Lifelong Learning

We are in the process of re-writing and revamping many of our economic and educational systems in order to get through the current crisis. One of our current endeavors that will need to be revamped and restructured is how our citizens keep current and marketable in an ever changing world and economy. We need to have systems in place that our citizens can tap into to help them keep updated with skills and training as well as adapt to market fluctuations.

Retraining and getting updated with new skills needs to be a part of what we expect from our citizens in our new economy. We need to make sure that education and learning are a lifetime expectation for each person. This can no longer be something you do just during or after high school. We need to have an acceptance of this personal responsibility and as such, have training be available to keep our society updated and skilled.

Every person who gets laid off, for example, should be expected to have their job skills updated. We should create different types of retraining programs to help foster people's ability to stay current and updated in these changing markets. We also want to make sure people can quickly and easily transition to new jobs in times of economic change. The concept of setting up apprenticeships and mentoring programs can also help support the transition for people to come into new jobs or help them with the retraining and retooling process.

Retraining and developing new skills are just part of life. The longer we live, the more likely we will need a diverse bag of skills in our pocket to help us transition to the new markets. Setting up a life-long training should be included in the new economic model we are now creating and with it, we also need to start expecting every able bodied person to keep their skills updated and continue with lifelong learning.