Training and Work
According to some estimates, more than 80% of all learning occurs on the job rather than in tertiary and post-tertiary education. In order to stay relevant and contribute to the human capital of future workers, learning will need to be tightly incorporated in work processes and become an integral part of workers’ and managers’ everyday activities. The same applies to (on-the-job) teaching and instructing, which is increasingly becoming an integral part of subject matter experts’ job descriptions in many companies. As a consequence, knowledge workers are not only on the demand side of on-the-job learning scenarios. They participate in the development of content and often in its delivery as well. This brings new challenges to the integration of learning and work.
One of the factors that hampers e-learning systems is the lack of interfaces that are compatible with business information systems. This impairs aligning learning with business processes and affects the speed at which organisations can improve the skills of their employees in accordance with continuous changes in business requirements. Next generation learning systems will understand the skills required by new business processes and match them with learning experiences in a way that will be transparent to the user. The new e-learning systems will be able to offer ubiquitous, mobile learning experiences and rich media content, while supporting users’ personal knowledge development plans. Furthermore, these systems will offer easy access to subject matter experts in order to contribute content to repositories and collaborative learning applications.
The first paper in this issue reports on multi-country experiments with technology-enabled remote access to work, as a contribution to the work-based learning and professional mobility of students. By comparing traditional and virtual placements in both regular and open universities, authors Cornelis Adrianus (Kees-Jan) van Dorp et al. discuss the results of the different arrangements and draw final conclusions from the study regarding the development of professional skills in students, implemented didactics and applied technology.
In the second article, Ove Jobring and Ingemar Svensson look at the characteristics and benefits of online supportive systems. The authors recognise that system development, whereby individuals’ qualifications can be developed qualitatively and in a sustainable manner, can guide people who are consciously aspiring to enhance their competence and proficiency through informal ways of working in online environments. Thus, they aim to show how an online supportive system differs from previous educational forms. Subsequently, the article offers an outline of the fundamental features an online system, capable of offering continuous and supportive process, has for developing occupational groups’ qualifications.
The third paper by Sirin Soyoz explores the pros and cons of e-portfolios in pre-service teacher training in relation to how they support the process of personal development for student teachers in higher education. Facing the greater use of digital tools in the classroom, it has become crucial for newly qualified teachers to be confident in using technology effectively. An e-portfolio system that is embedded within the curriculum would support student teachers’ development as EFL teachers, help them become efficient ICT users and increase their employment opportunities. However, the e-portfolio implementation process would have several pedagogical and technical drawbacks if key strategies were not carefully implemented.
Finally, Tony Toole, Petra Newryl, Simona Pede and Lara Marcellin illustrate ways of promoting social media uptake in education and training (VET) and adult training systems in Europe. By considering the challenges and opportunities offered by the Web 2.0 tools currently influencing European training systems, this article demonstrates how learner-centred training elements such as a collaborative online training platform can be integrated into course systems and provide the functionality needed to offer targeted services to both learners and trainers. This analysis is based on the first results emerging from the SVEA project following a regional analysis on the uptake of social media in VET and adult training systems in Europe.
