Learning Through Work: Practices, Purposes and Outcomes

Drawing on three decades of practical investigations, this book establishes new understandings about the importance of learning through work, outlining its purposes, contributions, conceptions and the curriculum, pedagogical and personal practices that shape its effectiveness.

Against views proposing it as being informal and leading to concrete outcomes, this volume presents learning through work as being central to human development, informing individual choices and developing one’s capacity for working life and occupational competence. In Part I, Billett makes a case for the value of learning through work and why it should be considered and engaged with as a legitimate mode of learning and model of education. Part II sets out the foundations for the processes of learning through work that have underpinned its utility across human history. Part III sets out bases by which this educational model and mode of learning can be understood through the concepts of practice curriculum, practice pedagogies and personal practices. These are presented based on the kinds of knowledge that they generate and how they can be realised in and through day-to-day work activities in practice settings, including the development of innovations in work settings.

A much-needed resource from a leading expert in the field, this book will be of interest to educators, workplace trainers in a variety of settings, policy-makers and students in professional education courses.

Stephen Billett is Professor of Adult and Vocational Education at Griffith University, Australia, a fellow of Social Science Academy of Australia, National Teaching fellow, Australian Research Council Future fellow and Fulbright scholar and was awarded honorary doctorates from the universities of Jyväskylä (Finland), Geneva (Switzerland) and West (Sweden). He has worked in manufacturing as a vocational educator, teacher educator, professional developer, teacher and researcher at Griffith University, and held policy roles in vocational education.