the ULLAS Program. As a beacon of hope for education and personal growth, ULLASembodies a holistic approach to learning. The study aspires to contribute valuable insights into the program'seffectiveness, its role in inclusive education, and its broader implications for societal development,informing educational policies and practices in the domain of lifelong learning initiatives.

INNOVATION OF COMPUTER TEACHING MANAGEMENT AND ECOLOGICAL SHAPING OF THE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

During the lockdown time, the entire educational system was warped, from elementary school to higher education. However, the most recent coronavirus sickness (COVID-19) has been reported worldwide, including China. In order to transform Shanghai into a learning city accessible to "everyone, anytime and everywhere," Shanghai is spearheading the Life-long Learning Initiative, which aims to make the city an ICT-rich environment for learning. Despite the fact that a great deal of technology has been created, very few people have thought about how to improve the way students learn with it. There are many lessons that can be gleaned from studying how to execute an innovative learning design in a technologically advanced setting. Innovative learning design in an ICT-rich context will be discussed at this conference, as well as the challenges of making e-learning advances more widely available.

Education continuity for safety

The Lifelong Learning Initiative is based on creating education opportunities for all ages. In view of the enormous importance of lifelong learning in the life and development of modern man, it seems indisputable the need to address this subject in relation to the sphere of security. Hence, the aim of this study is to draw attention to the role of lifelong learning in education for security. The first part of the discussion concerns the essence and main assumptions of lifelong education. The main content is the analysis of education for safety in terms of the whole life - starting from the family as the first environment of education for safety, through preschool education, school education and higher education, and ending with adult education and mass media. Therefore, all forms (including self-education) of education for safety in various environments, institutions (not only educational), addressed to all age groups were included.

Employability development in undergraduate programmes: how different is liberal arts education?

ABSTRACT This paper examines how students’ employability develops during undergraduate studies at a Dutch liberal arts college compared to a conventional bachelor’s programme in law at the same university. Drawing on the graduate capital model, the study focuses on six skills that enhance employability: creativity, lifelong learning, career decidedness, self-efficacy, resilience, and personal initiative. To measure employability growth, a cross-sectional pseudo-cohort research design is adopted, comparing first-, second-, and third-year student cohorts. The results show that liberal arts students make significant progress in five out of the six examined employability-related skills. Compared to the conventional programme, the gains in creativity and personal initiative particularly stand out, reflecting the differences between interdisciplinary and monodisciplinary learning, and self-tailored and fixed curriculum structures. This refutes the stereotype that a liberal arts degree does not prepare students for the labour market and points to the relevance of programme-specific features for employability development in higher education.

PROMOTING AND SUSTAINING A COLLEGE-WIDE LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAM: FACULTY INSIGHTS AND EXPERIENCES

Abstract Research has identified the benefits and challenges of creating multigenerational classrooms for the purpose of intergenerational learning in higher education. However, much less is known about the systems of support needed at the organizational level to promote intergenerational learning within lifelong learning initiatives. With a focus on formal and informal organizational structures, this session describes insights from faculty who opened their courses to older adults as part of a college-wide course auditing initiative. Many did not understand their own role in the program and offered suggestions to address these issues. Recommendations include ways to acknowledge the work of faculty who participate in the program, and to engage more professors and older adults in the community to ensure program success. To create an age-inclusive, and age-friendly university, formal structural change led from the top-down is as important, if not more important, as creating informal networks that start at the faculty level.

