The transition from knowledge to skills to competence represents a progressive integration of learning and practical application.
Knowledge is the ability to understand and recall information—it forms the foundational understanding of concepts and theories. When this knowledge is applied through practice, it develops into skills, which are the abilities to perform activities with proficiency. As these skills are further refined and combined with knowledge in real-world contexts, they evolve into competence. Competence is the combination of skills and knowledge applied effectively to achieve desired outcomes in specific situations.
This progression ensures that individuals not only understand information but can also apply it proficiently to accomplish goals.
The Lifelong Learning Process
Goals
Establish specific goals that focus on preserving and enhancing employees' knowledge and skills over time, and maximizing the value of human capital within the organization, to ensure responsiveness to ever-changing needs and new challenges.
Roadmap
Develop a detailed roadmap to transform the organization into a lifelong learning environment by creating synergy between work and learning and integrating educational opportunities into daily tasks. Empowering employees in this way not only strengthens their abilities but also enhances their engagement and contributes to their retention within the organization.
Kickoff
Secure commitment from all levels of the organization to kick off the program, and establish both organizational and personal responsibilities for continuous learning.
Formal Education
Formal education is the structured and systematic form of learning that occurs within educational institutions like schools, colleges, and universities. It follows a curriculum designed by educational authorities and is delivered by certified teachers or instructors. Emphasizing standardized assessments, accredited programs, and a consistent learning environment, formal education aims to provide foundational knowledge and skills across a wide range of subjects.
Non-Formal Training
Non-formal education occurs outside the formal educational system. It is structured and intentional but does not follow a formal curriculum or lead to formal certifications. it includes workshops, vocational training programs, community classes, and seminars. It emphasizes practical skills and personal development in a flexible learning environment without standardized assessments.
Informal Training
Informal education is the unstructured learning that occurs through daily activities and interactions. It doesn't follow a curriculum, isn't delivered by certified teachers, and doesn't result in formal qualifications. Learning happens naturally as individuals pursue interests, engage in conversations, observe their surroundings, or consume media like books and online content. It emphasizes personal discovery and lifelong learning outside formal settings.
On-the-Job Training
On-the-job training is a practical learning method where employees acquire skills and knowledge by performing their regular job tasks under the guidance of experienced colleagues or supervisors. This training takes place within the actual work environment, allowing individuals to learn through hands-on experience, mentorship, and real-time application of skills. It integrates learning with everyday work activities, enhancing job performance and efficiency by directly applying new competencies to relevant tasks.
The Building Blocks for Implementing the Program
Self Study and Reflection
Promote self-directed learning through online courses, webinars, books, articles and podcasts, while providing various opportunities for employees to share their acquired knowledge with colleagues. This can be facilitated through small group meetings, one-on-one sessions, and shared document platforms like collaborative wikis or internal blogs.
Group Study and Collaborative Learning
Facilitate group learning by sharing dilemmas, analyzing real-life scenarios, forming actionable insights and operational lessons, engaging in project-based learning (PBL), and leveraging the expertise of in-house specialists.
Professional and Fun Meetups
Encourage employees to actively participate in professional forums and communities related to their field, both online and offline. This includes joining industry-specific discussion groups, attending conferences, and engaging in social media platforms like LinkedIn or specialized forums where they can share ideas and stay updated on the latest trends.
Simulations and Learning Games
Enhance learning by incorporating interactive and engaging methods such as educational games and simulations. Utilize existing learning games that are relevant to your industry or develop customized games tailored to your organization's specific needs. These tools can make complex subjects more accessible and enjoyable, promoting better retention of information.
Field Tours and Expert Meetings
Organize periodic gatherings where internal experts or external industry leaders share their knowledge on relevant topics. These expert meetings can provide valuable insights into emerging trends, best practices, and innovative solutions. Arrange visits to similar organizations or industry benchmarks to observe their operations and learn from their successes and challenges. Participate in field trips, conferences, or workshops that offer opportunities to learn from others outside your organization.
Mentoring and Work Shadowing
Implement mentorship programs where experienced employees guide and support less experienced colleagues, facilitating knowledge transfer and skill development. Offer organizational coaching to help employees enhance their competencies and achieve their professional goals. Conduct job rotations to expose employees to different roles and departments within the organization, increasing their understanding of various functions and promoting versatility.
The Full Lifelong Learning Map
Formal learning is only a starting point for a full and successful professional and personal life. After it, the journey of all of us is just beginning. The first and upmost challenge is to learn how to learn – as a necessary way of life to thrive in the face of change.
"Continuous learning" is based on deep and broad learning that constantly expands knowledge and skills, and implements the new educational imperative that allows us all to manage our learning in diverse contexts throughout our lives.
Learning is both an individual and organizational responsibility. The individual learner must be personally motivated to learn, and the organization must provide the resources to enable learning and positively reward it.
To this end, we propose a process of formulating an organizational "continuous learning map", based on the learning goals in relation to the goals of the organization, and applying various formal and informal learning principles.
Lifelong Learning Goals
- Preservation and improvement of knowledge and skills over time to maximize the value of human capital
- Acquiring new skills according to changing needs for the preservation and continuous improvement of the organizational capacity
- Creating synergy between work and learning to improve organizational performance and quick problem solving
- Sharing and leveraging knowledge and tools between organizational units to create the "organizational best".
- Empowering employees to retain them in the organization
Critical Success Factors
- Adopting a concept of a learning organization
- Organizational commitment to a continuous learning process
- Allocation of organizational resources for learning
- Branding and marketing of the learning program to create identification and harnessing
- Creating motivational mechanisms for continuous organizational learning
- Implementation of a measurement and control process to focus the learning processes on improving the value to the organization
Measures of Success
- Improving results according to the organizational definitions (for example: Reskilling - the ability to perform new tasks in the position and Upskilling - upgrading existing abilities in the position)
- Active participation in learning over time
- Satisfaction of learners and their managers
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Hamutal Weisz
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