The lifelong learning program in the wonderful country of Bermuda is the first program to report success with YouTube advertising for the field.    Tawana Flood, head of the program says, “Based on expert recommendations highlighting that video content is more memorable and emotionally engaging than static media. We hired the services of a local

   The first report of a targeted discount for only specific classes will set a new trend in targeted discounts for the field.   We’ve had Early-Bird Discounts in our field forever.  And forever, they have worked. In fact, any Discount works if you design it correctly.   But what’s new is Forest Hills Public Schools Community

 The top marketing area to improve for 2026. The most likely hot marketing tip to be implemented in the coming year. And the marketing tip that would have the biggest impact for programs.  These were the 3 big marketing topics practitioners responded to and set the direction for LERN practical, how-to tips for members. Top

   Programs doing community classes for the public most want to grow their older audiences in the coming year.   People in their 40s and 50s were rated the most wanted growth area by 33% of practitioners, followed by people over aga 60, which came in at 30% of programs.   The 40s and 50s age range

Some 30 member organizations have achieved Gold Club member status for 2026 with LERN. Gold Club membership is brand new and our highest level of services and benefits. You can join them. In addition to receiving all the benefits and services of both Essential membership and Premier membership, Gold Club members get: *Free consulting via

The best youth program practitioners will report on the new successes of 2025 and what they are planning for summer 2026. Join them and get their hot programs, trends, new strategies and predictions for summer 2026. It’s time to plan your Summer Camps or Kids College program for summer 2026. Two great webinar programs this

In an era of rapid change and uncertainty in lifelong learning programming, you may unexpectedly face demands seriously impacting your program. “Your unit must do more than respond – – you must anticipate,” says Dr. Travette Webster, LERN’s Chief Operating Officer. Three actions to help you anticipate: 1.Proactive planning.Design a strategic portfolio, learner-centered marketing and

Nobody gets too much recognition, says Tim Litfin of Minnetonka, Minnesota.  His community education program is ranked annually as one of the top ten in North America. Do more recognition for your volunteers, instructors, staff, advisory boards, business partners, and anyone else who helps your program be successful. “You have the opportunity to pat someone

Gen X and Gen Y have different priorities when it comes to new management concepts. The differences has implications for your own workplace, plus working with other generations and even customers. Gen Y/Millennials overwhelmingly say the most immediate and relevant new management concept is Exploring empowerment in decision making, according to an exclusive survey of

If you need an AI instructor for your community, partner with LERN to offer AI classes online. With just one registration, you can get up to 50% of the revenue. LERN’s AI instructors Betsy Flanagan and Marcus Lander are nationally known, with participants all over North America.  Flanagan consults with Silicon Valley tech companies. Lander

It’s a top challenge for programs this year. For a variety of demographic reasons, it is tougher now to attract instructors who want to teach. Three practitioners from three different institutional settings have developed innovative and successful ways to recruit instructors. Here’s what they do. Cast a Wider Net   Cast a wider net, says Michael

Exclusive to UGotClass, a new Class Ranking premieres this month.  The Class Ranking allows your students, and especially their employers, to find out how well each did compared to others taking the same certificate over the past year. The ranking is confidential, of course. Unless your student is in the Top Ten. Then you and

  This fall, become a CPP.  For leaders, send your entire staff to become a Certified Program Planner (CPP).   Professionals in the field only know about 50% of what they need to know to maximize their productivity and your organization’s success, according to LERN’s lead instructor for the CPP, Vice President Brendan Marsello.   

Every program should be offering, or expanding, their Summer Camps and Kids’ College programming. Summer camps for youth cannot keep up with demand, are very profitable, and have other financial benefits for your organization. Now you have two ways to plan for Summer Camps 2026. Summer Camps 2026 Webinar Series   The top practitioners from around

“Oh, I’m not rescuing you. I just want you to have my flyer on ‘Making Crafts with Coconut Shells.’” Smile. You have a cartoon with every issue of your LERN print newsletter this coming year. They are drawn exclusively for LERN by artist Greg Brecht. A little old-fashioned, a little corny, and just right. Enjoy.

This year’s two new LERN Recommendations are that EVERY program should offer classes for:*Boomers.*Kids and Youth. Even programs focused on professional development and workforce development can reap the rewards from programming to Boomers as well as to Kids and Youth. The reason is money, both for your program and to your other financial contributions to

No other conference has it.New! “Innovations 2025” is an exclusive report for organizations attending this year’s 2025 Annual Conference. You get the report on the pioneering breakthrough innovations in the last twelve months: 1. Authentic Programming   A new strategy to customize and create new programming for different neighborhoods and communities. 2. No-Cost 5 Step SEO  

