Development at work should not be reserved for the young

The population is shrinking. We cannot afford to overlook the development potential of either younger or older employees.

Walk through any cemetery from the early 20th century and you will see job titles carved in stone: “Solicitor”, “Baker”, “Manufacturer”. A person’s profession was often their identity – and it stayed with them for life. That is no longer the case. Today, most of us will move through multiple roles, sectors, and skillsets.

In a world where knowledge quickly becomes outdated, our approach to learning must evolve. Lifelong learning must mean exactly that: learning at every stage of life.

Learning that fits life

Generally, society structures education around the idea that learning belongs to the young – school, university, and then forty years of work. But this frontloaded model no longer reflects reality.

Children may absorb information quickly, but not everything can or should be learned early. Learning gains depth through lived experience. A leadership course means something entirely different to someone who has already faced real management dilemmas.

For experienced professionals, learning should be relevant, contextual, and responsive. That might mean shorter courses, mentoring, peer dialogue or project-based learning – not only traditional classroom instruction.
If older employees appear reluctant to engage with training, the issue is often not their mindset. It is the format.

Creating learning spaces across generations

One of the most overlooked opportunities in modern organisations is intergenerational learning. We often think of mentoring as a one-way street, where senior employees pass on knowledge to junior staff. But the real potential lies in creating shared learning spaces where insight, experience, and fresh thinking move in both directions.

When people from different generations collaborate on real-world challenges, they bring complementary strengths. Experienced employees contribute with depth and judgement. Younger employees bring new perspectives, digital fluency, and curiosity. Together, they generate insights that neither group would reach on their own.

These learning environments do not arise from standardised training. They must be embedded into how teams are formed, how problems are solved, and how organisations approach growth.

A demographic reality

Too many organisations still focus their development efforts on junior employees. That may have worked in the past. It will not work in the future.

With declining birth rates and rapid technological change, there will simply not be enough young people to carry the burden of transformation alone. Businesses that rely solely on early-career pipelines risk missing the potential that is already in the room.

The companies that thrive will be those that support learning across every stage of working life. They will invest not only in what people need to know today, but in who they can become tomorrow.

At Deloitte, we believe in continuous learning journeys for all employees. From onboarding to their last day, everyone is on a path of growth. The learning doesn't stop after the mandatory onboarding training; it evolves to suit seniority, individual interests, skills, and life stages. Our diverse learning activities ensure that over the course of a Deloitte career, your journey can branch off from the general basics to specialized areas, and from being a student to being an instructor. 
That is how we build not just a stronger organisation, but a more resilient society.