When I was younger, probably like most other people, I though learning was the equivalent of being a student in school. Being all grown up correlated directly with 'knowing' things and putting them to practice in your job. How little did I know back then, and how little do I know now, being all grown up... It is fair to say that one of the most important things I learned by growing up, is that learning is itself a lifelong process.

From the idea that learning is a forever ongoing process, immediately follows the idea that learning doesn't just take place within formal learning environments. Learning might better be understood as all the experiences that shape you into what you are at this very moment. Experiences in school, but also at home, at the playground, at work, and in any other given social situation.

Lifelong learning is than, according to Jarvis, "The combination of processes throughout a lifetime whereby the whole person - body (genetic, physical and biological) and mind (knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, emotions, beliefs and senses) – experiences social situations, the perceived content of which is then transformed cognitively, emotively or practically (or through any combination) and integrated into the individual person's biography resulting in a continually changing (or more experienced) person" (Jarvis 2006:134).

The mass institutionalized education that emerged at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, followed from the knowledge and experiences required from citizens within an industrialized society. Before that time, your parents were -most of the time- able to teach you all that was needed to get through life. But with industrialization came specialization. Your parents alone were no longer able to provide you with all the necessary equipment -skills, knowledge and experience- to succeed in life. And thus an institution was needed that was able to teach children all those necessities. As a result, state organized schools (a formal learning environment) and curricula emerged (Anderson 1983). These formalized learning environments 'delivered' citizens, experts, that were perfectly able to fulfill the jobs the industrial society demanded of them.

Nowadays, within an extremely medialized world however - a world that is forever changing - it is hard to prepare children in school for the life that lies before them. The knowledge and skills needed to fulfill a particular job, change rapidly. What is needed today might not be needed tomorrow. In addition, jobs themselves -with all their requirements- change rapidly. A job that is currently of major importance might not be tomorrow. So the question arises... What are we preparing our children for in school? and will it be enough to prepare them for this new 'fast' world?

In Holland -the country where I come from- and probably in most other parts of the world, the two most important current answers to this problem, this 'void', are (1) a changing curriculum* and (2) the increasing importance of learning & development within companies. The first change is initiated by the government, the second by companies and branch organizations. The idea of the first change is, amongst other things, that actively teaching 21st century skills (see the footnote for additional information) will allow citizens to keep adding experiences and skills to their biography, their life history. The idea behind the second change is that training people, training staff, will allow people to better fulfill their jobs.

Two managers are talking about training their employees. The first asks, "Yeah, but what if we train them, and they just leave?" The second responds, "What if we don't train them, and they stay?"

Even though I am convinced these two changes are a step in the right direction, I still think they are - by themselves- not capable to fulfill people's learning needs within a forever changing environment. This environment demands of people that they are always able to adapt to changes. Actively and deliberately shape their skills and experiences, and getting more experienced all the time. In other words, this contemporary world demands a Lifelong Learning.

These two changes however, do not constitute what a Lifelong Learning entails, because they lack the capacity to provide guidance to people throughout this process**, and at the same time, they underestimate people’s agency within this process. An individuals need to shape their own (learning) biography.

Of course, most people will be able to fulfill those needs in other ways. I argue however that these two changes would be much more powerful if they did address those needs.

* Changes in the curriculum are especially focused on learning 'new' 21st century skills: communicating, working together, social and cultural skills, self regulation, critical thinking, creative thinking, problem solving, computational thinking, information skills, IT skills, and media skills.

** Within the ancient Greek society, a difference existed between teachers - those teaching subjects - and pedagogues - those providing guidance -. Read this blog for additional information.