Analyzing the concept of "Lifelong learning"

Relevance. Based on the United Nations statistics on the decline in the global total fertility rate, the worldwide increase in poverty, the activation of private and public structures in the field of digitalization in all areas of life, as well as public spending on academic education, it was concluded that the goal of the global digitalization process is to fully control human behavior, knowledge, and skills. The study used a synergistic-institutional approach.
The purpose of this study is to identify the economic and political reasons for the substitution of classical education by the widespread implementation of the concept of "lifelong learning" and the transition to distance education in the context of global digital transformation.
Objectives. The objectives of the study are to identify the differences between the concepts of "education" and "learning"; to analyze the tasks and prospects of continuous learning; to compare the quality, accessibility, and prospects of classical and distance education in the context of digital transformations; to assess the impact of digital transformations on the labor market and education; and to provide a forecast of the role of digitalization in increasing the level of exploitation of the global population.
Methodology. The study is based on a synergistic-institutional approach, as well as methods of political economy (formal-logical and dialectical).
The results of the study showed that the concept of "lifelong learning" is implemented in modern conditions not so much as a humanistic idea of self-development, but rather as a tool for adapting individuals to the ever-changing requirements of the labor market and the digital economy.
Conclusions. The study concludes that the processes of digitalization of education and the promotion of the concept of lifelong learning should be viewed as part of a global economic and political transformation.

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