Supporting Workforce Learning

A Background Paper for IES Research Network Members

In an ever more uncertain external environment with strong skill-based competition, academics, policy-makers and organisations have increasingly come to view workplace learning as a means by which they can achieve not only short-term objectives, but also long-term strategic goals.

The current notions that influence approaches to workplace learning have their roots in work-system design, flexible learning and employee development. The reach of workplace learning, which is typically associated with on-the-job training, has also been extended to comprise on-the-job learning. Here, learning is seen as central to the way in which work is designed.