ABSTRACT

The two production workers had spent most of the morning trying to free a chute that had become blocked with a build up of 'fines'—tiny particles of ore. They worked together, discussing the problem and communicating constantly with the control room as they tried different means of removing the blockage and adjusting the feed from the conveyor belt to prevent it happening again. The common labelling of workplaces as 'informal' learning environments reveals their ambiguous status in terms of learning. Teaching and learning are often seen to be synonymous, so the absence of qualified teachers and a deliberately structured curriculum can easily lead to assumptions that learning in workplaces will be inferior to that occurring in schools, colleges and universities. There is long-standing evidence of the efficacy of learning in the workplace. Prior to the establishment of vocational colleges and universities, most people learnt their vocations through their work.