This first report in the ESRC Learning Society series examines the key
processes of learning, as embedded in particular workplaces, in
organisational structures and in specific social practices. Why is
learning suddenly so important? How can the quality of learning at work
be improved? Instead of extolling the 'joys' of learning, the authors
explore the conflicts and barriers which organisations run into (or
create for themselves), even when they are trying to promote greater
learning among staff. Its strong comparative dimension is illustrated in
the discussion of, for example, the construction industry in Wales which
is compared with its counterpart in Germany. The importance of this
edited collection is that it will help to transform fashionable phrases
such as 'the learning organisation' or 'lifelong learning' into
practical ideas and methods which could enhance the quality of learning
in British firms. Learning at work is important reading for managers in
Industry and Commerce, for TECs/LECs, Trade Unions and Chambers of
Commerce, for policy makers in the Department for Education and
Employment, for politicians, voluntary organisations and academics
specialising in the interactions between employment, training and
education, and for all those practitioners in firms, Colleges of Further
Education and training providers who are promoting lifelong learning.
