Bridging Lifelong Learning in Engineering and Healthcare: Challenges, Opportunities, and Best Practices

Invited Workshop Recommended citation: Babayekhorasani, F., Kálmán, A., Carthy, D., Nizamis, K., Smith, C., & Väätäjä, H. (2025). Bridging Lifelong Learning in Engineering and Healthcare: Challenges, Opportunities, and Best Practices. In Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G., Järvinen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53rd Annual Conference. European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI), Tampere, Finland. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17631712. This Conference Paper is brought to you for open access by the 53rd Annual Conference of the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) at Tampere University in Tampere, Finland. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License. Bridging Lifelong Learning in Engineering and Healthcare: Challenges, Opportunities, and Best Practices F. Babayekhorasani a, A. Kalman b, 1 , D. Carthy c, K. Nizamis d, C. J.M. Smith e, H. Väätäjä f a University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, 0000-0002-5115-4179 b University of Nyíregyháza, Nyíregyháza, Hungary, 0000-0002-0225-7921 c Engineers Ireland, Dublin, Ireland , 0000-0002-9810-1189 d University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands, 0000-0002-6965-0242 e Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland, 0000-0001-5708-6341 f Lapland Univ. of Applied Sciences, Rovaniemi, Finland, 0000-0003-3324-9497 Conference Key Areas: Continuing education and life-long learning in engineering, Building the capacity and strengthening the educational competences of engineering educators. Keywords: Lifelong Learning, Continuous Engineering Education, Cross-Sector Strategies, Professional Development ABSTRACT Lifelong learning (LLL) is increasingly recognized as essential for ensuring that engineers remain responsive to technological change, sustainability challenges, and evolving industry needs. While LLL is embedded in engineering, there remains significant potential to strengthen its integration into professional practice, inspired by sectors such as healthcare and industry. This interactive workshop addressed these opportunities by providing cross-sector dialogue and exploring adaptable LLL strategies for engineering. It built on best practices from healthcare and innovative approaches from Asian professional contexts, encouraging participants to analyse transferable models and apply them to engineering settings. The workshop identified simulation-based training, competency frameworks, and interdisciplinary team practices as highly adaptable models. However, these approaches require cultural change and resources, and their scalability varies depending on the type of simulation used. Insights from Asia, particularly Singapore, illustrated how policy-driven initiatives and modular learning pathways can sustain professional growth across career stages. Discussions highlighted that translating such practices into engineering requires technological adaptation, institutional support, stakeholder engagement, and cultural 1 A. Kalman [email protected] readiness to align diverse needs through flexible and inclusive educational approaches. The workshop concluded with actionable strategies and identified future opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing to advance impactful innovations in LLL within engineering education and practice. 1 BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE 1.1 Background The capacity to undertake Lifelong Learning (LLL) has long been an essential competence in engineering education (Bella & Jenkins, 1993) and professional practice (Black, 1994) and has remained an essential graduate attribute globally, featuring in the accreditation requirements of the International Engineering Alliance Washington accord (International Engineering Alliance (IEA), 2015) and the European Network for the Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE) EUR-ACE accord (European Network for the Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE), 2008), ensuring that engineers remain equipped to navigate technological advancements, sustainability challenges, and evolving industry demands. Despite significant research emphasis in the LLL over the past 30 years, research on LLL in engineering remains fragmented. Several questions remain unanswered by research studies, including competing theories for LLL with no consensus on the need for a single theory to explain LLL (Stefens, 2015; Schuller, 2020), limited mixed-methods approaches that could provide deeper insights into effective LLL strategies (Thwe & Kálmán, 2024), and limited engagement with industry professionals, policymakers, or external stakeholders in LLL research, as most LLL research focuses on students, teachers, and educational institutions (Thwe & Kálmán, 2024). Additionally, previous studies primarily explore conceptual frameworks and skills development rather than examining structured, real-world learning pathways that bridge academia and industry needs (Steffens, 2015) despite significant work in developing these pathways by Professional Engineering Bodies through Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes (Engineering New Zealand, 2025), professional development planners (Engineering