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This paper explores the (changing) role of older, experienced employees in the workplace in terms of their own needs and opportunities for learning and in the context of changing organizational expectations. It draws on Lave and Wenger’s (1991) theory of situated learning and the notion of ‘learning as participation’ as starting points for examining the types of learning opportunities experienced by older workers. The discussion relates the nature of such opportunities to the changing workplace contexts in which employees are located. The article presents illustrative data from a recent research project that focused on how older experienced workers learn at work in two contrasting organizations. A brief review of literature is provided, which discusses the changing nature of work and the implications for learning. The paper then describes and contrasts the sites from which the data presented in this paper were collected, and the data collection methods that have been utilised. An analysis of the research data is presented and the authors discuss what the evidence reveals about the types of learning opportunities older employees are experiencing and how they make sense of them. The analysis suggests that from the perspective of experienced employees, factors such as organizational culture and history, the way jobs are designed and work is organized, and the way people are managed and their performance is judged, help explain the lived realities of workplace learning and provide messages for enhancing workforce development. The paper argues that contrasting forms of work organization and approaches to managing employees are likely to generate different learning environments and opportunities for workplace learning. It concludes by calling for more empirical research to explore the relationship between work organization and learning and to increase understanding of the implications for what and how different groups of employees learn at work.

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This article explores the strengths and weaknesses of Lave and Wenger’s concept of ‘legitimate peripheral participation’ as a means of understanding workplace learning. It draws on recent ESRC-funded research by the authors in contemporary workplace settings in the UK (manufacturing industry and secondary schools) to establish the extent to which Lave and Wenger’s theories can adequately illuminate the nature and process of learning at work. The new research presented here, which was located in complex institutional settings, highlights the diverse nature of patterns and forms of participation. Case study evidence is used to identify individual and contextual factors which underpin and illuminate the ways in which employees learn. The paper argues that whilst Lave and Wenger’s work continues to provide an important source of theoretical insight and inspiration for research into learning at work, it has significant limitations. These limitations relate to the application of their perspective to contemporary workplaces in advanced industrial societies and to the institutional environments in which people work. These complex settings play a crucial role in the configuration of opportunities and barriers to learning that employees encounter.

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We study transitions between different types of formal and informal employment using retrospective job histories from a new survey in Bangladesh. Workers transitioning between jobs are most likely to remain in the same type of employment, although there is still substantial churn across employment types. Private wage employees have higher probability of transitioning to a new job, and changes in earnings and benefits suggest evidence of upward mobility. Nevertheless, there is also non-trivial risk of downward mobility, especially for those transitioning into casual employment, which has the lowest level of earnings and benefits and the highest levels of exposure to workplace hazards and violence. Overall, the informal sector appears to include subpopulations consistent with both the traditional view that it is a segmented portion of the labor market with few prospects of upward mobility, and with the alternative view that it is a dynamic, entrepreneurial alternative to wage employment.

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Abstract: Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to: first, outline the features of the contemporary apprenticeship system, and its performance in terms of the numbers starting and completing programmes; and second, to report the findings of empirical research which sought to identify the characteristics of effective apprenticeship. Design/methodology/approach - Two contrasting sectors were selected to identify aspects of provision that generate 'success': 'engineering', which has a long tradition of apprenticeships and 'business administration', which has a shorter history of involvement. Four organizations, two from each sector, were selected from those, which had gained the highest grade in the formal inspection of apprenticeship provision undertaken by the Adult Learning Inspectorate. Interviews were carried out with training personnel and investigated issues such as the organisation's rationale(s) for employing apprentices; the costs and benefits associated with the approach; the structure of the training and the pedagogical processes employed; and the links between the programme and career progression. Findings - The findings in the paper indicate that effective apprenticeships are strongly associated with a sustained organisational commitment to apprenticeship. This stems from an identifiable business case to recruit and train young people and a concern with their personal (long-term) as well as job-specific (short-term) development. This approach is manifested through the development of programmes which ensure that apprentices participate in a wide range of co-ordinated and progressive work and learning opportunities. Originality/value - The paper identifies a range of good practice features emerging from the case studies and discusses the prospects for extending this approach to other industries and occupations.

