Education is a Lifelong Necessity
In both the developed and developing world, the idea exists that people have a "teach-by-date". Of all the problems endemic to the global educational status quo, perhaps the most limiting is the idea that education is only for people of a certain age.
Learning is not just one of life's great joys, it's a life-long joy. Historically, the price of education meant that most people could only afford to indulge in this joy for a limited time. Learning was a scarce and expensive resource that parents had to do without so that they could afford for their children to receive an education.
Become a Lifelong Learner - A 5 Step Guide
1. Take ownership of your education.
We are responsible for our own education and the success thereof. Taking ownership of your educational outcomes becomes even more important when finishing your high school career or completing a formal qualification. Accepting that the responsibility to continue learning during all stages of life rests on your shoulders, is the first step to embracing a life of continuous learning.
2. Set clear, attainable goals.
To most of us specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely (or SMART goals as they are commonly known), is not a foreign concept, yet, many of us make and implement future plans without knowing where we’re headed and what we want to achieve. Setting SMART education goals is no different. Alison has a resourceful free course on goal setting that teaches you exactly how to do this.
3. It’s a lifestyle - embrace the practice.
Practise what you learn. Learning new skills is of no use to you if you don’t apply them to real-life scenarios.
4. Accept lifelong learning into all areas of your life.
Apply continuous learning to your personal and professional life. Choose a career where skill development and continuous improvement go hand-in-hand. Alison free Workplace Personality Assessment and Career Guide can help you determine which career path is right for you.
5. Stay curious and ask questions.
The saying “there is no such thing as a wrong question” has never been more true. Asking questions when you are confused broadens your knowledge.
Free Education Available Anytime
Accessible Education During All Stages of Life
Alison's free online model means that education is available to anyone anywhere, anytime. And that's not just a question of day or night or timezone. It means that regardless of your time of life, high quality and accessible learning is now available to you at the click of a button. At Alison, we know that education is not about age. It's about the desire to learn, the hunger to improve and the will towards empowerment.
Free Education a Basic Human Right
Alison's commitment to providing lifelong learning opportunities is not just a reflection of our guiding vision, the UN Declaration that “everyone is entitled to a free education”. We also recognise the economic necessity of continuous learning in the modern world and our duty to provide it to as many people as possible.
The traditional model of education that Alison seeks to transform is one founded on a dated worldview: that education is a young person's game that stops once you get your first job. The idea that education can stop when work begins only holds water in a world in which that work is guaranteed for life. But that's no longer the world we live in.
The World of Work is Changing
Jobs for life are a thing of the past and only a fraction of the workforce will have received all the training they'll ever need by the time they start working. The Fourth Industrial Revolution continues to radically alter the world of work, and more and more jobs and career paths are changing. What were once full-time positions are now part-time. Some sectors are disappearing altogether.
This means that for millions of workers around the world, continuous learning and upskilling are fundamental to achieving success and maintaining job security in the world of work. The failure to provide accessible and high-quality adult training to workers has disastrous consequences for societies and individuals. A lack of learning and upskilling opportunities today can translate into an uncertain future and unemployment tomorrow.
At Alison, we know that, more than ever, there's a need for lifelong education as technological advances continue to disrupt the traditional career trajectories. That's why we're not just revolutionising the education market in terms of widening access and lowering cost, but also by doing away with the received idea that education and work are incompatible and belong to different life stages.
