Demand for Lifelong Learning

The shortage of competent workers, with basic literacy and learning skills has and will continue to create serious problems in developing an economy with an adequate workforce for the jobs of the 21st century. A major shortage of skilled craftspeople will also create numerous production, distribution and service problems throughout the coming decade.

Occupations that generally require an associate degree or more education are projected to grow faster than the 14% average of all occupations. Professional specialty occupations are projected to increase the fastest, adding an estimated 4.8 million jobs.

Futurists say that half of what we need to know to do a job today will be obsolete in ten years. Furthermore, they say many of the jobs in 2010 are unknown today. For this reason, continuing education is mandatory and must be current.

The need for a smarter workforce with specific technical skills (especially computer literacy), will continue to have an impact on the traditional American education system as both businesses and parents demand greater job and career relevance in educational curriculum.

Don’t assume that the classroom is the only place that you can learn. Community groups, professional organizations, the Internet, the library and even coffee shops are all great places to learn. Take advantage of corporate-sponsored training and tuition reimbursement programs. Every job should now be regarded as, essentially, a seminar. Constant training, retraining, job-hopping and even career hopping will become the norm.

Because every job today is moving and changing so quickly, you must think of every job as enrolling in a seminar. The big question is, what are you learning there?

Take personal responsibility for continuing your education, or you may easily end up without the knowledge you need to protect your career. Just remember, in today’s workplace, it doesn’t take long for skills and knowledge to become outdated. Lifelong learning is the only way to remain competitive.