--- title: Your lifelong learning program's future depends on your human capital description: The future of your lifelong learning program is dependent on your human assets, or intellectual capital. image: https://blog.lern.com/hs-fs/file-16549338-jpg/images/biz3-resized-600.jpg --- [LERN Club Sign-In](http://beta.lern.org/club/) [![lern-logo.png](https://blog.lern.com/hubfs/June-folder/lern-logo.png "lern-logo.png")](http://lern.org) ** # Articles # Your lifelong learning program's future depends on your human capital Tue, Jan 03,2012 @ 11:20 AM by Suzanne Kart | ![staff training](https://blog.lern.com/hs-fs/file-16549338-jpg/images/biz3-resized-600.jpg?width=157&height=235&name=biz3-resized-600.jpg)The future of your lifelong learning program is dependent on your human assets, or intellectual capital. Although your software system is critical in supporting the operations of your organization, the system as well as your other assets (mailing list) will be underutilized if you do not have educated and trained staff — staff members who are good critical thinkers and decision makers. The CEO/director of a **lifelong learning** program should spend 25% of his/her time building the organization’s intellectual capital. Time should be spent directly educating and training staff; giving staff members projects/tasks that increase their knowledge/skill level; researching learning and training opportunities for staff. Education/learning and training are different. A CEO/director wants his/her staff to be trained on how to use the organization’s software system; trained on how to answer the phone and give exceptional [customer service](http://blog.lern.org/blog/bid/112013/Three-Keys-to-good-customer-service); trained on how to design an [attention-grabbing brochure](http://blog.lern.org/blog/bid/105365/Marketing-education-services-depends-on-one-key-item); etc. But a CEO/director also wants to make sure that staffers are given learning opportunities that require them to think about why they making certain decisions; to learn about how other businesses operate and how your organization can benefit; to better understand what the future will bring and what role lifelong learning will play. [![Click me](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/119076/9621eb96-559e-4ddc-96d6-0b8cf36fd3b3.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/119076/9621eb96-559e-4ddc-96d6-0b8cf36fd3b3)       ### LATEST NEWS Video: How to Get the Most From a LERN Membership LERN Video - The LERN Program Review: Position Your Unit for Success LERN Cancellation Rates and New Programs: A Lesson From Netflix Kathryn Lynch-Morin Ready for Liftoff: Drones and Drone Courses are More Popular Than Ever Kathryn Lynch-Morin Working with the University of Nebraska - Omaha LERN [Tweets by @LernUpdates](https://twitter.com/LernUpdates) [LERN Club Sign-In](http://beta.lern.org/club/)