Council, 2023) competence-based assessment of professional titles (Engineers Australia, 2025) and quality assurance of industry led talent development programmes (Engineers Ireland, 2025). Similarly to the field of Engineering, Healthcare education has also successfully integrated competency-based learning (Motola et al., 2013), structured certification pathways as Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs; Elendu et al., 2024), and simulation-based training (Murdoch et al., 2014; Elendu et al., 2024) in support of lifelong skill development, while the gap between formal LLL education and LLL practice remains a challenge for engineering, highlighting and opportunity for engineering educators to learn how best to collaborate on innovative, flexible, and industry-driven learning models with industry from the healthcare sector. 1.2 Rationale To address persistent gaps in the design and delivery of LLL in engineering, this workshop aimed to promote cross-sector dialogue and knowledge exchange, particularly drawing lessons from healthcare and Asian professional contexts. This interactive session aimed to learn from best practices in healthcare education, including simulation-based training, continuing professional development (CPD) frameworks, interdisciplinary team learning, and the use of digital tools such as AIassisted learning platforms. It also incorporated insights from Asian lifelong learning systems, which offered alternative approaches to modular learning, policy-led upskilling, and region-specific innovation. Participants critically examined the barriers to lifelong learning in engineering and engaged in guided activities to identify transferable strategies. Through structured discussions and collaborative design tasks, they explored how the presented best practices can be adapted and implemented in engineering education and industry settings. The workshop also supported the co-development of actionable ideas with a focus on scalability, accessibility, and relevance across different career stages. By bringing together educators, researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals, this workshop facilitated evidence-based dialogue and generate practical insights to inform future educational strategies, accreditation frameworks, and policy initiatives that strengthen lifelong learning in engineering. 2 WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES 2.1 Audience The workshop aimed to bring together educators, industry professionals, professional bodies and trade unions, accreditation and regulatory agencies, as well as practitioners. It successfully attracted 22 participants from universities across Europe, North America, Singapore, and Australia, along with representatives from professional bodies, trade unions, and accreditation and regulatory agencies, in addition to the four facilitators. 2.2 Expected learning outcomes The workshop aimed to support participants to: • Gain cross-sector insights into LLL: Understand key practices in LLL from fields such as healthcare and professional sectors in Asia, highlighting models that support ongoing skill development, professional competency, and flexible learning. • Identify transferable strategies for engineering education: Reflect on successful practices in other sectors and contexts and identify specific approaches they want to explore further or adapt to engineering-focused LLL, such as micro credentials, simulation-based learning, or peer-learning systems. • Analyze current challenges and opportunities in engineering LLL: Examine systemic barriers and enablers in engineering education, including evolving accreditation expectations, shifting workforce needs, and the role of interdisciplinary collaboration. • Design and pitch a tailored LLL initiative for engineering: Collaboratively design one new or adapted LLL practice suitable for engineering, including its core concept, target audience, delivery format, and potential challenges and enablers. . 3 WORKSHOP DESIGN 3.1 Time plan This 60-minute interactive workshop explored transferable practices in LLL across sectors and regions, with a focus on LLL as a part of engineering education. The session combined expert insights, guided small-group discussions, and collaborative reflection to generate practical takeaways for academic, industry, and policy stakeholders. The workshop began with a brief introduction to existing perceptions of and barriers to lifelong learning (LLL). Two short expert talks provided concrete examples of best practices and innovations, which participants then analyzed and reflected upon through guided group activities. The first expert talk used Hungarian medical education as a case study, exploring how LLL was structured and delivered in healthcare. It highlighted the balance between compulsory and voluntary learning components, showcased best practices such as simulation-based training and CPD frameworks (including examiner training for OSCE), and introduced emerging innovations such as AI integration and interdisciplinary learning models. The second expert talk focused on LLL models in Singapore, examining the nature and scope of lifelong learning at the national level. It introduced key initiatives such as SkillsFuture (Lim et al., 2024; Gog et al., 2024) and the Industry Transformation Maps (Yorozu, 2017), and discussed future directions including technology integration and strategic planning for workforce upskilling. The first activity focused on identifying transferable LLL practices from healthcare, while the second challenged participants to design a tailored LLL initiative for engineering, considering potential challenges and opportunities. The session concluded with group sharing, synthesis of key themes, and a personal action commitment, ensuring that participants left with both inspiration and practical takeaways. 