Blog post
How to develop a continuous learning culture
By Samantha Allen 24 Jan 2020
The need for ongoing learning and development in 2020 is greater than ever before. One of the biggest threats to business growth is a shortage of key skills. And our modern workforce of millennials are driven by continual personal development. Gone are the days where most employees are happy to remain in one job role for their entire career. With the world of technology evolving so quickly, everybody has to constantly adapt to keep up with the ongoing changes. Read on to learn how you can develop a culture of continuous learning to help your organisation thrive.
What is a continuous learning culture?
Personal development is important for each and every one of us. Continuous learning can be defined by the actions taken by someone everyday which keeps increasing their knowledge. These can be simple actions such as asking for help when something is not understood, observing experienced colleagues, and enrolling on a training course.
Adapting to changes in a business environment and expanding our skill-set in response to new developments is important. Everyday there are changes and new challenges to respond to. Creating a culture of continuous learning means that your employees and team members are actively encouraged to adapt and grow their skills and areas of expertise.
Why is it important to develop a continuous learning culture?
Developing a continuous learning culture offers a range of benefits to a business or organisation. Investing in your people and helping them to broaden their skills will not only improve employee morale, but will also increase efficiency, productivity, and profit.
With a continuous learning culture the turnover of your staff will decrease and your employee satisfaction will increase. Your team members will feel more connected to the business, gain a sense of ownership and accountability and will ease into transitions faster. Your business becomes more flexible, equipped with versatile team members to help your business to thrive, grow and adapt.
How do you create a culture of continuous learning?
With continuous learning you can close a specific knowledge gap in a current role, as well as develop the abilities and behaviours needed for future roles. But how do you create this culture?
Offer formal training on an ongoing basis.
Informal learning should be encouraged, but formal, structured training should be offered consistently. Formal training should not stop after the first few weeks of onboarding. It should be offered continuously, multiple times a year, to achieve the best results. Find a good learning provider that you can trust to deliver the variety of courses you’ll need easily and affordably.
Create customised learning paths with your employees’ help.
When an employee helps to create a learning path for themselves, their sense of accountability improves. And as mentioned in our previous article, employee-led training will more than pay for itself.
Hire individuals who love to learn.
Some people love to learn, and some don’t. Someone who isn’t very open to learning probably doesn’t belong in a company that is actively building a continuous learning culture. When recruiting, consider evaluating your candidates’ interest in learning.
Have a question? Drop us a message to find out more about building a culture of continuous learning and find the right training course options to suit your business.