   From over 40 great tips from LERN members, our consultants picked the 9 Best Ideas for this year. Here they are, with links to 2-4 minute videos for more information. #1  Increase spending on marketing for classes that are already doing well.Click here for more information https://youtu.be/CWNiABBRFfQ #2 Do Instagram reels of 15-30 second

For programs having trouble finding quality local AI instructors for your in-person classes. Get our online “AI Certificate” in your next print brochure. Our online faculty will take care of your customers. Bring this critical workplace and professional development skill to your community. Click here for the full description. Our “AI Certificate” premiered in February

Get the benchmarks, comparisons and data from your fellow programs in the same institutional setting. Dashboard Level 1 is FREE, even for non-member programs. Coming soon! Dashboard  Level 2. Keep reading to find out about Level 2. Dashboard Level 1For Dashboard Level 1, we ask 5 quick multiple choice questions. We ask for a range,

   From award winning LERN members, here are three Best Practices this year.  Best Staffing Practice   Recruitment and retention of staff, including part-time and temporary summer staff, is now one of the top issues in the field. A Recruitment Fair is one key element in a new initiative by the most innovative programs to nurture

This spring we celebrate the achievements of Jill Korsok, our chief elected officer of the LERN Board of Directors for 2024 – 2025.  Ms. Korsok is a recreation professional with, and Director of, Orange Community Education and Recreation in Pepper Pike, Ohio.   She showed, once again, how professionals with Recreation Departments have created initiatives and

Registrations are strong for two big events for universities and community colleges this spring. New. Pathways: Noncredit to Credit   A hot topic, you get the experience and successful practice from two leading continuing educators who have had big success with developing Pathway programs at their institutions.   Join Gloria Smith of Dallas College, Dallas, TX; and

A new community college research report finds that a minimum of 5% of noncredit students later become a credit or degree student at the same college within four years. Download the report here.      “The implications for community colleges are significant,” concludes Julie Coates, Senior Vice President for LERN and the report’s lead researcher.  The LERN

If anything, the buzz over AI in the field of lifelong learning programming is growing. Bold new predictions about AI’s use for programs were announced by Dan Belhassen, North America’s guru on etools. An annual conference hit for over ten years, Belhassen made these remarks and predictions at this year’s conference. The 5 most notable

New financial contributions you make to your institution have been discovered. You and your program make more financial contributions to your institution than central administrators know about and measure. In a blockbuster breakthrough this fall, Laura Stevens Matchett of Traverse City, MI, unearthed three new financial contributions many programs make to their institution. She received

Rewriting course descriptions with Chat GPT is one of the top uses for AI right now. That according to polls taken at a discussion about AI led by Billie Diaz of Palatine, IL; and Scott Silverman of Santa Monica, CA. What Platforms You Use    Some 150 professionals responded to the question, “What AI platforms

  Enticing rewards highlight a new campaign kicking off this month.   Members get your choice of one of the following:1.Half price dues for the next two years; OR2.Free LERN Institute registration, worth $800.    The new member you recruit also gets rewarded for joining LERN.The new member, or a previous member whose membership expired prior

Here’s what new and pioneering sessions lead the advanced practical how-to sessions for the LERN Annual Conference, Nov.  18-21, 2024. -Authentic Programming, with Aviva Hillenbrand; Minneapolis, MN -No-cost Search Optimization, with Goher Murtaza, CPP; New York, NY -Using Social Media for Needs Assessment, with Travette Webster, Houston, TX -Data-based Email Promotions, with Dawn Prosser; Frederickton,

The new LERN Dashboard has changed the field of lifelong learning and continuing education forever.  You must be data-driven now. For the first time ever, your program has No-Excuses. You now have the numbers, the averages, the benchmarks for what your program can achieve. You can see what the Top 25% of programs in your

Experience the intimate networking and discussion with your colleagues and leaders in the field. The LERN 2025 in-person conference will be March 18-20, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas. We will be right on the famous Riverwalk. The hotel offers a casual setting in the middle of the history and tradition of old San Antonio. The

Only 20% of programs have a slogan or tagline on the cover of the brochure, LERN consultant Jordan Kivley has found. Both slogans and taglines grab the reader’s interest. Marketing experts confirm that the key to generating engagement with your promotions is through eliciting an emotional response, which both slogans and taglines can do. And

Testimonials are the best marketing. The abundance of neighbors-talking-over-the-fence in commercials is proof enough that testimonials work. In our field of lifelong learning, testimonials are seen as authentic. They are recognized by potential participants as actually coming from a real past customer (as they always do). Include testimonials in email promotions, as videos, as social

Leading the field, here are some of the exclusive new LERN member services being developed and offered for 2025. 1.Interest Group Networking. Individuals with member organizations can sign up for one or more Interest Groups at no charge. This year each Interest Group will meet online up to 3 times to network, hear from top