4 WORKSHOP RESULTS The first interactive activity generated rich discussions around the transferability of healthcare-inspired LLL practices to engineering education. Participants identified several simulation-based strategies and critically reflected on their potential to support engineering learners at different stages of their careers. Across groups, simulation-based learning was consistently highlighted as a highly adaptable model (Appendix, Table 1). Using examples from medical contexts, such as surgery, and from construction planning, participants noted that simulations provide exposure to real-world errors in a safe and controlled environment. They emphasised the repeatability and safety of these approaches, allowing engineers to learn through trial and error without damaging equipment or compromising safety. Immersive simulations were also recognised for their capacity to build soft skills, communication, and decision-making under pressure, with participants noting strong parallels between multidisciplinary healthcare teams and engineering project teams. Despite this enthusiasm, participants consistently raised concerns about accessibility and resources. The high cost of AR/VR headsets was considered a barrier to large-scale adoption in engineering programs. Others noted that simulations risk becoming “too safe” or predictable, potentially limiting their ability to replicate real-world uncertainty and risk. Additional challenges identified included scalability to large cohorts, staff training needs, and cultural barriers in shifting from traditional didactic modes to interactive, simulation-based models. Participants also pointed to several opportunities for adapting healthcare practices to engineering. Simulation technologies were viewed as particularly valuable for supporting part-time and flexible learners, enabling safe, hands-on practice outside physical laboratories. The use of AI-driven scenarios was also proposed as a way to increase realism and create more complex, less predictable learning environments. The second design activity extended this discussion by focusing on LLL practices tailored for both mid-career engineers and faculty seeking to embed lifelong learning into programs, inspired by established models in Singapore (Appendix, Table 2). Teams had to think through the lenses of LLL education designers, and identify appropriate target groups to showcase the application of their ideas and potential challenges and opportunities. They proposed real-world team projects, digital-twin environments, and modular learning formats as promising pathways. At the same time, they acknowledged systemic challenges, including funding, policy constraints, and resistance to cultural change. Nonetheless, participants emphasised key benefits such as tacit knowledge exchange, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and stronger alignment with industry needs in areas such as sustainability and AI. Additionally, within the second activity more innovative proposals were put forward, such as re-envisaging Masters programmes to be more stackable, just-in-time and through-life (so really lifelong learning programmes that support individual’s professional development and career progression). 5 CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, this workshop highlighted the importance of cross-sector learning in advancing lifelong learning (LLL) in engineering. By drawing inspiration from healthcare, participants identified simulation-based training, competency frameworks, and interdisciplinary team practices as highly adaptable models, while acknowledging challenges of scalability, resources, and cultural change. Insights from Asia, and specifically, Singapore, further illustrated how policy-driven initiatives and modular learning pathways can sustain professional growth across career stages. The discussions emphasized that successful translation of practices into engineering will require technological adaptation, institutional support, stakeholder engagement, and cultural readiness. Ultimately, enhancing LLL in engineering demands collaborative approaches that integrate industry, academia, and policy perspectives, ensuring flexibility, inclusivity, and alignment with evolving workforce needs. This workshop contributed to building a shared understanding of opportunities and barriers, and to generating actionable strategies for embedding lifelong learning more effectively in engineering education and practice. 6 ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Borbála Kozma from Centre for Educational Development, Methodology and Organization, Semmelweis University, and Associate Professor Eugene Wong from Singapore Institute of Technology, for their valuable contributions and support. REFERENCES Bella, D. A., & Jenkins, C. H. (1993). 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