Limitations Of Work Based Learning

Organizations can assist employees learn through constructivism, more specifically situated learning through cognitive apprenticeships. Studies show the greatest learning tool was to place employees in complicated, high-risk, and stressful situations with an experienced or seasoned employees to help guide the employee handle the situation without too much involvement. For example, new healthcare workers learn more effectively when they contemplate on the negative or positive acquired knowledge. “The philosophical position of academic education that learning to know is the most important with application coming later” (Kerka, 1997, p. 28).

Work Based Learning (WBL) is a method of gaining a recognised qualification through employment. It unites workplaces and educational institutions in the creation of tailored programmes of learning to meet the needs of the modern workplace and the modern student.

Work experience will build and increase confidence level, make you learn how to meet deadlines, pressure managing ability, the most important ones are people management, and time management. These will have an impact on you.

As a worker when you use the technique of reflective practice you have the opportunity to learn from your experience through practice,

Experiential learning however is closely related to vocational education in that it relies on learner’s ability to apply knowledge to situations that they have a personal interest in. In doing this, it creates opportunity for valuable learner involvement and significant learning (Beard and Wilson, 2006)

Another of my teaching methods delivered is by way of ‘on the job’ training which allows me to assess their progress, explore their knowledge and skill by observing and questioning their processes. This method of teaching falls in with Kolbs (1984) four stage experiential learning cycle.

GaziI Mahabubul Alam, Initials. (2009, June 2). Importance of workplace learning for skill development . Retrieved from http://www.bdeduarticle.com/learning/45-u

Learning as defined by the American Heritage dictionary as “the act, process or experience of gaining knowledge or skill (ahdictionary.com, 2017). Many have tried to further define learning by describing just how one gains knowledge or skill. Malcolm Knowles’ Adult Learning Theory of Andragogy, David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory and Jack Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory are three such models of the experiential learning process that will be discussed here.

Work-based learning (WBL) as a method for learning is playing an increasing role in professional development and lifelong learning. There are lots of publications/articles available on Work-Based Learning, but the definitions and implementations vary from place to place. A Glass, K Higgins and A McGregor say that ‘Work based learning is any training that relates directly to the requirements of the jobs on offer in your organization’. This is one of the examples of WBL in the form of training. Work-based Learning is used as a terms in USA, for programs for school children to obtain experience from work (“Work-based Learning Guide 2002”). According to (Kathleen A. Paris and Sarah A. Mason) it gives a chance to young people

Select an organisation and a group of employees. This can be an organisation in which you have experience (as a worker or a client). These employees are expected to develop the knowledge, skills or attributes (think about the characteristics of the organisation and the group i.e. their role/s). Identify three methods used to train and develop these employees and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the methods and identify how they could be improved for training and developing employees.

Staff learning and development is a fundamental aspect of the high performance work system scheme. Lawler argues that today, basic employee ambitions are changing and the current workforce is eager to participate in challenging work and opportunities for learning. White (1994) describes HPWS as one that has “self managed teams that design their own work methods” and “have high levels of training”. This suggests that high performance work systems allow staff to be more engaged in autonomous activity within an organization. Although autonomy is

an alternate pathway to increase their employability, via the acquisition of knowledge and skills for the workplace – a key approach to achieving lifelong learning (Chapman, Gaff, Toomey, & Aspin, 2005).

For students to encounter hands-on tasks gives them opportunities to learn in a completely new manner. Instead of not having a clue what they’re doing, students should be prepared with previous knowledge as to how to be successful

The main feature of PALS is combining theory with practice. Learning by doing is one of the primary forces of evolution. Even the most primitive creatures like dinosaurs learn their living skills such as haunting and fighting from their own experience, let alone advanced creatures like human-beings (Mike, 2011). After loads of practices, we can carry on with good methods and refrain from bad methods. And that’s why PALS attach great importance on practice. Successful training must be generalized to the job condition and maintained for a period of time (James Coloma, 2010). The factors influencing the transfer of training include training design factors like whether it is didactic-oriented or experiential-oriented in the program, as well as work environment factors like supervisory and peer support, and constraints and chances of perform learned skills in the job context (Harvey, 2010). PALS did well in increase the rate of transfer of training, encouraging all members to put up with questions and present their studying. Students are greatly inspired in the process.

Furthermore, spoiled work, damages, and accidents to equipment and machinery can be kept to a minimum by well trained employees, continued training helps employees develop their ability to learn by adapting themselves to new work methods, learning to use new kinds of equipment, and adjusting to major changes in work relationships and job content, also, through training, new employees learn to measure up to standards for performance, thereby satisfying their human need for personal growth and increasing their value to the organisation (Pigors and Myers 1977).