ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a consideration of rival conceptions of learning and their relevance or otherwise for understanding learning at work. It is concluded that the most influential conceptualization of learning, one that has decisively shaped formal education systems, is very problematic when it comes to understanding learning at work. The same difficulties occur for standard approaches to measuring attainment. In fact, it appears that ‘attainment’ is not a very helpful way of thinking about much workplace learning. The chapter then outlines some of the main features that distinguish learning at work from mainstream formal learning. To illustrate these points, a case history of learning at work in a rapidly changing field is presented. This shows how various contextual factors make learning in the workplace difficult to fit into standard ways of conceptualizing learning. It also points to some factors that can contribute to improving learning at work.