Promoting age-friendly organizational culture through lifelong learning programs in higher education: experience and insights from faculty

ABSTRACT Research has identified the benefits and challenges of creating multigenerational classrooms for the purpose of intergenerational learning in higher education. However, much less has been written about the systems of support needed at the organizational level to promote intergenerational learning within lifelong learning initiatives as a key component of their multigenerational engagement strategies. This paper analyzes the development of a college’s lifelong learning auditing initiative along with narrative responses from faculty who participated in the program to offer insight into the formal and informal structures needed to develop and sustain a lifelong learning program. Results indicate limited faculty knowledge about the lifelong learning auditing program at the college. Many faculty who participated did not understand their own role in the program and offered suggestions to help address these issues within their narratives. For example, faculty recommended more formal structures to acknowledge the work of those faculty who participate in the program, and to engage more professors and older adults in the community to ensure program success. Ensuring continuous program evaluation has been key to this initiative. In order to embed cultural change toward a more age diverse and age-friendly university, formal structural change led from the top-down is as important, if not more important, as creating informal networks that start at the faculty level.

A REVIEW OF HOW LIFELONG LEARNING IS PLANNED AND ENACTED IN CANADIAN ENGINEERING PROGRAMS

Lifelong learning is a vital competency for navigating contemporary industry and society. Canadianengineering programs are expected to instill lifelong learning in students by the time they graduate. While lifelong learning initiatives, interventions, and assessment instruments are often proposed, there is no clear consensus on how the graduate attribute should be addressed at the program level. As a first step towards a possible consensus, this research investigates how the lifelong learning graduate attribute is operationalized in Canada. By reviewing indicator definitions and scholarly research, we answer three questions: 1) How do different engineering programs in Canada define lifelong learning in terms of knowledge, skill-based, and attitudinal indicators? 2) How do different engineering programs in Canada enact content, pedagogy, and assessment to influence the development of lifelong learning in students? and 3) How does this compare toconceptualizations of lifelong learning in the broader education literature? This review found different interpretations of the CEAB definition of lifelong learning: some institutions emphasize self-directed learning skills, including identifying and addressing knowledge gaps, while few emphasize attitudes such as curiosity and commitment to lifelong learning. Many Canadian instructors are taking steps to address lifelong learning in their teaching practices, but deliberate teaching and assessment of lifelong learning across programs is rare. Compared to lifelong learning frameworks in the broader literature, Canadian programs appear to emphasize lifelong learning skills and some metacognitive knowledge over attitudes. Skills are likely easier to defineas indicators and assess, but it is unclear whether a focus on skills leads to an internalized lifelong learning orientation.

The Impact of Intergenerational Engagement on Social Work Students' Attitudes toward Aging: The Example of Clermont College.

As a response to our rapidly aging society, professional training programs in health care need to offer rich applied learning experiences with older adults and educate students about ageist attitudes. Health care professionals are likely to work with older adults in a variety of settings, yet ageist attitudes continue to be a barrier to workforce development. This study evaluated the effects of an intergenerational lifelong learning initiative as a way to decrease ageist attitudes in social work students. The research hypothesis was that intergenerational engagement would help reduce ageist attitudes of social work students. Paired samples t tests were conducted with 32 students through pre- and post-surveys of the ROPE (Relating to Old People Evaluation). Results indicated a significant decrease in ageist attitudes overall, in negative ageism, and in students' self-report of behaviors such as complimenting older adults "despite their age" and avoiding older adults. Qualitative comments indicated significant changes in perception about the aging experience and increased awareness of ageist stereotypes. Overall, this pilot study offers an encouraging model that can be applied through future partnerships to reduce ageism of students in health care-related fields.

AQUA-TNET lifelong learning strategy changes E & T attitudes towards ECVET implementation and the EQF

