The Cambridge Programme for Industry (CPI) works with private and public sector organisations to support relationships based on learning.
The Latest DfEE-sponsored project from the CPI, Frameworks for Effective Work-Related Learning, supports the idea that as changes are taking place in the workplace, a change is needed to the way that learning at and through work is approached. The report, which comes in four sections, is intended as a framework for organisations to use to change their approach to work-related learning.
According to the authors of the project, there are four key requirements to changing an organisations approach to learning:
- Sensitivity to Context - understanding the drivers behind the organisation, recognising organisational and individual objectives
- An Holistic Approach - taking into account the way the organisation is structured, systems and culture
- A Learner-Centred Approach - giving individuals the tools and confidence to plan their development, learning to question, innovate and interact
- A Collaborative Approach - encouraging the building of communities and networks of practice
As the authors themselves say in the introduction to the report, much of what they propose is familiar, but they also say that the key aim is to broaden the understanding of what is meant by learning.
Having introduced the main concepts - giving the learner responsibility for their learning, making sure that the way learning is delivered is concurrent with the organisations culture - the authors suggest carrying out a Learning Environment Review using a technique similar to 'force field analysis' to identify the factors involved.
A useful feature of the report is that it provides the necessary documents to carry out an audit and create an action plan yourself. There is also a guide to developing formal learning programmes, created along the same lines, which gives step-by-step advice on data gathering and analysis. A seperate section is devoted to the case studies used throughout the project.
The report, case studies and documents can be obtained by email from info@cpi.cam.ac.uk.
