Lifelong learning in work contexts

Abstract

Lifelong learning within work environments is a complex and yet increasingly important issue in today's rapidly changing society. This article highlights the shift in meaning in the notion(s) of lifelong education in the early 1970s and the notion(s) of lifelong learning in the late 1990s. This shift can be largely accounted for by the changed milieu in which these terms have emerged and from which they derive their meaning. Within the current economic-technological climate, the learning that occurs in workplaces is an important phenomenon to research if we are to understand the possibilities in lifelong learning. The article analyses several key elements of current Australian policy in terms of their potential contribution to the fostering of a training (or learning) culture, seen officially as a support for lifelong learning. The article also draws on a number of research studies into the nature of workplace learning and the role of the workplace ‘trainer’ as key ingredients in this process.