Lifelong Learning through SMEs: Exploring Workplace Learning in the UK

Autor/inn/en	Ahlgren, Linda; Engel, Laura C.
Titel	Lifelong Learning through SMEs: Exploring Workplace Learning in the UK
Quelle	In: Journal of Workplace Learning, 23 (2011) 5, S.331-348 (18 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1366-5626
DOI	10.1108/13665621111141920
Schlagwörter	Workplace Learning; Human Capital; Lifelong Learning; Education Work Relationship; Foreign Countries; Educational Opportunities; Small Businesses; Case Studies; Interviews; Employee Attitudes; Administrator Attitudes; Institutional Role; Occupational Surveys; Industrial Training; United Kingdom; United Kingdom (Scotland) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Humankapital; Life-long learning; Lebenslanges Lernen; Ausland; Bildungsangebot; Bildungschance; Kleingewerbe; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Arbeitnehmerinteresse; Berufsanalyse; Betriebliche Berufsausbildung; Gewerblich-industrielle Ausbildung; Industriebetriebslehre; Großbritannien
Abstract	Purpose: The primary objective in this paper is to examine the role of small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in promoting and/or hindering educational opportunities to adult employees in the UK. Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws on 12 case studies of SMEs in England and Scotland, which form part of a larger European Sixth Framework Programme research project. Interviews were conducted with employers, line managers and employees participating in formal educational programmes, and were contextualized with policy documents and literature on lifelong learning and workplace education. Findings: This paper highlights and explores findings related to human resource management (HRM) and the participation of employees in formal education, and the experiences of companies in providing educational opportunities to employees in England and Scotland. The paper argues that employers have a key role to play in driving and investing in employee training and development. However, the current focus of employers on formal educational opportunities appears narrowly focused on job-specific, in-house training. Originality/value: The paper's value lies in its illustration of the restricted focus of the lifelong learning policy agenda on the development of human capital, which not only limits the development of portable skills and qualifications for employees, but also undermines the broader aims of lifelong learning. (Contains 1 table.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10