Learning through work: Exploring instances of relational interdependencies

Abstract

Learning through workAn account of the inter-psychological processes-those between the individuals and the social world-that constitute the process of learning through work is advanced here. This account draws upon a discussion of conceptual premises that inform and illuminate this process of learning, as well as studies of workers' experiences in large and small enterprises. Its purpose is to propose how learning through work can be understood as a process of relational interdependence between the affordance of the workplace, on the one hand, and the engagement of workers, on the other (Billett, 2006a). This relational process is evident in work of different kinds, from the labours of coalminers to the entrepreneurial activities of small business operators, and also their learning. In different ways, studies of learning through working life identify how workplaces' affordances-those that invite workers in particular ways to participate, access support and reward-are generated and projected. These contributions to engaging in and learning through work can be conceptualised as the immediate social contribution or experience that individuals encounter, construe and construct through participating in work activities and interactions. Yet, personal agency, subjectivity, and intentionality also shape individuals' cognitive experience in ways that A B S T R A C T This paper provides an account of the inter-psychological processes that constitute learning through work. It does this by drawing on deliberations about the relative contributions of the immediate social world (i.e., workplace setting) that individuals encounter and the personal premises for individuals' learning. This account is realised through analyses of workers' experiences of working and learning in both large and small enterprises. Together, these premises and their contributions are used to elaborate how learning through work proceeds as a process of relational interdependence between the affordance of the workplace and the engagement of workers. This relational process is evident in work of different kinds, from the labours of coalminers through to the entrepreneurial activities of small business operators. Instances of learning through work are elaborated through studies that identify how workplaces' affordances-those that invite workers in particular ways to participate, access support and reward-are generated and projected. These contributions to engaging in and learning through work can be conceptualised as the immediate social contribution or experience that is shaped by cultural and situational factors and the social legacies that shape how individuals construe, engage in, and learn through those practices. It concludes by discussing issues related to both the inter-psychological process and outcomes (e.g., inter-subjectivity) arising from learning through work. ß

Firm size and skill formation processes: an emerging debate

“…In doing so, they have grasped the insights provided by the wider literature on informal and workplace learning (e.g. Eraut 2007;Fuller et al 2003;Billett 2008;Cairns and Malloch 2010).…”

In-service Initial Teacher Education in the Learning and Skills Sector in England: Integrating Course and Workplace Learning

“…A conceptual framework for LSS trainee learning, drawing on Billett's (2008) concept of relational interdependence and Hager and Hodkinson's (2009) metaphor of 'learning as becoming' has been developed and used to examine the findings of a small scale study of LSS trainee learning and other empirical studies that illuminate trainee learning. It has been argued, conceptually and empirically, that the nature and extent of LSS trainee learning depends on the complex interrelationship between workplace affordances for learning, ITE course affordances for learning, and trainees' beliefs, prior experiences and dispositions which affect how they interpret and engage with those affordances.…”

“…LSS trainees have varied prior experiences of education, life and work, begin teaching at different ages and stages in their careers, and hold differing beliefs about education and training, so bring differing dispositions to participation in their course and workplace. Billett's (2008) conceptualisation of workplace learning, as a relationally interdependent process, has particular utility in providing the basis for developing a conceptual model of LSS trainee learning. Workplace learning is assumed to occur through participatory processes.…”

Matching Vocational Training and Labour Market Demands – The Opinion Of Public Administrations

“…According to research by Ruth and Deitmer there exists a multifaceted relationship between the actual learning environment and its capability to educate skilled workforces, and these authors link it to the specific ability to get involved in the innovation process (Ruth & Deitmer, 2010). Billett discusses and shows the relationship between the workplace experiences and the engagement of workers (Billett, 2008), Baartman and de Bruijn point to the links of knowledge, skills and attitudes and the development of competence (Baartman, de Bruijn, 2009). Kearny stresses that the capacity of workers to contribute to the intellectual capital of the company becomes increasingly important, and thus also the VET programs that develop corresponding skills (Kearny, 2004, p. 60).…”