Combining work and learning: the disturbing challenge of practice

After full-time education, most learning occurs at or in association with work activities. While this has always been the case, acknowledging it and considering its implications is relatively new. In the past, learning was associated almost exclusively with educational institutions. Combining work and learning once referred only to those who undertook part-time or evening courses. For those engaged in such courses, the world of work and the world of learning overlapped only to a minor extent. The two worlds were separated in time and place and in a separation of roles. However, changes in society and the economy have influenced the breaking down of this separation. It was only towards the latter part of the twentieth century that the tight association between learning and formal education became loosened. Now learning and work intersect in many ways in time and space, and the identities of learner and worker often coexist in the workplace. Learning takes place explicitly in workplaces, and educational institutions no longer distance themselves from a close engagement with work. This change has profound consequences for learners, for organizations and for public policy. The focus in this chapter is on the implications for those who have a role in assisting learning, whose role was previously identified as teacher and trainer, and for those who organize educational provision. It considers how new combinations of learning and working challenge educational practice.

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