In 2011, the EU ERASMUS Thematic Network AQUAT-NET (representing the fields of aquaculture, fisheries and aquatic resources management) began a study on lifelong learning needs in the sector in order to find ways to tackle issues of articulation between different types of qualification frameworks. The survey (1913–1915) (37 organisations (universities, research institutions, associations and private companies providing lifelong learning (LLL) courses) from 16 European countries) examined their use of, and opinions concerning, the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and the corresponding European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET). The survey, published in 2015, revealed that two thirds of the respondents (65%) agreed or strongly agreed that there was a genuine need to establish the ECVET system of credit points in education and training and a majority of those respondents (58%) considered that the ECVET system of credits should be put into force as soon as possible, though with certain caveats. If the raft of new educational initiatives created by the European Union since then is considered along with the redefinition of key terminology in the EQF (i.e. competences) and the delayed rollout of the ECVET credit system, these AQUAT-NET results take on renewed significance, e.g. the admittedly low take-up rate of ECVET credit points. According to Reports and Evaluations on the state of ECVET implementation (e.g. CEDEFOP (2016) and the much later 2019 European Commission study on VET instruments ECVET and EQAVET), both the concept and the definition of ECVET credit points need to be revised (rather than removed). One acknowledged obstacle to the acceptance of the entire ECVET package lay in the absence of a large, well-organised peer learning group able to disseminate up-to-date relevant information. Within the small aquatic sciences sector, the steady flow of information concerning new lifelong learning initiatives to all stakeholders accounted for the success of the AQUA-TNET approach in promoting informed decision-making at the relevant level. This continues to be one of the recommended best practice approaches, while surveys such as ours are relegated to the vast unread mountains of EU studies.

Educationalisation of youth unemployment through lifelong learning policies in Europe

In the aftermath of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, European authorities reinforced the economic objectives of European lifelong learning policy, promoting employability solutions to address youth unemployment, and increasing their political influence on the implementation of national lifelong learning reforms. This article investigates to what extent these supranational policy orientations have been translated into concrete national lifelong learning initiatives. Although European countries were not equally affected in terms of time and intensity by the rise in youth unemployment rates, the political responses from their governments shared a central focus on employability solutions to youth unemployment in lifelong learning policy reforms. Our comparative analysis shows how different lifelong learning policy initiatives managed to ‘educationalise’ a structural economic problem (i.e. youth unemployment) into an individual educational concern (i.e. lack of education and skills). We argue that the ‘educationalisation’ of youth unemployment through lifelong learning policies is a crisis management strategy, which has allowed governments to focus on the individual symptoms of the problem while avoiding offering solutions to the underlying structural causes of young people’s poor labour market prospects.

Neuro-Advancements and the Role of Nurses as Stated in Academic Literature and Canadian Newspapers

Neurosciences and neurotechnologies (from now on called neuro-advancements) constantly evolve and influence all facets of society. Neuroethics and neuro-governance discourses focus on the impact of neuro-advancements on individuals and society, and stakeholder involvement is identified as an important aspect of being able to deal with such an impact. Nurses engage with neuro-advancements within their occupation, including neuro-linked assistive technologies, such as brain-computer interfaces, cochlear implants, and virtual reality. The role of nurses is multifaceted and includes being providers of clinical and other health services, educators, advocates for their field and their clients, including disabled people, researchers, and influencers of policy discourses. Nurses have a stake in how neuro-advancements are governed, therefore, being influencers of neuroethics and neuro-governance discourses should be one of these roles. Lifelong learning and professional development could be one mechanism to increase the knowledge of nurses about ethical, social, and legal issues linked to neuro-advancements, which in turn, would allow nurses to provide meaningful input towards neuro-advancement discussions. Disabled people are often the recipients of neuro-advancements and are clients of nurses, therefore, they have a stake in the way nurses interact with neuro-advancements and influence the sociotechnical context of neuro-advancements, which include neuro-linked assistive devices. We performed a scoping review to investigate the role of narrative around nurses in relation to neuro-advancements within academic literature and newspapers. We found minimal engagement with the role of nurses outside of clinical services. No article raised the issue of nurses having to be involved in neuro-ethics and neuro-governance discussions or how lifelong learning could be used to gain that competency. Few articles used the term assistive technology or assistive device and no article covered the engagement of nurses with disabled people within a socio-technical context. We submit that the role narrative falls short of what is expected from nurses and shows shortcomings at the intersection of nurses, socio-technical approaches to neuro-assistive technologies and other neuro-advancements and people with disabilities. Neuro-governance and neuroethic discourses could be a useful way for nurses and disabled people to co-shape the socio-technical context of neuro-advancements, including neuro-assistive technologies. Lifelong learning initiatives should be put in place to provide the knowledge necessary for nurses to take part in the neuroethics and neuro-governance discussion.

