The article ‘Learning through work experience’ focus on how learners can maximize learning and work contexts to gain relevant knowledge and skills necessary in the world of labor. The article suggests that learning experiences must be observed from all forms of work in the job market and as the development source for historic, scientific, technical, intellectual, communicative, practical, and identity in individuals.
Such learning processes may be incorporated within vocational education and training forums and in other personnel development programmes. It also discusses about the work experiences and activities those teenage students in countries with well planned schooling systems must obtain.
The article argues that occupational identity and competency needs to be introduced to young people through trainings and the education system in order to facilitate a smooth transition into the job market and also to reinforce their independence as adults (Griffiths & Guile 2000, p. 2-4).
The article further argues that with the heightened impact of globalization in today’s world, there is need for a new learning experience between education and work that will eventually foster lifelong learning to learners (Griffiths & Guile 2000, p. 5). Therefore understanding the everyday changes in the labor world means linking formal programmes to the work sector.
The article emphasizes that North American and EU literature have in the past assumed that students would develop their skills and knowledge while at work place (Griffiths & Guile 2000, p. 8-9). However, the challenge comes with the increased global economic pressures, advanced information and technology.
This further provides the need for any organization that aims at obtaining a competitive edge to link the two contexts in the learning process. More so, the article says that the work context must provide for learning and development of human beings, this is because, practices foster relevant skills and knowledge necessary for production in an organization.
It sums up by saying that analysis of work experience revolves around education and work context, the different strategies applied within these contexts, as well as the kind of influence the context provides to the learners. It states that students need to be supported to link formal and informal learning and be given relevant knowledge for work places.
In relation to this, the study generates five work place models: the experimental model, work process model, the traditional model, and the connectivity model. These models cover the different responses to learners, policies, skills, pedagogy and economic factors (Griffiths & Guile 2000, p.8).
Pedagogical learning approach believes that if a student fails to perform, then the transmitter of the knowledge has also failed. Learning in pedagogical approach focuses on instructional materials, specific outside motivation and the experiences of the teachers. It does not recount that at times children fail because of lack of participation or interest.
Therefore the student is totally dependent on the teachers in the learning process. The students do not have personal initiative in acquiring knowledge and often believe that they have already received ideas, practices and subjects based on what they are taught (Hill, L. 2001, para. 1).
On the other hand, the andragogical approach is oriented towards adult learners. This is because the learning process in adults is often from that of children (Hill, L.2001 para. 2).The article, ‘Learning through work experience’ fits in an andragogical approach of learning because it is advocating for incorporation of education and work contexts while teaching individuals, who will in the end, enter the world of work as adults.
It puts more emphasis on lifelong learning processes. Additionally, it argues that the outcomes of such an approach will lead to independent and self driven individuals (Griffiths & Guile 2000, p. 2-5). In this approach, adults strive to overcome the dependency that was reinforced at their early education.
As described in the article, it recommends incorporation of practical work experiences into the education programmes. The article considers learning through work experience most effective by stating that work and education forms the first context for personnel development (Griffiths & Guile 2000, p. 2-5). It says that in utilizing this new idea of work experience, students can ‘negotiate’ their learning through the work experience.
Additionally, the discussion focuses on an andragogical learning approach when it argues that connectivity model of labor experience provides a continual development of skills and knowledge through the learning and work experience. The students therefore do not end up wholly relying on the educators for their effective performance rather their participation enhances their skills and knowledge (Hill 2001, para. 1).
The work process model is one of the models of training and development that can be applied and used to familiarize students with various contexts of education and work. In this case, learning and development is done through work experience. There is a very big influence of the context of work to learning outcomes and experience.
Therefore, there is need to develop a good curriculum that will give students an opportunity to relate between informal and formal learning. This is because there are cases where formal knowledge is taught to students but it ends up being irrelevant to work experiences (Griffiths & Guile 2000, p.9). The labor process can only be understood through an effective work and knowledge framework.
This means that it will situate work practices to their actual contexts that are supposed to be understood. In the long run, this model prepares apprentices to switch work places and environments more easily. They will also be in a better position to engage in new organizational changes.
In order to design an effective learning and development program, it is important that the system prevents any learning breakdown. The program must also not exclude any learner from the process. This in turn fosters equal opportunities for all the learners.
One barrier that has not been addressed in the above stated model of learning is the nature of human labor enhancement in both the personnel and educators and the context in which it takes place. The trainers must not feel unconfident or uncertain about meeting the various needs of the learners. More so, the content must be within the different learning contexts. This eventually results into a successful training upon the human labor.
To overcome the barrier, the management must provide enabling processes and mechanism that support the diverse needs of learners. The mechanism must be aligned to the different learning needs and in a way that minimizes any kind of barrier in the learning process. The other barrier is language and communication problems in learners and trainers.
This barrier may come from the medium of development and learning. In most formal teaching, the learning processes use a different language from the learner’s first language. If unattended to, the probability of linguistic hurdles is high, meanings that there will be miscommunication in the learning process.
Following linguistic challenges, the learners who use their second languages face segregation and minimal expectations from their peers. In most occasions, educators find it challenging to develop appropriate support programs to deal with the difficulty. To overcome this barrier, trainers should design programs that incorporate both formal and informal learning experiences.
This ensures that learners with language and communication problems also gain knowledge and skills in the learning process. They should also encourage positive work relations hence giving the individuals the opportunity to choose who to share their learning process with. More so is the difficulties that learners with physical impairments face hence a barrier to evenly provide a learning process to the different individuals.
The barrier may be overcome by provision of alternative and augmentative communication in the organization. This ensures that individuals with such challenges are not entirely excluded from the learning process (Noe 2009, p. 29).
Customer model is one of the learning and development models that can be used in an organization to foster skills and knowledge in employees. After aligning the program with the company’s functions, the trainers must ensure that the personnel completely understand what the business aims at providing to its customers.
This is because the employees are in constant contact with the customers who are the main assets of the business. This therefore means that failure to deliver products and services that are in line with customers’ can result in lose of customers. This can be an adverse effect on the performance of the company.
It is therefore important for the employees to understand that customers have a right to choose which business to deal with hence winning their goodwill is essential for continuous functionality of the company.
The structure and content of the program in this training model are aligned to the business group and then the personnel’s attention to the customers. With the customer model, productivity increases because the employees know that their success and the business’ highly depend on the business target market. Implementation of the model can therefore be resourceful for personnel development (Noe 2009, p.29).
Reference List
Griffiths, T. & Guile, D., 2000. Learning through work experience. Web.
Hill, L., 2001. Pedagogical and andragogical learning. Web.
Noe, A.R., 2009. Employee training and development, [E-book], New York: McGraw-Hill. Web.