Learning agreements and socially responsible approaches to professional and human resource development in the United Kingdom

Abstract

This article draws upon original qualitative data to present an initial assessment of the significance of learning agreements for the development of socially responsible approaches to professional and human resource development within the workplace. The article suggests that the adoption of a partnership‐based approach to learning is more important for the advancement of social responsibility in relation to professional and human resource development than formal learning agreements, but that such agreements contribute to the sustainability of learning partnerships when they establish or strengthen mechanisms for social dialogue. The paper also argues that the most socially responsible approaches to professional and human resource development are associated with learning partnerships in which there is a relatively even balance of power between employers and unions.