Learning through work experience for the knowledge economy : issues for educational research and policy

This book identifies the achievements and limitations of successive European policy reforms and addresses future challenges in relation to work experience. It describes a new analytical tool - a typology for conceptualising different models of work experience in terms of learning, rather than the traditional approach of treating work experience as a social institution. The book argues that, if work experience is to contribute to preparing individuals for the future, this can only happen if a shift takes place from viewing the primary purpose of work experience as a form of socialisation to that of connecting different modes of learning. It introduces and explains the meaning of the term 'connectivity', which lies at the heart of a new model of learning through work experience for the knowledge economy. This focus on learning raises new issues for the research, policy and practitioner communities. It challenges them to address explicitly the ways in which work experience can assist individuals to connect theoretical and practical learning.