We live in an era of continuous change where what’s upcoming and trending can soon become obsolete in few years (or less!). But change can be daunting, change can be scary, it removes us from our comfort zone. You know… that familiar place we all want to live in forever! Continuous learning can be a way to keep up with the demands of an ever-changing work environment and develop skills to help embrace the change.

What is Continuous Learning?

Continuous Learning implies that learning never ends.  Anyone can grow the skills and capabilities that they wish to have if they are motivated and invested to learn. When employees are provided opportunities to improve their skills – by making learning a part of their work – it in turn helps organizations drive innovation and be prepared for changing market demands.

Why Continuous Learning at work is important?

Fostering a culture of learning gives employees the opportunities to grow and flourish, enables them to acquire skills to get better at their jobs, and be ready to adapt to changing market needs. Creating a continuous learning environment helps organizations in many ways.  It helps to identify gaps; refreshes critical thinking and problem-solving skills; and fosters innovation by bringing in fresh perspective and new ideas.  That, in turn, helps build a more proactive and responsive organization that is well positioned to respond to continuously changing client’s needs.

Investing and creating a culture of learning is more important than ever to boost employee engagement and retain top talent. If employees are offered an environment where they are encouraged to learn and try new things, they are more motivated and fulfilled and are more likely to stay with their current employers. Building a culture of continuous learning not only results in happy employees but also creates a strong work culture.  A culture where employees are empowered to collaborate to learn and support each other while learning and implementing new skills and techniques together.

How to create a culture of Continuous Learning?

Make learning easily accessible and fun:

Empower your employees to learn by providing a learning platform that is easy to use, convenient and easily accessible via mobile device so that learning can continue whenever needed. TQ Learning  is a good example.  In addition to a Learning Management System (LMS), engaging content that helps employees grasp new concepts and skills in a short amount of time.  An LMS also provides timely access to content so as market conditions continue to change rapidly, people can learn when needed.

Encourage employees to try new things:

By creating an open environment where employees are encouraged to bring in new ideas, collaborate, experiment, and explore possibilities to come up with better solutions helps employees build trust and encourages teamwork and innovation. Trying new things naturally involves a level of risk and fear of failure.  Organizations that provide a safe environment where failure, and learning from failure are encouraged helps improve employee morale and instills a collaborative culture with improved performance and innovation.

Associate rewards with learning:

Humans are naturally motivated to perform well when rewards or incentives are associated with any action. Creating a culture where employees who are self-motivated to learn and grow their skill sets are valued and rewarding that behavior encourages continuous learning and stimulates new ideas and innovation.