The university in the community – Lifelong learning initiatives at Babes Bolyai University, Romania

The university in the community – Lifelong learning initiatives at Babes Bolyai University, Romania

Promoting intergenerational learning in higher education: older adult perspectives on course auditing

ABSTRACTAs the population ages, colleges and universities have opportunities to promote intergenerational learning by inviting lifelong learners to engage with students in the classroom. This article outlines an initiative to enroll older adults as auditors and to describe their experiences. Thirty of 40 older adult auditors completed a hard-copy survey administered in 2017 (75% response rate). Results indicate that auditors were motivated to enroll in a college course due to the self-satisfaction of learning, subject of the course, and time of course offering. Over half described completing course assignments and a majority accessed content on Blackboard at least once per week. Older adults reported engaging with students in and out of the classroom and described the benefits of intergenerational engagement as learning about younger adults’ perspectives and the reciprocity of learning and mutual respect between generations. Suggestions for improvement relate to offering more courses for auditing and greater assistance with course technology. Implications for promoting this type of lifelong learning initiative are discussed.

Leadership and systemic innovation: socio-technical systems, ecological systems, and evolutionary systems design

ABSTRACT Innovation comprises an area of human activity that bridges disciplinary boundaries in epistemological domains as well as action frameworks in ontological domains. It involves a complex system composed of people, organizations, role structures, skills, and knowledge bases, in addition to the hardware produced in workshops and factories. This paper argues that Systemic Innovation, as an emerging field of praxis in its own right, provides an integral and actionable framework for the curation of human initiatives that span human, technological, environmental, and generational concerns with lifelong learning and creative design initiatives. To do this, the field draws on socio-technical systems theory (STS), the study of living systems and ecological system dynamics (including such areas of embodied action as permaculture), and evolutionary systems design (itself comprised of general evolution theory (GST), social systems design methodology (SSM), and lifelong and transformative learning praxes). How these frameworks are used to guide systemic innovation in service of life, increasingly robust and supportive living environments, and future-creating scenarios of systemic viability and thrivability is at the heart of the field of Systemic Innovation.

THE GREEK EXPERIENCE OF ICT APPLICATION FOR ADULT LEARNERS TRAINING AT SECOND CHANCE SCHOOLS

The urgency of the problem is due to the powerful growth of new technological environments, where ICTs play a central and all-encompassing role, permeating all aspects of modern social life. ICTs are also seen as a driving force for increasing adult participation in lifelong learning and learning initiatives. The aim of the article is to analyze the Greek experience of using ICT in the process of adult learners’ training at Secondary Chance schools. To implement the goals and objectives of the study, we used the method of content analysis. The results of the research indicated the presence of original approaches to the methods of teaching and developing ICT skills, the habits of adult learners’ training during digital literacy sessions at Secondary Schools; adaptation and transformation of adult course material by educators in accordance with the needs and desires of adult learners by choosing the open-ended social-life material. Thus, the individuality of the students who came to study at Second Chance Schools with different life experiences was provided with innovation to the social conditions in which it was created, helping students formulate their own creativity, needs and desires. The aim of the article is to analyse the Greek experience of using ICT in the process of adult learners’ training at Second Chance schools. The task of the study consists in a deeper understanding of the features of the formation of digital literacy in adult learners, reflects the educational reality of the Hellenic Republic on the example of the functioning of Second Chance schools. It is revealed that the use of ICT is mainly focused on the development of technical and social skills of adult learners in the field of ICT, with the application of certain elements of interdisciplinarity. It was proved that during the ICT sessions the training was more active for both teachers and adult learners at different levels: they developed philosophical and pedagogical knowledge, and the teachers received further technical knowledge and skills and knowledge about the use of ICT in their everyday lives. Summarizing the results of this study, it should be noted that adult educators are people with special characteristics and features about digital literacy and educational activities. These findings can be useful in developing, organising and implementing adults’ ICT courses in the context of Second Chance Schools and other Southern European regions; to address the above issues to reorient future policies and strategies for adult digital literacy and the integration of ICTs at Second Chance Schools.

