We are living in times of constant change where markets have become volatile and uncertain. This means companies need to look for ways to be more agile and produce continuous innovation. To this end, two elements have proven to be key for business: continuous learning and shared training.

What is continuous learning?

Continuous learning is helping employees expand their knowledge by acquiring new skills and experience, providing them with the necessary tools and the time they need to do so. This enhances the abilities and talents they are able to draw from in the workplace

Why is it important to promote learning within the company?

• When employees feel supported by the company to learn, their motivation to perform their tasks increases, and they become more productive and loyal in today’s competitive market. There is also an increased predisposition to improve and keep themselves up-to-date in their field, improving both their hard and soft skills.
• With the necessary training, companies can undertake new research, offer new products and services, and keep abreast of new developments.
• It improves companies’ competitiveness, as well as the personal and professional qualifications of staff and collaborators.

Examples and tips for lifelong learning

Fostering personal and professional development

More and more employees are leaving their jobs because the company does not offer learning and development opportunities. In this sense, the Human Resources area plays a fundamental role in promoting continuous learning in the company.

For training to be successful, employees need to have the time and resources to learn. To ensure this happens, HR can establish a customized development plan for each employee, encouraging them to attend workshops or team events, providing the professional resources they need that will then be incorporated into their work, either by developing in new areas or projects, or by presenting the training received to other areas of the business.

Assessing learning capacity

Recruitment departments not only value a candidate’s learning, but also his or her ability to acquire new knowledge as thecompany’s needs evolve.

In a scenario where the work environment is constantly changing, learning is fundamental. Courses must be offered to all personnel, regardless of their category or position, as this creates an environment conducive to learning, communicating values of trust, information sharing and talent.

Training enables an organization to develop fully, making its people true agents of change.

Shared learning

Another fundamental aspect of business development is shared learning: encouraging employees to share what they have discovered with other colleagues so that everyone can benefit from it. As they say, when we teach we are also learning.

Shared learning is also known as crowdlearning or crowdsourcing learning, concepts born in the United States that are based on collective intelligence and educational innovation.

Benefits of Shared Learning

Some of the benefits of this way of learning and teaching are the following:

• The exchange of knowledge necessarily involves workers interacting with each other, improving their skills.
• With the debate and dialogue that comes from exchanging ideas, they learn, share different points of view and seek solutions that benefit everyone.
• As a group, they leverage their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.
• Each employee feels responsible both as an individual and as a member of the group.
• Interdependence is encouraged (everyone depends on everyone else).
• People learn to accept criticism, including personal criticism, looking for ways to improve.
• Employees feel part of the company, so their self-esteem improves, as does their perception of the company.

Continuous and shared learning at ULMA

We want our customers to continue to trust ULMA Forged Solutions as they always have, which is why continuous and shared learning within the company forms part of our values and our way of being.

We believe that this is the way to leverage our future success. It allows us to work in collaboration with our partners and customers, improving our internal processes and offering effective solutions to of the challenges that inevitably come up in the course of business.