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This article argues that researching the lived reality of apprenticeship in contemporary workplaces provides a useful lens through which workplace learning more generally can be examined. Drawing on data from a three-year study of the social and pedagogical relationships between apprentices and older workers in the English steel industry, the article proposes that, building on Engestrom's work, an 'expansive' as opposed to a 'restrictive' approach to apprenticeship will not only deliver the broader goals being set for apprenticeship programs around the world, but will also foster workplace learning. The article offers a critique of Lave and Wenger's novice to expert conceptualisation of apprenticeship and, using data from employee learning logs, argues that pedagogical relationships between apprentices and older workers need to be better understood. A conceptual framework for analysing the relationship between organisational culture and history, work organisation, and workplace learning is provided.

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Apprenticeship has always played both a social and economic role. Today, it forms part of the regeneration strategies of cities in the United Kingdom. This involves the creation and management of complex institutional relationships across the public and private domains of the civic landscape. This paper argues that it is through closely observed analysis of these meso-level developments (in contrast to studies of national systems) that we can reveal how the sustainability of vocational education and training initiatives depends on the generation of civic social capital in the pursuit of collective goals. At the same time, the path-dependent nature of the clustering of social and economic inequality in urban post-industrial settings remains a constant reminder of the scale of the problems confronting all those involved.

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This paper is part of a collection compiled for a Further Education Development Agency (FEDA) project that investigated the organisation and categorisation of post-16 education and training in the United Kingdom (UK). The project explored the origins, meanings and effectiveness of strategies employed within the education system to separate learning, qualifications and learners into distinct types. The most recent strategy was the proposal of three educational pathways for 16-19 year olds (academic, applied and vocational), generated by the 1996 Dearing 'Review of qualifications for 16-19 year olds'. This paper explores the relationship between post-16 education and training and the current and potential future demands of the labour market.

The volume of collected papers is indexed at TD/TNC 63.125. Show less

Closing the productivity gap with other nations has become a mantra of public policy in the UK. Promoting participation in learning and training is seen as the principal means of narrowing the gap. While tracking episodes of training is relatively easy, it is not clear what is learnt, by whom and why. This articles examines these questions among a specific occupational group - exercise to music instructors - whose numbers have grown significantly in recent years. It identifies two productive systems through which these aerobic classes are delivered. Each has different consequences for learning. Under one regime, training expands horizons and develops abilities, while under the second instructors are taught to conform and follow scripts written by others. The article argues that ‘training’ can lead to different learning outcomes and that these are best understood through an analysis of the productive systems in which training and learning takes place.

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This paper examines two competing systems of work organisation in the British construction industry and their consequences for learning. Under the traditional 'adversarial' system, conflict, hostility and litigation between contractors are commonplace. Such a climate actively militates against collective learning and knowledge sharing between parties. Conversely, under 'collaborative working', contractors share risks, pool knowledge and work together to solve problems at all stages and levels in the productive system - a process conceptualised as 'knotworking' by some theorists. The paper argues that such learning theories fail to take adequately into account the heavy hand of history and the importance of understanding the nature of the productive systems in which 'knotworking' is expected to take root. Both place limits on making 'knotworking' a habitual and commonplace activity in construction.

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This paper explores the concept of apprenticeship in the context of the professional formation of knowledge workers. It draws on evidence from research conducted in two knowledge intensive organizations: a research-intensive, elite university; and a 'cutting edge' software engineering company. In the former, we investigated the learning environments of contract researchers, whilst in the latter, we focused on the learning environments of software engineers. Both organisations have 'global' reach in that they operate within international marketplaces and see themselves as international players. The paper asks to what extent the important role of maturation with regard to the formation of expertise is being undermined by the pressurised nature of contemporary workplaces (in both the public and private sectors). It argues that conceiving the professional formation of knowledge workers as apprenticeship provides a way forward to improve the way employers construct and support that formation.

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