A survey-based analysis of life-long learning patterns of young entrepreneurs

Abstract Our approach, in this paper, is focused on life-long learning tools that are available for young Romanian entrepreneurs, in their early career stages. Life-long learning in the case of entrepreneurs is not a topic widely covered in scientific literature up to this moment. Most of the scientific papers related to entrepreneurship focus on the idea of innovation and creativity that characterizes entrepreneurship. On the other side, the scientific literature that considers life-long learning, discusses the case of employees or managers, who are required to improve their knowledge and skills in order to perform at the work place. For the current paper, it was aimed to survey the lifelong learning tools available to young Romanian people and to evaluate their efficiency with the help of interviews with young entrepreneurs on their educational path. Otherwise stated, we intended to provide more insights on the learning methods and practices of entrepreneurs, and to establish whether the current formal education represents a strong basis for entrepreneurs’ life-long learning. The research that we performed revealed that young Romanian entrepreneurs practice indeed a lifelong learning based not as much on formal education, as on learning by practicing and networking. Starting from the observations obtained, it was conceived, based on current European best practices and projective discussions with the same young entrepreneurs, a set of life-long learning initiatives that may be promoted in the entrepreneurial community, and we identify the actual steps to be taken by life-long learning education providers in order to implement these initiatives. This paper’s conclusions serve as both a state of the art analysis, in a field which is vital for entrepreneurs surviving in competitive environments, and as a prospective guide for improving the present market of life-long learning programs.

The Characteristics of Elementary School Teachers’ Lifelong-Learning Competencies: A Convergent MixedMethods Study

This study aims to address the characteristics of elementary school teachers’ lifelong-learning competencies using a convergent parallel mixed methods design. The participants are 203 elementary school teachers (71.9% female, 28.1% male) for the quantitative strand of the study and 25 randomly selected elementary school teachers for the qualitative strand. Teachers report their lifelong-learning competencies in the quantitative strand, and semi-structured interviews are conducted with teachers in the qualitative strand. Quantitative data are analyzed using cluster analyses, and qualitative data are analyzed using an opencoding system, after which the quantitative and qualitative results are merged. Cluster analyses show teachers to be categorized into three cluster groups (high, medium, and low) that reflect their lifelong learning self-management, learning-how-to-learn, initiative and entrepreneurship, information acquisition, decision-making, and digital competencies. The results also show teachers to differ in their competencies depending on which cluster group they belong to. Teachers in the high cluster group show higher levels of lifelong learning competencies, whereas teachers in the low group show lower levels. The qualitative analyses from the interviews consistently show teachers to have similar perceptions of lifelong learning that reflect the cluster group they belong to from the quantitative strand. Findings from the current study highlight the importance of lifelong learning competencies in the teaching profession.

A co-created journey: Designing a college-wide graduate certificate program in social justice education

A strengths assessment of the College of Education at Kansas State University in the United States showed that a majority of faculty had strong interests in social justice issues in education. The need for providing continuing post-graduate education in social justice education with theory-to-practice relevancy is critical in formal and informal lifelong learning initiatives. Over the course of 2 years, a social justice education graduate certificate program was co-created by college faculty from all departments. This article explores the content and structure of the program as well as the collaborative development process. Barriers, assets, and lessons learned are discussed to suggest approaches for other colleges.