Gen Z may be the best generation of managers for the workplace of the 21st Century, according to Julie Coates, one of the foremost authorities on generations. “Gen Z managers know that no one is normal,” she states. “Success depends on embracing individual differences and turning those differences into assets that can build organizations. We

Move Up to Premier Benefits.  There’s no additional charge; just register for the LERN Annual Conference, Nov 18-21, 2024; Online. New 2025 benefits: *Cohort Consulting. Ask your toughest question. Then listen while your colleagues ask their most pressing questions. Take home all the answers. *Save 20% on Promotion. For U.S. members, LERN can save 20%

Starting in 2025, UGotClass will limit the number of UGotClass Partners to an Elite 200 Organizations. Join us now. UGotClass is Superior.Quality.Education. “We want to work with a select group of programs in branding and marketing,” announced Brendan Marsello, the LERN Vice President in charge of UGotClass.  “All LERN members and partners say UGotClass is

Inaccurate school and college grading is now damaging the economy. The obsolete grading system denies college to 2 million smart students every year. In just the last few months, we are now seeing the effects to the economy and society. -Colleges closing an average of once a week. -Over a million fewer students in college

Mark your calendars! Get ready. LERN’s in-person conference will be held right on the famous Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX, March 18-20, 2025. It’s designed for an interactive and more intimate conference experience. Along with presentations, you will have networking and discussions with your colleagues on the top issues of the coming year. The conference

LERN member programs named the top issues in the field today in last month’s exciting Virtual Gatherings. The leading issues for lifelong learning programs today: *Relationship Marketing *Articulating Your Value *Leading Gen Z *Utilizing AI *Wellness for your staff *Emergency Safety Responses *Solutions to Staffing Shortages The 7 top issues will all be addressed in

Now your online students and their employers can find out “where they stand” after taking a certificate from UGotClass. UGotClass jumps out ahead of the for-profit competition even more with this new educational service to add to its superior quality classes. In the new economy, employers and employees alike are interested in skill and knowledge

Gen Z may be the best generation of managers for the workplace of the 21st Century, according to Julie Coates, one of the foremost authorities on generations. “Gen Z managers know that no one is normal,” she states. “Success depends on embracing individual differences and turning those differences into assets that can build organizations. We

The Wellness Crisis in society has opened up a new opportunity for lifelong learning programs. Employers and managers in the workplace are now acutely aware of the issue, and the impact wellness has on employee productivity and workforce satisfaction. Companies and work organizations are now eager for wellness activities for their people, and are looking

The latest and greatest LERN News on what LERN has planned for you coming up. Photo: The LERN staff hold a retreat in Puerto Rico earlier this year. New Chair Extends Dashboard Jill Korsok, Director of Orange Community Education in Pepper Pike, Ohio, became the new Chair of the LERN Board of Directors this spring.

For you, and your community, the new online class starts September with Betsy Flanagan, Fortune 500 consultant, as instructor. “Introduction to ChatGPT” is one of the new UGotClass courses starting this fall.  The difference between UGotClass and the for-profits is the instructor. Click Here for the course description and agenda. Check out Betsy Flanagan’s resume:

The 5 big new directions for 2024 were outlined by the 50 best experts and 1,491 professionals leading the field at the LERN conference, now the most important week of the year. These were the hottest topics for discussion and exploration, and research by LERN for your program.

A dashboard with the 6 most vital statistics is now available. You can now find out where your program stands. Compare your program to the average. Even more importantly, compare your program to the Top 25% of programs. And compare your program’s stats to the LERN recommendation.

“AI is the wild west,” summarized Danessa Gray of Bremerton, Washington. Most professionals agreed with that statement. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has clearly arrived for the field of lifelong learning programming and continuing education.

Here’s the 3 hottest marketing tips of the year, as voted on by your colleagues at the big LERN Annual Conference.

With 1,491 people participating, the LERN Annual Conference was a huge success. The average participant attended 8.6 sessions, up from 7 sessions attended last year.

Organizations may have the answers to their own staff shortages, according to two surveys of current staff.

The registration wave continued. Registrations are back to the pre-pandemic normal. As usual LERN members had 10% higher registrations than non-members.

Leaders are needed more than ever. There’s a leader demand at work for the field of lifelong learning and continuing education. Your leadership is also welcome for the community and your off-work time with community organizations, efforts, tasks and groups.

March 2024 will see two in-person conferences. Both are focused on a more intimate setting ideal for networking and face-to-face interaction and discussion.

Will the human race end soon due to climate change? In the first ever poll of professionals in the field, here is what you say. And what LERN plans to do.

Exciting new professional development opportunities for fall are led by our new LERN C.E. Model Institute that premiered this spring.

Vaccinations for your program participations has created a huge issue for the field. The two major topics: 1.Whether to mandate vaccinations for in-person class participants; and 2.Coping with the resulting revenue problems for programs accepting non-vaccinated people for in-person classes.