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Learning while working
86 Success stories on workplace learning in Europe

The programme Vocational pedagogy in enterprise, which combines theoretical learning and
day-to-day work in the workplace, has proved to be an efficient way to overcome employers’
unwillingness to invest in the professional development of in-company trainers, particularly
in the context of global economic crisis. In-company trainers become familiar with different
training practices and techniques by developing a training project that is linked to the priorities
of the business for which they work. In agreement with their employers, programme participants
develop in the workplace a training solution for the competence gaps of the company as a
whole or a specific department. Training projects may even transform the company’s general
learning environment. Through networking with trainers working in different sectors and types
of enterprises, in-company trainers get alternative views on their own work and share resources
and strategies. In the companies, training projects raise awareness of the importance of trainers’
professional and personal development. The final evaluation considers the extent to which the
expectations of both the employer and the employees have been met and whether the project
has improved the learning environment in the company:. this means that the initiative is taken
very seriously by employers. Trainers receive a certificate from Akershus University College,
stating the ECTS received, which opens the way to further education, through bachelor or
masters programmes at the college. The involvement of the Association of Norwegian Process
Industries in the design helped building a programme that would be relevant to sector and
company changing needs (Cedefop, 2010c).

When in-company trainers return to their workplace following a training
programme, new knowledge and skills acquired are not always fully exploited
because this would demand organisational changes, in particular, rethinking
training policies and working practices in the company. The Norwegian initiative
suggests that when in-service training of trainers takes place on-the-job, the
newly gained skills and knowledge are passed into the company and can
eventually bring changes in its training policy and practices. Further, the
success of any training initiative set up at national, regional or sectoral level
for the professional development of trainers will depend on both in-company
trainers and employers being involved at different stages of the process to
ensure that the programme is relevant to company and trainer needs.
Continuous professional development, either through more formalised
training or in a non-formal way in communities of practice, enables trainers
to respond to new challenges in companies, related to work organisation and
technological innovation. Networks of trainers and communities of practice
promote a knowledge-sharing culture and encourage a shared repertoire of
training methods, resources and strategies that have been developed over
time. Much effort has been invested at national level in developing ICT tools
and virtual platforms to assist trainers in continuing learning. Although e-learning
has the potential to expand training opportunities in the workplace, specific