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The purpose of this paper is to show how work-based and work-applied learning (WAL) can enhance the intellectual capital of organisations.

The paper draws organisational learning- and work-based learning literature and case study illustrations.

To achieve major strategic change in organisations requires working at senior level within the organisation to develop the capability of the organisation to learn and apply that learning strategically. WAL is explicitly geared to bring about change and enhance the learning capability within the organisation.

There is a need for further longitudinal studies of organisations that have used the work-based and WAL approaches.

The conclusions reached have implications for higher education and non-award bearing executive education.

The alignment of individual learning with organisational objectives positions learning as a co-operative part of working life rather than just individual preparation for employment.

The paper positions work-based learning and WAL as appropriate responses to the learning needs of organisations as well as individuals.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a conceptual framework for work-applied learning (WAL) that fosters the development of managers and other professionals as lifelong learners and practitioner researchers – through reflective practice, action research, action learning and action leadership, for positive organisational change.

The theoretical framework is designed from a holistic, affective-socio-cognitive approach to learning, teaching, research and development. It is based on a phenomenological research paradigm and informed by aspects of various theories, including experiential learning theory, strengths-based theory, grounded theory and critical theory/realism.

Based on classical and recent literature and the authors’ extensive experience, the WAL model presented here is an effective and practical approach to management education, research and development. It is useful for present and future requirements of business, industry, government and society at large in this twenty-first century, and in pursuit of a world of equality, social justice, sustainable development and quality of life for all. This is because of the nature of the research paradigm, particularly its collaborative and emancipatory processes.

This paper provides a theoretical, pedagogical and methodological rationalisation for WAL. This model is particularly useful for developing individual, team and organisational learning and for cultivating managers – or professional learners generally – as practitioner researchers. These researchers may act as role models of collaborative action leadership in their organisations with a cascading effect. This paper therefore advances an incipient literature on practitioner researchers as action leaders.

The association of work and learning has been well established for many years. However, some of the terms used to describe the various pedagogies related to work and learning have been used interchangeably, with many lacking definitional clarity and scope. These include work-related learning (WRL), work-based learning, workplace learning (WPL) and work-integrated learning (WIL). This agglomerating approach to usage has resulted in pedagogical confusion and what some theorists call a “problematization” for the field, resulting in undermining shared understanding and potential benefit. The purpose of this conceptual paper is an attempt to unpack the meaning and application of some of the key pedagogical terms used in the applied field of work + learning theory and practice.

Conceptual modelling and qualitative descriptions of each pedagogy.

Many of the work + learning pedagogies do overlap and cohere but attempts to create umbrella terms, which apply to all theories and approaches, are misguided; definitional clarity with the different modes of practice is required for sustainable educational outcomes.

A proto-theoretical model, along with a breakdown of distinguishing features of each term as well as their source in the published literature, has been developed to improve clarity and aid the future praxis of educators.

Issues around informal, non-formal and formal learning, intended and unintended learning and competencies and capabilities have been considered in work-based learning (WBL). However, demarcated modes of learning, or what can be called strategies or pedagogies of learning, associated with experience of work environments have yet to be examined. One mode of learning which has been highlighted in relation to work is reflective practice, and its centrality to learning at work has been established. But reflective practice as a core skill, and its relation to other approaches to learning and research in WBL, remains uncovered. The purpose of the present study therefore is to identify different modes of learning as they appear in the literature and to present a proto-theoretical “learning by …” model for WBL and research founded on learning by reflection.

Proto-theoretical modelling and qualitative descriptions of each mode of learning.

Work environments, and the higher degree WBL programmes which support them, should provide learning via every available mode of learning, thereby allowing students to find their own best orientation to learning and encourage it by any means.

The proto-theoretical model and 12 modes of learning applied to WBL are unique to this study. WBL provides participants of work with multiple opportunities and approaches to learn and similarly provides multiple modes through which learning can occur on the basis of knowledge and skills in reflective practice.

The purpose of this paper is to challenge how we have traditionally thought about organisations and introduce two frameworks to enable us to understand how change in organisations might be facilitated better.

The paper discusses organisations as complex adaptive systems and uses complexity theory to inform two new frameworks for facilitating organisational learning and change.

In order for organisational learning to occur we need to change our mind-set of how we see organisations and to think of learning not just as individual but also as generative “communicative action” that emerge out of collaborative relationships.

The frameworks proposed are grounded in organisational learning literature and the experience of the author. The proposed agenda for organisational learning has yet to be acted upon and evaluated.

