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This paper examines the impact of the inter-relationships between economic drivers, business drivers and government policy on the experience of people undertaking professional development. Three models of the experience of work-based learners are examined. These models are associated with the response of business and governments to particular economic conditions. In Model 1, the learner is depicted as 'the trainee', an empty vessel being filled with knowledge which is relatively stable and can be packaged into familiar vocational areas. In Model 2, 'the gridlocked learner' is described, struggling with the arrays of assessment criteria defined by organisations and governments in an attempt to manage novel and confusing economic conditions. In Model 3, it is suggested that it may be possible to identify the emergence of 'the self-managed learner', who, while empowered to make personally meaningful choices about lifelong learning, at the same time is inescapably burdened with lifelong responsibility for continuing development. The authors illustrate these three models by drawing on their experience of providing management and professional development at postgraduate and post-experience levels.