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Working and ageing
178 Guidance and counselling for mature learners

which is itself linked to learning through challenging work, interactions and
networks at work. In other cases, some form of formal continuing professional
development would be expected, such as taking Meister qualifications in
Germany, as a prelude to promotion). Another participant provided an example
of upskilling through initial hospital-based (subdegree higher education
equivalent) vocational training coupled with completion of two intensive mid-
career post-graduate diploma programmes as well as learning while working
and through career progression. Karen qualified as a radiographer in 1984; in
1991 she completed a diploma in management studies and in 2004 a
postgraduate diploma in advanced practice (imaging) as she progressed
through linked progression pathways as an advanced practitioner, clinical tutor
and then a research radiographer recruiting patients to clinical trials, promoting
and active involvement in radiotherapy research from 2004.
Rather than engaging in continuous learning at an even pace year after
year, people are likely to have periods of more and less intensive learning.
The key here is to make a distinction between learning which fits into an
individualʼs current set of values, attitudes, competences, networks, behaviour
and identities and learning which leads to significant personal development
or transformation. Respondents to the survey had little difficulty in identifying
the role of learning and development in making significant work-related
transitions and periods of intensive learning could be decisive for individualsʼ
career direction. Most people with successful careers display episodic
learning: periods of intensive learning interspersed with ʻquieterʼ times (which
nevertheless can involve learning through challenging work, etc.).
This finding is really important for career guidance for older workers in
countering the view that ʻI am not a lifelong learner – it is a long time since I
engaged in substantive learning associated with education and training or
learning a new role at work, etc.ʼ Almost everyone across their life course
engages in episodic learning – at some periods making a conscious effort at
learning compared to other times when other aspects of their lives may take
priority. This type of dialogue would seem much more empowering – this line of
argument was often used by ʻwomen returnersʼ: ʻnow it is my turn.ʼ It is not a
deficit model but rather a positive one: in a lifetime there will be several times
when a person makes learning a priority – would now be a good time to do so?

9.2.5. Skill development for workers in low-skilled work by changing jobs
Brynin and Longhi, in their summary of findings from a major European project
(on work organisation and restructuring in the knowledge society – WORKS
project) reported on individual-level change using panel data and found that