Workplace Learning - Scandinavian Perspectives By Per-Erik Elstrom; Knud Illeris
2004 | 86 Pages | ISBN: 1845442121 | PDF | 1 MB
Workplace learning - Scandinavian perspectives Recently, questions about learning and competencies have been high on the agenda when discussing development of working life. In many circles, there is a strong belief that learning is the catalyst for establishing efficient work that is also developing. This is not least reflected in the research into and debate on learning organisations and the new production concept and management ideal with their demands for creating a work system based on increased integration between work and learning as well as a better utilisation of the competencies of the employees (Brown et al., 2001; OECD, 1998). In line with this dominant belief in the importance of education for growth and competitiveness, in recent years industries have also aimed heavily at competency development. The main arguments for such aims spring from production-economic considerations. For instance, some of the arguments are about the changed and increased qualification requirements assumed to be the result of the new production concepts with consequent changes in management and work organisation, an increase in the use of information technology and an immensely dominant role for competency intensive service production in many industries (Ashton et al., 2000; Keep and Mayhew, 1999). Along the same lines, modernization processes call for new qualification requirements in the public sector (Andersen et al., 2001a, b). However, the importance of an increased emphasis on personal education may be discussed from a distribution and a politically democratic point of view. Lack of opportunity for education and learning at work for the employees with a short basic education tends to deepen existing educational gaps in the community. Generally, working life is strongly polarised with respect to opportunities for learning in order to strengthen competencies. The relatively well-educated employees are more likely to have the opportunity for competency development in the shape of, e.g. personal education than those with a short basic education, and the older generation of employees with a short education come across internal as well as external barriers for upgrading their skills (Hansen, 1998). Another perspective to be applied in the discussion of the importance of competency development at work is the consideration based on such demands that should be made to the working environment. Extensive research reveals that a working environment that allows and promotes learning and competency development is of vital importance to the health, well-being and personal development of the employees (e.g. Karasek and Theorell, 1990), but also to the impulse to become politically involved and the willingness to take on other types of ideal work tasks or take part in adult education (Rubenson, 2003). What knowledge, then, do we have about workplace learning and competency development initiatives? Which functions have aimed at competency development? What are the effects achieved for the business and the individuals taking part? In spite of the existing expectations with respect to competency development and in spite of the huge efforts made, it remains a fact that for the most part we still miss empirically based research and theory development on workplace learning (Ellstro¨m, 2001; Illeris, 2003). What empirical research exists on these questions tends to view workplace learning from a "black box" perspective, i.e. as something that is not questioned. The purpose of this special edition is to contribute to asking questions about workplace learning, the preconditions for it, the processes and the outcome. This will be based on experiences and research results from various current research projects in the Scandinavian countries, and particularly from the project carried out by Learning Lab Denmark (LLD). Learning Lab Denmark In 2001, the Danish government decided to establish Learning Lab Denmark as an independent body from the universities with the purpose of researching into various question about learning. LLD was divided into six "consortiums" where one was to work with "workplace learning". On 1 September 2001 a team was set up under a research manager (Knud Illeris), a further 11 hand-picked senior researchers (all attached on a part-time basis) and four PhD students, who developed a wide range programme consisting of three thematically orientated work groups and 14 empirical projects. Moreover, the team has worked with an international reference group with members from Sweden, Norway, UK, Belgium, Italy and Australia. Following a conference for Danish stakeholders in the area in October 2004 and an international conference for researchers in November 2004, the team is to conclude its work by the end of 2004. Before then, the consortium will be publishing a survey book on Learning in Working Life which is expected in an English version in the course of 2005. In addition, the conclusions of the group shall be presented in 14 project reports and four compilations of articles that have been published or will be published during 2004 and 2005. The articles The first three compilations form the basis for this special edition of JWL. The compilations are edited by the three thematic groups into the themes "Integrated learning on-the-job", "Interaction between on-the-job learning and work-related training and education" and "The use of information and communication technology in workplace learning". The articles are primarily the work of the members of the three groups, though they also contain contributions from other Scandinavian researches in the appropriate fields. From those, we have selected five articles, which we find of particular relevance to an international audience. In order to reflect the range of the work, we have selected three Danish articles written by members of the project team as well as two contributions from Norwegian and Swedish colleagues. The first article "A model for learning in working life" is written by the project manager, Knud Illeris. This illustrates the theoretical model developed for the project and it focuses on interaction between the individual and social layers in learning. This is followed by another theoretical article "Reflection - how to take it beyond the individual?" written by Steen Høyrup Pedersen, associate professor and Bente Elkjaer, professor. In this article also, the central theme is the connection between the individual and the collective aspects, but here with direct relations to reflective processes in practical learning. The third article, "The common denominator in interplay" by Christian Helms Joergensen, associate professor, is a fundamental analysis of the problems with interplay between on-the-job learning and vocational education, and why it is so difficult to make such interplay work. Following this, is the Norwegian contribution "The development of net-based learning environments in working life", written by Leif Christian Lahn, professor. This is a background article about the third thematic theme of the project based on empirical experiences in the field. Finally, we conclude with the Swedish contribution, "Integrating formal and informal learning: a strategy for workplace learning" by Lennart Svensson, professor, Per-Erik Ellstro¨m, professor and CarinaA ° berg, director. Through examples, this article describes a model for workplace learning using information technology and it focuses on promoting integration between formal and informal learning. The special edition is edited by the project manager in collaboration with Per-Erik Ellstro¨m, who is the Swedish member of the international reference group attached to the consortium. It is our hope that it will provide an impression of the work of the consortium whilst contributing to a wider understanding of the current conditions relating to workplace learning. Per-Erik Ellstro¨m and Knud Illeris Guest Editors Previously published in: Workplace Learning, Volume 16, Number 8, 2004
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