Systems of New Knowledge Production and Management of Innovative Development - Research Paper Example

The term "lifelong learning" reflects hopes, which society assigns to education, and also opportunities, which should be necessary given to every single person for the development of his/her potential. Notwithstanding the long evolution of the concept of “lifelong learning”, there is no one general definition of this term. This notion can be defined as the realization of purposeful actions on learning, both formal and informal, undertaken continually with the aim to improve own knowledge, skills, and competencies.

According to Edwards, Miller, Small, & Tait (2002), the life-learning concepts advocated today have grown out of the “lifelong education’, ‘permanent education’, and ‘recurrent education’ plans proposed in key documents several decades ago, many of the principles espoused still apply today, even though the contexts and the concepts themselves have changed in certain ways (see e.g. Tuijnman, 1994; Hasan, 1996). Nowadays humankind has become a witness and a direct participant of great changes.

The development of communication networks, digital technologies and genetics, trade and culture connections, and general globalisation of civilization give everyone a variety of possibilities on the way of self-improvement. People get more and more freedom in choosing their behaviour and the way of life in general, however, everyone should understand that such freedom involves certain responsibilities. In such circumstances, the distance between those, who do first-rate on the labour market, and those, who have hopelessly fallen, behind become more and more obvious.