The Importance of Continuous Learning in Your Workplace

There’s a new hot topic in people management lately: continuous learning. Rarely has the workplace changed as quickly and dramatically as it has over the past few years, between the pandemic and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). As employees' current skills lose relevance, there’s an increasing demand for brand-new, human-centric skills. According to the World Economic Forum, these are the most in-demand skills:

1. Cognitive and self-efficacy skills
2. Analytical and creative thinking 
3. Resilience
4. Flexibility and agility
5. Motivation
6. Self-awareness
7. Curiosity
8. Lifelong learning

With this foundation, your employees have everything they need to do their best, innovate, and adapt, propelling the success of your company. You can help them learn new skills and fill skills gaps for a workforce that’s agile and prepared for changes. 

Continuous learning also serves as a proven strategy for better employee engagement, retention, and performance. Employee development statistics show that they want to grow — 86% would switch jobs for one that provided more learning opportunities. A learning-focused company culture enables you to meet that demand and simultaneously strengthen the business. 

Keep reading to explore the importance of continuous learning and its benefits. We’ll also look at how technology helps HR and Learning and Development (L&D) teams support professional development and training programs. 

🧠 💼 Upskill, reskill, and stay ahead! Continuous learning empowers employees to thrive and companies to innovate. Here's how to make it part of your culture.

What Is Continuous Learning?

Continuous learning at work is exactly what it sounds like — frequent, ongoing learning opportunities for employees that help them develop new knowledge, skills, and abilities. While most workplaces offer employee training, workshops, and courses, a culture of continuous learning requires going beyond the usual. It’s more intentional and ingrained into daily life at work. 

Continuous learning means that your people have the encouragement, support, and guidance they need. It means you provide opportunities to learn throughout their employee journey, help them explore their strengths and interests, and make a plan for their long-term career growth. 

You can support learning and development (L&D) with technology, personalization, and relationships:

• Online courses: Provide tailored, on-demand training modules with software like a learning management system (LMS). An LMS is equipped with tools to deliver training and development in a way that works best for your people and simplifies keeping an eye on their progress. 
• Microlearning: Bite-sized lessons, often delivered via mobile apps or an LMS, allow employees to get quick, effective lessons on their own schedules, as needed. Since they cover very specific topics, microlearning also helps increase the personalization of learning experiences. 
• Mentorship Programs: Mentorships are a chance for less experienced team members to learn from their more seasoned colleagues. Mentors share their knowledge and help mentees build skills while also passing on a deeper understanding of the company's culture and history. A formal mentorship program gives your people ownership over company culture and their own career trajectory. 

Continuous learning for employees needs to be expected, common, and part of the regular workflow in order for it to be part of company culture. 

The Benefits of Continuous Learning

Continuous learning is not just about preparing employees for promotions or teaching them how to use a new piece of equipment. It’s about driving company performance by empowering every person to pursue learning however it looks for them. Continuous learning is what sets truly great companies apart from the rest and defines the most innovative leaders in their industries. 

For employees, the benefits of continuous learning include: 

• Career growth and skill acquisition and improvement
• Higher levels of engagement and job satisfaction
• Staying competitive in their field

Organizations that support a culture of learning benefit from:

• Increased productivity and creativity that leads to innovation
• Decreased talent turnover
• Alignment between employee and company goals that can weather evolving industry standards 

This is only a glimpse of the possibilities that come with a culture where learning is a priority. Besides the many benefits of ongoing learning, the fact that your competitors are taking notice of employee L&D means it should be a top initiative for you, too. 45% of financial decision-makers said their companies are spending more on upskilling and reskilling their employees. 

How to Implement Continuous Learning Experiences

Follow these best practices to make continuous learning part of your company culture.

Find Skills Gaps and Strengths

A skills gap analysis shows you the skills your organization needs versus the skills your employees currently have. Use tools like surveys, focus groups, and performance reviews to gather insights from your workforce. Shining a light on skills gaps enables you to focus your L&D efforts on the most critical areas.

Know, Know, Know Your Goals

Define clear, measurable learning goals that align with those of the business. Are you looking to increase technical expertise on the engineering team or improve leadership skills for managers? Chances are, those goals resonate with many of your employees, too. You can build personalized learning paths and tie their goals to company goals to power individual and business success.

🔑 Success starts with learning! From mentorship to modern LMS software, find out how to foster continuous learning at work. 🏆

Use Technology for Support

Technology is the secret to scalable, seamless continuous learning. A powerful LMS like ClearCompany Learning, powered by Brainier, allows you to design, deliver, and track learning programs. Features like AI-powered recommendations personalize learning experiences, ensuring employees receive content that fits their roles, goals, and learning styles.

Recognize and Reward Learning

When learning is encouraged and celebrated, it becomes part of your company culture. Recognize employees who complete training or upskilling programs, and consider offering incentives like certifications or career advancement opportunities. 

Watch and Evolve 

Continuous learning is not static. With an LMS, you have access to in-depth analytics and can quickly gather feedback on employee engagement and the effectiveness of your L&D programs. Are employees applying their new skills? Are they feeling more engaged and supported after learning opportunities increased? 

Keep an eye on important metrics and feedback around employee L&D, and stay in tune with business goals. Refine your learning initiatives often so they’re always relevant and impactful as your company evolves. 

When you use a modern LMS to support continuous learning, you can uncover answers to essential strategic questions:

• How do employees’ current skill sets compare to your company’s skill gaps?
• Which of your employees show signs of leadership potential or are good candidates for upskilling?
• Which learning resources are most popular, and which are the most effective?
• How quickly are employees becoming proficient in new skills? Has it had an impact on their work?
• Which departments or roles are most in need of training to stay competitive?

With answers to insightful questions like these, you can make the best possible decisions about how to help your employees learn and grow. Drive innovation, increase engagement, and future-proof your organization with a culture of continuous learning. 

ClearCompany Learning, powered by Brainier, is the essential platform for supporting continuous employee L&D. Find out how we can help you build a culture of constant learning and growth when you sign up for a demo of ClearCompany.