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Learning while working
42 Success stories on workplace learning in Europe

contributions of continuing training to change management (Cedefop,
2010b). Information gaps on sectoral and business changes need to
be filled from a broad perspective that covers new market demands,
innovation in production and in work organisation processes;
(b) work organisation and on-the-job learning have a key role in the
competence development but the benefits of changing working and
management processes may not be immediate. Given the difficulty of
anticipating and managing change, some employers may be reluctant
to act because they lack sufficient know-how. There may be a lack of
management and leadership capacity or a resistance from employees
to changes in the workplace (UK Commission for employment and skills,
2009, p. 73; p. 130). Some enterprises may need support to conceive
their work organisation differently;
(c) the benefits of investing in skills may be only visible in the mid-term.
There is little value in a company having a better skilled workforce, if
these skills are not used. Joint funding mechanisms for training need
to advise employers on how to develop proper business and human
resources development strategies together;
(d) enterprises may have limited understanding of both the training market
and available incentives for employers and employees. They may also
lack the competence to choose the guidance or training services that
are more suitable to their needs and constraints (Cedefop, 2009g);
(e) excessive bureaucracy, heavy administrative rules and reporting
requirements may curtail access to national and sectoral training subsidies
(Cedefop, 2008f), more strongly even in the case of SMEs.
Within subsidy mechanisms for training and financial incentives, setting
up targets both in terms of types of company and worker that should be
given priority could contribute to tackling participation inequalities in training
and to expanding the range of learning opportunities in the workplace.

3.3. The foundations for learning:

key workplace competences

Changing workplace requirements make new demands on key competences,
which are generic and transferable to a wide range of work settings, such
as communication skills and team working. Current policies for upgrading
workforce skills pay attention to the acquisition of key skills, also at the most
basic levels, which provide the base for further learning and for acquiring other