The future demands a ‘learning-integrated life’

A “learning-integrated life” can prepare graduates for successful careers and rich life experiences, writes Tony Maguire.

Education is the key to unlocking opportunities, and learning can and should happen anytime, anywhere and for everyone. To make this a reality, we must go beyond maximising and optimising today’s classroom or workplace and transform the way the world learns.

The future demands a “learning-integrated life”, in which individuals are always in a learning mindset and intensive and episodic opportunities for learning are woven through the fabric of our lives, preparing us for successful careers and rich life experiences. This extends across the learning continuum, from primary school to post-secondary education through to learning while working.

Embracing a learning-integrated life will produce favourable outcomes in terms of employability, career fulfilment, and personal growth. Educational institutions, non-traditional education and training providers, companies, and governments all have a role to play in developing a roadmap for lifelong learning for all.

Understanding the importance of digital learning, affordability, and employer recognition, we have identified three key areas where governments at both state and federal levels should focus their attention to create a system that enables individuals to truly embrace learning-integrated lives.

1. Prepare teachers for their lifelong learning journeys

Teachers are expected to structure, facilitate, and assess the learning-integrated lives of their students, delivering more personalised, engaging, blended and competency-based instruction. Therefore, teacher training needs to provide them with a solid foundation of skills and contemporary digital experiences so they can use technology in the classroom effectively, identify students’ conceptual and skills gaps and apply effective interventions when learning stalls.

Similarly, teachers need access to professional programs that address their own conceptual and skills development needs, whether it is related to the content, pedagogy, or the effective application of technological learning tools and best practices.

2. Learning should evolve to match employer needs

To be successful, a lifelong learning journey must be dynamically responsive – personalised if you like, offering learning opportunities that adapt as learner demands, employer needs, and workforce trends continue to evolve rapidly. Governments should look at a variety of strategies and leverage tools to incentivise individuals to participate and for employers to recognise and accommodate those improving their circumstances and enriching their workplace contributions.

As the cost of living bites for many, employees find it increasingly difficult to fund additional training out of their own pocket.

While future learning programs ideally align with employer needs, it is important that post-secondary education builds sector-wide capacity embracing new learner-centric models.

The role of public policy cannot be overstated in this vision. Finland consistently rates highly in the global educational rankings and offers some glimpses into what a learning-integrated life could look like

Vocational education and training (VET) is an important part of upper secondary education in Finland. Sixty-eight per cent of all upper secondary students are enrolled in VET programs in Finland, a higher proportion than the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average of 44 per cent. One of the advantages of vocational education and training is the possibility to combine school and work-based learning, which can help to facilitate school-to-work transitions. In Finland, all upper secondary vocational students are enrolled in programs that offer the chance of direct access to tertiary education.

3. Accelerate the shift to skills-based learning and recruitment

The Australian job market faces a severe shortage of skilled workers, and according to the latest report by the Australian government’s Jobs and Skills Australia department, 36 per cent of occupations assessed were in national shortage (332 out of 916) last year, 5 per cent higher than the 2022 Skills Priority List (SPL). This shortage in skilled workers is prompting employers to prioritise skills over traditional qualifications such as university degrees.

Technological advancements, automation and an aging workforce have contributed to the skilled labour shortage, creating a gap between workers’ capabilities and employers’ skill requirements. Furthermore, skills-based hiring benefits both employers and jobseekers by promoting diversity, innovation, and lifelong learning.

The Australian government needs to prepare the country’s workers for the future, which includes improving the collection and dissemination of labour market information (LMI) to shift from a focus on occupations, tasks and credentials to a more comprehensive focus that includes the skills required to succeed as jobs change.

The traditional value of a university degree is being challenged as Australian employers grapple with a scarcity of skilled workers. Currently, micro-credentials or short practical courses are not given the same level of recognition by employers as formal degree qualifications. However, this is changing with more awareness and value of micro-credentials in recent years.

Conclusion

Economic, technological, and societal pressures have significantly accelerated changes in education, skills acquisition, and employment, challenging the outdated notion that learning is a one-time endeavour meant solely to prepare individuals for their careers. This shift emphasises the necessity for government and industry to embrace policies and make investments that promote continuous, learner-centred education that is accessible, affordable, and inclusive for all Australians.

In the association sector, for example, investment in educators’ continuous professional development can ensure that more members benefit from personalised learning experiences across their journey, equipping them with the skills for lifelong self-directed learning.

The future of education and training must be inclusive, accessible, and affordable, recognising that learning is a continuous process that can occur at any time, place, and stage of life for everyone.

Tony Maguire is the regional director for Australia and New Zealand at D2L.