Project

Workplace training today – Study of new learning cultures at the workplace

Digitalisation and globalisation are having an impact on companies, professions and skills in a variety of ways. As routine tasks become less important, greater emphasis is now being placed on workers’ ability to observe, manage processes, apply knowledge, solve problems and demonstrate creativity. This SNSF-funded project is intended to shed light on how these new skills are taught, learnt and applied in companies. Researchers will focus on new learning cultures in companies as well as on innovative approaches used in workplace training.

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Social, technological and economic changes have forced companies to find innovative solutions to the corresponding challenges. Vocational education and training needs to be adapted to reflect the new skills requirements placed on young people as well as the changing perceptions on how work should be scheduled and what tasks should be performed. This study is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and follows up on preliminary studies on new learning cultures in VET. The current study will examine the values, attitudes and beliefs of VET actors in the trade, banking and insurance sectors as well as in the Swiss mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and metalworking industries. The aim will be to determine how these values shape the design of VET programmes today. Researchers will also take a closer look at the various innovative approaches to learning that are now emerging.

Method

Researchers will prepare various case studies of Swiss companies to illustrate the innovative learning cultures that companies are currently using or designing for workplace training in dual-track VET programmes. The study is intended to shed light on the underlying values, attitudes and beliefs that shape learning cultures. In this context, researchers will investigate how learners  are socialized within innovative, entrepreneurial learning cultures (e.g. interactions with hierarchy, autonomy and decision-making authority, involvement in design processes and contributions to innovations). The case studies will also generate insights into the specific methods used to provide learning support and guidance and will enable assessment of the impact of those methods. Researchers will also gather information on the salient features of each learning culture through exploratory semi-structured narrative interviews with learners, workplace trainers and employees who work with learners as well as with HR officers and management. In addition, observation reports and key company documentation will serve as a frame of reference when analysing contextual conditions.

Publications
Transfer into practice
Presentations