Linking the two worlds of education and work
In VET, work-based learning often plays an important role, or begins to play an increasingly important role. To be able to benefit fully from the potential of work-based learning it is important to link the learning at the workplace with the learning at school in a meaningful way. It is important for learners to see and experience how learning at school contributes to learning at the workplace, and the other way around. Bronkhorst and Akkerman (2016) call this the continuity between the different contexts. There are different ways in which this continuity can be achieved.
A lot of research has been done on linking different learning environments and the (dis)continuity between those environments. Bronkhorst and Akkerman (2016) conducted an international literature review on the issue of (dis)continuity between different learning environments, and state the potential risks of (dis)continuity, such as disengagement and drop-out.
Boundary objects and brokers are important concepts in establishing continuity. For learners, learning in a school or institute often differs a lot from learning at the workplace. It feels like going from one world to another, as learners cross the boundaries of these two worlds. To help learners to link the learning at school with the learning at the workplace, boundary objects can be identified or created that will be used in both worlds. A book with assignments which learners will work on both at school and at the workplace could be a simple boundary object. What does this look like? At school, the teacher can explain the theoretical knowledge needed for the assignment, and could give learners some tasks to enhance or assess their understanding. It is also possible to practice the skills needed for the assignment at school. Learners then work on the assignments at their workplaces. After they have completed the assignments, they can reflect on the results and experiences back at school. These reflections can trigger a new cycle of learning, or feed into the next assignment.
Technology can also help in connecting the different worlds. For example, teachers can ask learners to film a specific task with their smartphones. The video covers the different steps the learner takes to complete the task. In learning to become an electrical installer, learners can film the steps they take working on a specific installation. The learners bring their short videos to class, where they collaboratively reflect on the steps taken and learn from each other. Videos can be very helpful, but cannot be used everywhere. If the tasks include working with clients and/or patients, privacy rights might limit this possibility.
Besides boundary objects, brokers can be used to support learners to link both worlds. A broker is a person who can help the learner to make the transition from one world to another, since they have experience in both.
Another important aspect to take into account when linking the world of work to the world of school is planning what content to offer in school, and what can be learned at the workplace. Subsequently, it is important to ensure that theoretical and practical classes at school are offered just in time, which means that classes are offered at the moment learners will need them to be able to do their work at their workplaces. In this regard, it is also important to plan workplace learning in such a way that it supports learning at school. Ideally, workplace learning should be planned throughout the whole programme, not only at the end. More information on this and how to organise work-based learning can be found in our Toolkit ‘Work-based learning: How ready are we?’.
Finally, it is important to ensure that the workplace will be a learning environment for the learner. First of all, learners will need to have the opportunity to work on relevant tasks, and to work on the tasks themselves. They can start as observers, but at some point they should have the opportunity to perform the tasks themselves. Secondly, learners will need a coach/supervisor/colleague who will guide them through the different tasks. The level of guidance diminishes gradually, which is known as scaffolding. In this way, learners learn to perform tasks themselves step by step. Billett (e.g. Billett, 2002; Billett a& Choy, 2013) conducted a lot of research in recent years on workplace learning in formal, non-formal and informal learning. He argues that the value of the learning at the workplace depends on the activities and interactions in which the learner participates, but also on the level of the learner’s engagement in those activities. Billett (2002) talks about workplace affordances, the characteristics of the workplace that invite the learner to participate (e.g. rules, social environment, type of activities, etc.), and learner agency, which influences how the learner interprets those affordances and engages in them. There is a section on ensuring quality of work-based learning in the Toolkit on work-based learning mentioned above.
Further reading:
- Billett, S. (2002) Workplace Pedagogic Practices: Co–participation and Learning. British Journal of Educational Studies, 50(4), 457-481.
- Billett, S., & Choy, S. (2013). Learning through work: emerging perspectives and new challenges. Journal of Workplace Learning, 25(4), 264-276.
- Bronkhorst, L. H., Akkerman, S. F. (2016). At the boundary of school: continuity and discontinuity in learning across contexts. Educational Research Review, 19, 18-35.
- ETF (2018). Work-based learning: How ready are we? Turin: ETF.
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