In the era of technological progress, it is necessary to have a skilled workforce with abilities to react to market changes. The empirical literature relies almost exclusively on school attainment measures of human capital, such as years of schooling. As lifelong learning programs may increase the skills of a labour force, the research on the participation of labour force in lifelong learning programs and its impact on income, wages, and productivity should contribute to the existing literature. The aim of this study is to estimate the impact of the participation of labour force in lifelong learning programs on income, wages and productivity, as empirical analysis shows high heterogeneity in the participation rate among European countries. Descriptive statistical analysis of a sample of 35 European countries for the period 2006-2021, shows that, on average, 10.8% of the EU (27) population aged 25-64 years participated in education and training programs in 2021, with Finland and Sweden having the highest participation rates in 2021 (30.5% and 34.7%), while the Balkan countries have the lowest participation rates (1.8 in Bulgaria and 4.8% in Serbia in 2021, 2.7% in Montenegro and 2.6% in North Macedonia in 2020). Applying the OLS model to the sample of thirty-five European countries and the period from 2006 to 2021, with growth in the participation rate in education and training (persons in the labour force, 25-64 years) as an independent variable, while the growth in GDP per capita, labour productivity, and wages are dependent variables, we show that growth in the participation rate in education and training by one percentage point leads to GDP per capita growth by 6 percentage points, nominal labour productivity growth by 5.5 percentage points, and wages growth by 2.6 percentage points. Productivity growth is a prerequisite for long-run economic growth in all countries, and it is not possible without investment in knowledge, either in education or investment in research which will result in innovation and technological progress. Lifelong learning is an important part of the overall system of education and increases human capital, and should be given the highest relevance in the overall education process. For medium-income European countries, to converge to the income level of developed European countries, it is necessary to increase its technological readiness, quality of the workforce, and productivity. The growth in human capital is therefore indispensable, not only through formal education but through lifelong learning also.