The frameworks can be used to enhance understanding of learning and change in organisations. The agenda for enabling organisational transformation identifies key steps to put the ideas developed in the paper into practice.

The approach advocated for use within organisations is one of empowerment and collaboration rather than top down direction.

The paper introduces new frameworks and a practical agenda to bring about organisational transformation through work-applied learning.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which work-based learning could potentially improve education and training pathways in Australia.

The paper reviews education and training provision in Australia through a contextualisation of the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) with work-based learning pedagogy to determine the extent to which it might contribute to improved outcomes for learners.

People seeking to advance their career aspirations can consider the application of work-based learning to support lifelong learning pathways through the AQF.

There is a need for further longitudinal studies on the outcomes of work-based learning for organisations, individual learners and education and training institutions.

The application of effective WBL approaches has the potential to create a much larger flow of learners from experiential and vocational backgrounds into undergraduate programmes and onto higher education programmes using a consistent and effective pedagogy.

By actively considering the opportunities for learning at work and through work learners, educators and business managers may recognise that there would be more demand for work-based learning.

This paper represents an initial action research study which examines the role WBL can provide for life-long learning.

Recognition of prior learning (RPL) is a process by which both formal learning for recognised awards, informal learning from experience and non-formal learning for uncertificated but planned learning is given academic recognition. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

This paper refers to international developments in RPL and then focuses upon the extensive and innovative use of RPL by Middlesex University and the developing RPL work at the Australian Institute of Business.

The Middlesex experience of recognition of learning from experience as part of the development of customised work-based learning programmes demonstrates the potential of RPL for business and management programmes.

The use of RPL for admission and/or credit in standard programmes enables individuals to have their work-based knowledge acknowledged as relevant, worthwhile and equivalent to learning obtained in the higher education classroom.

The use of campuses as living, learning labs for sustainability education, and the advancement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) is a growing trend at post-secondary institutions across North America. Post-secondary institutions are embracing this approach to advance sustainability and the SDGs both on- and off-campus and to cultivate the next generation of sustainability leaders. Recognizing the diverse stages of living lab program maturation between campuses, and the fact that living lab practitioners are often working in isolation, the Campus as Lab Community of Practice (CaL CoP) was created to enable peer-to-peer learning and to catalyze the development and potential of living lab programs toward meeting the SDGs in a coordinated fashion. The CaL CoP members have identified the opportunity to use a collective approach to advance the SDGs on their home campuses. A collective approach enables CaL CoP members to account for their contributions to advancing the SDGs in a way that is relevant to their local context while highlighting the global impact of their actions. Challenges to utilizing this approach include collaborating remotely, resourcing, and maintaining momentum.

The globalization of the market economy and the technology revolution present multiple demands for education to meet the needs of the knowledge society. In this global context, work-based learning (WBL) has become increasingly valuable and critical for individuals and governments to enhance employability and to produce competitive workforces. Yet, the interdependence nature of globalization urges us to learn from each other the various theoretical and methodological approaches to WBL. Applying an appreciative inquiry, the purpose of this paper is to propose the transformation of current WBL practices by integrating or “meshing” Confucian Learning Model (CLM) into Western approaches for sustainable human development in this multi-cultural economic-driven global context.

This study is grounded in literature review and critical examination of profound pedagogical theories and practices from both Western and Eastern perspectives. Western education philosophies, learning theories, and models are critically examined and contrasted with CLM an important Eastern perspective in order to identify the major limitations of current WBL development. Appreciative inquiry and comparative view are applied as methods to highlight the significance of integrating or meshing CLM into the Western approaches to transform current WBL practices in this global context.

WBL has greatly benefited current workforce development worldwide, which is well documented in the literature. However, through futuristic and holistic human development perspectives, current WBL development is seen as moving toward pragmatism and utilitarianism due to overemphasizing the use of education for economic competition and for satisfying employers’ immediate work/job needs. Through an “appreciative eye” and comparative lens, this paper helps identify an urgent need to integrate or mesh CLM, an important Eastern perspective, into Western perspectives for enhanced theoretical foundations and more holistic and systemic practical approaches to transform current WBL practices for global sustainable human development.

This paper employs a unique method of “appreciative eye” and comparative lens through which scholars and practitioners may identify what is missing but needed in current WBL development in the global context. It is through this unique approach that this paper increases the reader’s awareness of the limitations of current WBL practices, guides them to envision how to fully prepare and release the potential of the twenty-first century workforce, and calls for integrating or “meshing” CLM into the various Western approaches for a more holistic perspective for the possible transformation of current WBL practices worldwide.