The relationship between lifelong learning and vocations Essay

The relationship between lifelong learning and vocations - Essay Example A person acquires knowledge even after leaving school and while in employment. The learning needs of people continue increasing with the rising rate of technological advancement. The style of learning is also constantly changing with new inventions. For example, advancement in information technology in the last several decades has generated the need for learning regarding its application in virtually all aspects of life (Forrester 1995). For example, innovative banking systems require bankers to be competent in the use of computers for information storage, while customers are required to understand how to use new banking services such as the Automatic Teller Machine and electronic banking that enhance service delivery. Technology changes occur every year, meaning that for a person to be competent in the workplace or to access important services, he/she has to maintain lifelong learning which does not necessarily have to be undertaken at school or at the workplace. Many governments encourage lifelong learning as a policy response to the constant changes occurring in the modern economic systems. For example, Valsiner (2000) observes that there is a significant shift to a services economy from a manufacturing economy. The conventional institutions that require people to more vigorously in individual management of life have declined in the recent past, while a knowledge economy has materialized. This means that the formal education offered in the early stages of a person’s life may not be sufficient for maintenance of competence in an individual all through his/her life. This realization has made many governments especially in the developed economies to focus on promoting lifelong learning. This is accomplished through encouraging home based schooling whereby individuals acquire knowledge through the informal system, attainment of formal education through adult education, non examinable education in higher institutions of