Strategies to Support Workplace Learning

    "Organisations who have implemented strategies to support learning have reaped significant benefits in terms of
    reducing the time spent in achieving the required level of competence, maintaining good staff morale and
    maintaining productivity.

    You will need to consider the impact the learning activity will have on staff and the workplace. Identify strategies
    that will affect the impact of the learning. These strategies may include:

    appropriate time to observe and talk to others use of co-workers to model or demonstrate tasks and activities
    use of internal experts, mentors or coaches. Sufficient time to practise new tasks and skills job rotation
    improved communication.

    The type of workplace learning will determine which of the above strategies you should use, and when it should
    be used."

    http://tae.fortresslearning.com.au/?page_id=252


    FORMAL AND INFORMAL LEARNING

    "Malcolm Knowles is generally considered to be the originator of the term “informal learning” through his book
    published in 1970: Informal Adult Education: A Guide for Administrators, Leaders, and Teachers.

    Allen Tough (1999) was probably the first to study how adults use informal learning.

    The terms formal and informal learning have nothing to do with the formality of the learning, but rather with the
    direction of who controls the learning objectives and goals. In a formal learning environment the training or
    learning department sets the goals and objectives, while informal learning means the learner sets the goals and
    objective (Cofer, 2000).

    In addition, if the organization (other than the training department) sets the learning goals and objectives, such as
    a line manager directing OJT, then it is normally referred to as “nonformal learning” (Hanley, 2008). Thus, in a
    formal learning episode, learning specialists or trainers set the goals, while a nonformal episode has someone
    outside of the learning department, such as a manager or supervisor, setting the goals or objectives."

    http://www.knowledgejump.com/learning/informal.html


    Self Managed Learning
    What is SML ?
    "Self Managed Learning (SML) is about individuals managing their own learning. This includes people taking
    responsibility for decisions about: -

    • what they learn
    • how they learn
    • when they learn
    • where they learn
    and most fundamentally
    • why they learn.

    All of this is carried out in the context of live organisational needs. But organisational needs cannot be met without
    individuals feeling a personal sense of commitment to what is required by the organisation. You can compel
    someone to sit in a classroom – but you can’t guarantee what they will learn. As the old saying goes:

    “You can take a horse to water – but you can’t make it drink”.

    Although everyone manages their own learning to some extent, it’s clear that just telling people to take charge of
    their own learning can be very inefficient. Research indicates that people who are effective at, for example,
    leading major Organisations, have managed their own learning very well throughout their careers. This does not
    mean, though, that they have been on more courses than others. Managing their own learning has meant the
    person using a wide range of opportunities for learning. These include: -

    • learning from others around them
    • travel
    • reading
    • secondments
    • projects
    • being coached/mentored.

    The examples quoted are only a few of the many experiences we can use for learning. Self managing learners
    use a range to suit themselves. The problem is that unstructured, unplanned learning is very inefficient. Research
    on successful top managers and leaders shows that they set clear goals for themselves in relation to their
    learning. It is not purely random."

    Retrieved from, http://www.selfmanagedlearning.org/about-sml/what-is-self-managed-learning/



    Continuous Learning

    According to http://www.ebcm-vet.net/index.aspx?GroupId=35

    "Nowadays organisations are changing rapidly and it's difficult to find operational practices that withstand the test
    of time. The concept of continuous learning has become important because it prioritises observation, adaptation
    and learning from change.

    Continuous learning is not about continually taking courses, it is about developing skills in reflection and inquiry.
    Continuous Learning examines the requirement for workers in an occupational group to participate in an ongoing
    process of acquiring skills and knowledge. Continuous learning is a lifelong process comprised of the sum of
    training, development, and learning. Once individuals work in an environment where these three activities are
    present, and actively participate in each, lifelong learning becomes a reality.

    Continuous learning can be send from the individual’s point of view and from the organisation’s point of view.
    From the individual’s point of view the following issues among others are relevant:
  • Personal vision.
  • Active role in the work.
  • Reflection on the experiences in the work.
  • Seeking feedback about the work.
  • Applying new information and skills.

