Work-based learning: a learning strategy in support of the Australian Qualifications Framework

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which work-based learning could potentially improve education and training pathways in Australia.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews education and training provision in Australia through a contextualisation of the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) with work-based learning pedagogy to determine the extent to which it might contribute to improved outcomes for learners. Findings – People seeking to advance their career aspirations can consider the application of work-based learning to support lifelong learning pathways through the AQF.
Research limitations/implications – There is a need for further longitudinal studies on the outcomes of work-based learning for organisations, individual learners and education and training institutions. Practical implications – The application of effective WBL approaches has the potential to create a much larger flow of learners from experiential and vocational backgrounds into undergraduate programmes and onto higher education programmes using a consistent and effective pedagogy.
Social implications – By actively considering the opportunities for learning at work and through work learners, educators and business managers may recognise that there would be more demand for work-based learning.
Originality/value – This paper represents an initial action research study which examines the role WBL can provide for life-long learning.

© Shayne D. Baker, Neil Peach and Malcolm Cathcart. Published in Journal of Work-Applied Management. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article ( for both commercial & non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode