Propose ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional contexts could be encouraged

Lifelong learning is beneficial for the overall growth of the employee, where in the individual may choose to develop further skills in personal or professional learning zones and therefore also curtail the stagnation in the professional life. There are various ways in which learning in the context of professional or personal knowledge enhancement can be encouraged such as:

i) SWOT analysis: To begin with it is essential to understand the need to learn further and be able to identify the various spaces in which further development may be needed. A self-analysis will help an individual in identifying the various learning scope that may be needed. SWOT refers to the identification of the strengths and weaknesses of the individual. The later part of the analysis also lends clarity to the opportunities that can be capitalised to make the growth curve inclined upwards. Lastly, the threats that are identified are assessed and a continuous plan for developing the threats can be well developed and applied.

ii) Self-reflective learning is another tool to enhance the learning skills of the individual. This helps in coupling of work based learning opportunities with a continuous development program that is aimed at continuous learning of the individual.

Evaluate the benefits of self-managed learning to the individual and organisation

Self-managed learning is carried out by an individual and pertains to personal and professional development of the individual as per his or her self-evaluation . But as a professional, the benefits of the PPDP are not limited to the individual benefits to the learner but also translate to organizational benefits as given below:

Benefits to the individual

i) Team working behaviour: By being a part of the team in academic learning cycles, the individual learns the art of being, balanced in a team.

ii) Communication due to self-managed learning is also improved upon with better clarity that is lent in the communicative reforms of the learner

iii) Individuals also learn the effective use of a projector, PowerPoint presentation and speaker notes and thus are able to make better presentations and develop public speaking skills

Benefits to the organization

i)  Any organization would be benefitted by employees who are a part of the team and are able to handle team behaviour with ease. This leads to the aspect of having effective team members who are motivated for a higher output expectation

ii) Decision making comes with situational leadership which essentially encompasses effective communication. With development in communication of the employee, the organization is able to grow better.

iii) Communication and decision making skills are as important as self-management and control that are again developed with self-managed learning. An employee who has an urge to learn is well suited to the goals of the organization