Learning for Life Programme (LLP)

“Never let formal education get in the way of your learning”. There are several versions to this quote which originated from Mark Twain. While the quote looks highly controversial in the beginning, what it is really trying to say is that when you are living in a constantly evolving world, it requires you to level up or you get left behind. As humans, we have a penchant to evolve – learn new skills, habits or hobbies. Our ability to learn is innate. It just depends on how we utilize this knowledge. And in today’s context, the confines of the classroom will no longer be sufficient. That’s the essence of lifelong learning. 

The Rising Momentum of Lifelong Learning 

Lifelong learning is broadly defined as the ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. It is important for an individual’s competitiveness and employability, but also enhances social inclusion, active citizenship, and personal development.” In Springfield, we believe that such self-leadership needs to be complemented with community contributions, forming the foundation of our Learning for Life Programme (LLP) in Community Youth Leadership (CYL).

While lifelong learning is an age-old concept, it has seen a recent surge in popularity, all thanks to the advent of e-learning and staying relevant or even ahead of the curve in leading industries. Importantly, formal education that we used to know, is no longer future-proof if it’s strictly based on knowledge within books and examination results. The only way to future-proof your education is through lifelong learning by brushing up on skills and knowledge before the need arises. Indeed, the need for reskilling and upskilling is constant, and the job market now bids for skills rather than titles. And, the only way forward is to arm oneself with an endless stream of knowledge.

This future-proofing doesn’t just reside with the self. And in fact, it is vital that it impacts a wider range of people so that the larger community can be ready for the future that is presented to them. That will in turn ensure the readiness of the nation in overcoming the obstacles that might come our way. Nation building then requires the unity of the people, the compassion towards others and the appreciation of multiculturalism especially for Singapore which is a melting pot of cultures and traditions.

Learning is for everyone

Lifelong learning aims to add to one’s knowledge for a specific purpose – personal and/or professional. So, it depends on who’s pursuing it. 

Is it an entrepreneur learning how to expand their business through a business management course? Or is it a customer service executive who is learning sign language to communicate with their customers? The concept of lifelong learning stems from the need to have long-lasting skills. However, its purpose and nature determine its end user. For our students, it could simply be to be able to make informed decisions about their future jobs or to take early steps to ensure they stay competitive in a VUCA world. 

Indeed, there is no age criteria to learning and the importance of lifelong learning has also gained synergy with the need to start young. At Springfield, we have embraced that notion and believe that while we educate our students, they too, can impact and nurture the younger learners. To that effect, we have worked closely with PCF Sparkletots where our students became teachers for a day to impart knowledge about the importance of being environmentally friendly and how the young ones can do their part to preserve the planet for future generations.

Lifelong Learning at Springfield

And this is where, at Springfield, programmes have been continually curated to prepare our students for the future. That is why the CYL programmes designed in Springfield doesn’t just aim to provide the head knowledge in leadership but also in building the empathy in our students. We strive to help our students understand the different struggles others might face, to help them glean different perspectives outside of their usual communities. To that end, the collaboration with external organisations such as Singapore Kindness Movement, PAP Community Foundation (PCF), The National Environment Agency and National Parks Board have been extremely valuable in promoting social inclusion and active citizenry. At the same time, students managed to capture glimpses of what the world of work in different industries can be like.

The lessons in the classrooms are vital in providing our students with the head knowledge about various subject matters but at the same time, other opportunities are required to allow our students to better understand the world, to learn new skillsets, to apply the new knowledge and skills, and to remain relevant and competitive.

Collaboration with external organisations for work opportunities, dialogues with working professionals, visits to Institutes of Higher Learning have all taken place this year. This is by no means an exhaustive list of programmes made available to our students, but it shows what the school is trying to achieve in terms of making learning in the classrooms more coherent while keeping the students more relevant for the future workforce.

At the same time, head knowledge needs to be complemented with the strength of the heart. The cohort camps, leadership programmes and overseas trips are all wonderful opportunities for the students to build resilience, to learn to interact with others, to experience the world and to develop themselves to their fullest potential. Through these programmes, we hope to help the students see Singapore in the world as we bring the world to Springfield.

In essence, we hope our Springfielders never stop learning and that they see the enjoyment in doing so. More importantly, we hope they also see the enjoyment in giving back to the community while learning because if they do, they will never cease to grow in their own journey of life. This is how Springfield’s LLP-CYL programmes build our students for the future.