The fundamentals of workplace learning:

Another ebook has arrived at the library. It is by Danish Professor Knud Illeris, who recently retired at the age of 70 from the university but is still active in research and consultancy.


The book is called “The fundamentals of workplace learning: Understanding how people learn in working life” and consolidates Professor Illeris’ many years of research and work.

Chapter two summarises ‘how we learn, and parts of this chapter are on Google books. The next chapter discusses the concept of the workplace as a ‘learning space’ Followed by a chapter bringing the concepts introduced and discussed in the previous chapters to explain the ‘two triangles’ advanced workplace learning model.

Chapter five enters into a discussion into competency, it’s role in workplace learning. Definitions and advantages /disadvantages of trying to explain work in terms of competency. The important things that competency does not address including aspects of insight, empathy, structural understanding and the importance of judgement.

Then follow 5 chapters on workplace learning in practice with the last 3 chapters ‘cross cutting perspectives’ connecting the introductory theory chapters with the workplace learning in practice chapters.

Overall, a slightly different approach from the various other theorist I am more familiar with. The model brings together the various socio-cultural influences on individual's and workplace contributions towards formation of work identity through engagement with workplace practice. Of interest is the blending of aspects of competency into the discussion and model.