ABSTRACT
The starting point for bringing together this collection of papers has been to understand workplace learning and the ways in which it can be enhanced. By drawing on leading edge research from a number of countries and different disciplinary backgrounds, this book provides a synthesis of theory and empirical research. A key theme running through all the chapters is that learning that takes place in the workplace is highly contextualized. This requires a focus on the learner, the process of learning and a range of sources of learning other than structured and intentional interventions by teachers and trainers. Nevertheless, this focus on learning rather than teaching does not mean a focus on the learner as an individual. Individuals learn through their membership of social groups and the workplace is par excellence a site for participating in the social relations of production. The context of learning can be conceptualized at a number of different levels, requiring an understanding of societal, institutional and organizational structures, as well as the social relations of work groups and ‘communities of practice’ external to the workplace.
