Learning through work: emerging perspectives and new challenges

Purpose – This paper aims to consider and appraise current developments and emerging perspectives on learning in the circumstances of work, to propose how some of the challenges for securing effective workplace learning may be redressed.Design/methodology/approach – First, new challenges and perspectives on learning in the circumstances of work are summarised. Then, three key emerging concepts are reviewed. These are: changes in requirements of work; conceptual understandings about the processes of learning; and more elaborated views about the relations between the social and personal attributes. The procedural contributions of learning to improve learning for occupations, and employability and working life are also appraised.Findings – The authors suggest that current conceptual and procedural understandings of learning in the workplace, informed by fields of cognitive science, and learning and development are limited because learning in the workplace is multimodal and complex, considering the socio‐cult...

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