Lifelong learning helps to make you uniquely qualified for opportunities.
Get ready to live your best life with lifelong learning
Try it out and see what comes next
There’s a great way to prepare to live your best life. Embrace lifelong learning.
“It’s an opportunity to grow and to expand your horizons,” says Ute Kothe, Dean, University of Manitoba (UM) Extended Education. “It’s in our hands to choose what is best for us, to seek out what we find interesting and fulfilling. We can be proactive and make choices, taking ownership of our lives and careers, choosing what we would like to learn and where we would like to go, so we can live as well as possible.”
While lifelong learning can come to us through formal education at school and in post-secondary studies, it is also much more than that, Kothe says. “It is an attitude, an open mind. Be observant. Try new things. Learn from others, whether your learning is purposeful or by accident.”
Working professionals often rely on their earlier education, but as you move through your career, the world changes. Continuing your lifelong learning with professional development is a great way to stay current and get ahead.
“Through professional development, you will have the tools to ensure you are ready to advance in your career, and you will continue to enjoy your job, preventing it from getting stale and routine. Lifelong learning will also help to make you uniquely qualified for opportunities.”
Discover new opportunities
Kothe was not always so enthusiastic about lifelong learning. She remembers when she was first asked to take a four-day workshop. “I didn’t think I needed to do it. I didn’t see the benefits. But it was a life-changing experience. I learned new skills. I networked. It enabled me to see other opportunities. It opened more doors, to help bring me to the next level.”
She has also seen similar unexpected results in her colleagues. For example, she recommended a leadership program to one, and they became fascinated with one aspect of it, continued to pursue it with passion, and helped many other colleagues.
“Try it out. See what comes next.”
Today, there are so many opportunities to learn. “How lucky we are that there are so many free learning opportunities out there. It’s not about choosing one opportunity over another. Use the free opportunities to spark your interest and then continue your education in a more formal manner to reach a new level of depth and understanding.”
UM Extended Education allows learners to extend their education and bring it to the next level by pursuing professional lifelong learning opportunities. “Traditional post-secondary education pays off, but it is a big commitment. Our lifelong learning opportunities are more flexible and tailored to the needs of the learner. You can take a single course or complete a short program or certificate with very flexible scheduling.”
The University of Manitoba had one of the first continuing education units in Canada. “Your learning is an investment of time and money. With us, you know you are engaging with an experienced institution. Our courses and programs are meant to help you advance in your life and career.”
Kothe highlights some examples of Extended Education’s latest programs.
Extended Education Programs
Building Information Modeling (BIM) Management goes beyond using software to the management of complex processes that is becoming very important in Canada for professionals in architecture, engineering, construction, as well as building owners and operators.
Artificial Intelligence: Machine Learning Solutions takes a big-picture approach on how to use and monitor AI and stay ahead of the game. It gives professionals an edge.
Media Literacy, Critical Thinking and Investigative Journalism shares how to understand and assess information, to inform choices, and acquire tools to advance our workplaces and to navigate our complex world.
Facilitating Older Adult Learning is a micro-certificate that reminds us that lifelong learning never stops. “Why should it? It’s for life, to have the skills to shape your world. We can help you to get better at facilitating lifelong learning for older adults.”
In a world where knowledge continues to accelerate, it is no longer our limiting factor.
“The world keeps changing. We must keep learning and develop the skills to navigate it.”
Learn more about Extended Education programs and courses
As seen in the Winnipeg Free Press