    Organisations can establish structures and processes that support continuous learning. Management provides
    employees with opportunities to take part in training which help them maintain and update the skills needed in
    their work. Employees have a clear, shared vision of the organisation's goals and values.
    More and more jobs require continuous upgrading, and that all workers must continue learning in order to keep or
    to grow with their jobs. If this is true, then the following will become essential skills:
  • Knowing how to learn
  • Understanding one's own learning style.
  • Knowing how to gain access to a variety of materials, resources and learning opportunities.
  • Training in job-related health and safety.
  • Obtaining and updating credentials.
  • Learning about new equipment, procedures, products and services.

    The impact of continuous / lifelong learning on organisational development
    Continuous learning has to be seen from two perspectives, both employers and employees who are engaged in
    continuous learning. The employee perspective reflects employees' approaches to their own learning and self
    development. The employer perspective reflects the motivations of employers in promoting continuous learning
    opportunities, by way of engagement in courses, to their staff in order to improve the organisation's effectiveness.

    Continuous learning is used by employees to improve their current, or future, employment prospects and by
    employers as a way of improving their organisational performance.

    Employee perspective
    Here learning is regarded as a personal investment in the future, encouraging personal growth and developing
    potential, possibly to ensure continued employment. This can be regarded as the model of employee, continuous
    learning where the employees take responsibility for their own learning in relation to their own employability.

    Employees have a number of motivations for learning. These include intrinsic pressure, external pressure, the
    quality of provisions available to them, specific drives and personality factors. Employees' intrinsic motivation,
    engagement with learning opportunities, is relevant to the course to their future career, their personal interests,
    social needs and domestic circumstances. Whilst extrinsically they are motivated to study they may also be
    concerned with the value of the underlying qualification, and that it will be recognised by their current, or future,
    employers. "


    Secondment

    According to http://www.netlawman.co.uk/ia/secondment-agreements

    "A secondment takes place when an employee (or group of employees) is temporarily assigned to work for
    another organisation or a different part of their employer.

    Here are some possible reasons for the secondment:

    Career development;
    Chance to gain new skills or experience;
    Enabling the employee to remain with the original employer and so preserve specific benefits, for example a
    pension or share option scheme;
    Income generation for the employer;
    Providing staff for short-term projects;
    Providing cover for short-term absences;
    Avoiding redundancies;
    Charitable (where the secondment is to a voluntary organisation)."


    Determine Participants’ Readiness

    "The readiness of participants to participate in learning and take on new tasks and responsibilities, and the extent
    of their participation, all impact on the success of a workplace learning implementation.

    The better informed an organisation is about its participants’ progress, the better equipped they will be to tailor
    their learning activities to the needs and readiness of the participants. Some learning pathways need extensive
    monitoring to ensure participants are coping with the materials and will be ready to progress to the next stage,
    while some will need only minimal monitoring to identify possible problems and non-achievers.

    You can use many different strategies to monitor participants before, during and after their learning, as illustrated
    in Figure 24.


    When and How to Monitor Participants

    When        How
      Before        - observation by managers, colleagues or coaches
    - discussion during regular team meetings
    - one-to-one discussions with trainer, coach or manager
    - during performance reviews
    - company-wide morale or climate survey.

    During        - discussions within the group
    - one-to-one discussions with the trainer or coach
    - observation by the trainer or coach
    - review exercises and activities.

      After        - observation by managers, colleagues or coaches
    - assessment following training
    - discussion during regular team meetings
    - one-to-one discussions with trainer, coach or manager
    - during performance reviews
    - opportunities given to the participant to demonstrate new skills and responsibilities."
    .
    Source; http://tae.fortresslearning.com.au/?page_id=252

    REFERENCES

    Continuous Learning
    Retrieved from, http://www.ebcm-vet.net/index.aspx?GroupId=35, Accessed (March 25, 2013)

    FORMAL AND INFORMAL LEARNING
    Retrieved from, http://www.knowledgejump.com/learning/informal.html, Accessed (March 25, 2013)

    Secondments
    Retrieved from, http://www.netlawman.co.uk/ia/secondment-agreements, Accessed (March 25, 20123)

    Self Managed Learning
    http://www.selfmanagedlearning.org/about-sml/what-is-self-managed-learning/, Accessed  (March 25, 2013)

    Strategies to Support Workplace Learning
    Retrieved from, http://tae.fortresslearning.com.au/?page_id=252, Accessed (March 25, 2013)