WLP Project Development

We've put a  rudimentary tool onto the site. It's aim is to enable WLP's to both declare training opportunities and to search for potential training within other WLP's.
It's presented as a "skeleton" of an idea in order to stimulate discussion of what we might do to produce an effective online LPA tool of real use to the enterprise. ( click on - Courses - tab on the top of the site front page ).
Such a tool could be of use in each of the 3 contexts (a,b & c)  detailed by Pekka albeit with some modification for each of the contexts.
We'd appreciate feedback on where you think this approach might take us and to further ideas and enhancements we might employ to produce a truly useful and effective product.


Knownet have been working hard on improvements to the KNotes discussion platform and will shortly be deploying it on this site. Look foward to a greatly improved User Interface and increased functionality. The web management platform is in good shape.


Kind regards
AlanH




 

For the WLP Workhop in Velenje I had prepared a Power Point presentation that provided in a nutshell form an interim synthesis of the work of the WLP project. I have reworked this presentation in order to put the work of the project partners and the next steps in the tool development and piloting into the centre. (See the revised ppt-presentation as an attached document)
The first two sections of the presentation recapitulate the main challenges for the WLP project and the main outcomes of the country studies. Thus, the presentation provides a European group picture of different starting points and strategic working isues to be linked to the common theme "Workplace learning partnerships". These sections represent the phase of discussion that had been reached by the Velenje workshop.
The third section tries to use the group picture as a basis for bringing the debate on "workplace learning partnerships" further. In this respect the section builds upon the interim reflections on different partnership concepts tat I presented in previous posting. Now I have tried to preent some insights into possible benefits of partnership-based cooperation for different parties to be addressed in diverse countries.
The fourth section outlines the discussion on the role of WLP Web tools from the perspective of different starting points, from different contexts for piloting and with a view on different target groups to be addressed with the piloting activities.
The fifth section outlines the strategic steps to be taken in the further development of the project and provides anoverview on the strategic angles from which the partners can approach their own tasks. Furthermore, the section provides a visualisation on alternative developmental arenas and their neighbourhood relations to be considered when setting the priorities. Finally, the presentation provides a visual interpretation on the developmental phases and process dynamics in the project. It is worthwhile to note that this image draws attention on the need to distinguish between the piloting measures that can only be prepared via feasibility studies and the ones that can be actively implemented during the current WLP project.
I guess this is a sufficient commentary for the attached presentation. I am preparing a "roadmap" presentation that illustrates different options for tool development and piloting. I hope to get this presentation ready in one week's time. Looking forward to your comments in the meantime.
Pekka Kämäräinen

In general, the conclusions from the Velenje workshop can be summarised in the following way:

1. There is a need to clarify the relations between "Country studies" (National maps/ National reports) and "Case studies" (Case studies/ Case stories) and how to use them.  This is mainly a matter of reusing, refocusing and repurposing existing material.

2. In the context of re-processing the country studies and case studies there is a need to pay attention on different kinds of workplace learning partnerships and on the possibilities of training providers to support them with research & development activities. This aspect was somewhat underdeveloped in the current version of the European (interim) synthesis report.

3. The instruments that have been discussed so far (LPA, LAR, Portfolio) have not been developed to a similar degree of maturity and usability. In this respect the LPA-applications can be used as preparatory instruments that pave he way for partnership-creation whereas the LAR-applicationa have a role as accompanying instruments that are related to ongoing cooperatio. The Portfolios have only been brought into  picture as a wide  range of possibilities without specifying the particular usablity in the WLP project.

4. The discussion on the uses of Web in the WLP covered several aspects that need to be considered parallel to each other:
4a) Optimising the use of the WLP website for presenting the project and related materials for the develomental communities,
4b) Opimising the use of communication facilities (e.g. the blogs) for internal and external collaboration,
4c) Development of specific web-based tools that are directly accessible for individual users and/or for interested user-communities.

5. Regarding the next phase of work the partners are in dfferent positions regarding the following arenas for piloting:
5a) Development of a pragmatic tool for individual learners ("personal summative review") to be used in workplace learning contexts,
5b) Development of a pragmatic tool for training providers and/or training enterprises ("joint resource pools")  to be used as a support for shaping the workplace learning opportunities,
5c) Development of a framework for aggregating learning opportunities that are provided in different country contexts for European or trans-national cooperation ("cross-cultural learning opportunities").
In all these arenas there is a need to find pragmatic solutions for piloting and for drawing conclusions on existing pilot activities.

6. There is a need to adjust the work programme and to give room for working in pairs or sub-teams that focus on different arenas for piloting. On the basis of a more differentiated working period there is a possibility to discuss the way that the "WLP-Web" and the "WLP-Course" are being shaped.

7. In order to keep the developmental activities visible to each other it is worthwhile to use the "WLP Project Management" blog as a joint forum for informing each other. Parallel to this there is a chance to bring some issues into the public domain via the blog "Work & Learning Partners: Discussions". This perspective will be developed further in the proposal for ECER.

This was my interpretation - written from the perspective of the project coordinator.  I now welcome your comments and ideas how to proceed further.

Pekka Kämäräinen

Shortly after the Velenje workshop (see the previous posting) the WLP had to make decision on submitting a proposal for the next European Conference on Educational Research (ECER'06) to be organised in September 2006 in Geneva, Switzerland. As we discussed this item in Velenje, the participation in ECER had been written down on our work programme. However, there was an administrative issue concerning the possibility of EU-funded projects (particularly of Leonardo-projects) to undertale dissemination activities in a conference that is organised in Switzerland (not belonging to EU or EEA and not having a participation agreement regarding the programme Leonardo da Vinci). After some inquiries we came to the conclusion that there is a case for submitting a proposal.
Along the lines that we discussed in Velenje, the main idea with the proposal is to present Work in Progress and Lessons from Transnatonal Cooperation. Therfore, we have chosen to propose a Research Workshop (that puts more emphasis on joint discussion) than a Symposium (that puts more emphasis on presenting joint results in a coherent group picture). Yet, in the light of our discussions in Velenje there is a need to consider how this proposal and the preparation for the session in Geneva can be helpful for our net phase of work. Some colleagues might have a feeling that we are putting the carriage in front of the horse (by preparing a research workshop when we should give our main attention on piloting and fieldwork). In this respect I try to re-examine our ECER-proposal from the perspective our project-specific needs and to demonstrate how the preparatory work for an ECER-session can best support us in our work for the WLP project.
1) The issue on thematic focuses and related arenas for piloting:
The designed Research Workshop indicates three thematic focuses and/or arenas for piloting: a) reviewing of individual learning, b) development of social web in enterprise contexts and c) exploring the developmental prospects related to regionalisation, cross-border cooperation and internationalisation. With these we have to make progress regarding piloting or identifying the boundary conditions for further developmental work. The "Research Workshop" provides an opportunity to reflect upon the research-related value of the work that has been undertaken in the context of these thematic areas and/or arenas for piloting.
2) The issue of comparative studies and trans-cultural learning:
The interim version of a European synthesis report (that was prepared by me for the WLP workshop in Velenje) could not make sufficiently transparent the role of different partnership concepts and different arenas for piloting. In this respect there is a case for some amendments and some rewriting that can be summarised in the Research Workshop. However, the main point is that such studies should not remain as 'satellite pictures' that portray the developmenmtal activities from a remote distance. Instead, they should help in bringing the country contexts and the developmental arenas into working neighbourhood relations with each other
3) The issue of a collaborative preparatory process and of making it public:
To some extent there is some prior work that can be reused as inputs for the Research Workshop. To some extent it is possible to indicat next steps for piloting that can be reported by the time the inputs for the ECER are to be finalised. As I see it, we are in a good position to share these contents with each other and to compose joint contributions. At the moment we are preparing the grounds for such a phase of work with our internal blog (the WLP project Maagement). However, once we have got the ball rolling, we should have the courage to step into public domain. In this respect we have to respect the selection process of ECER and VETNET. We also have to consider when we are ready to bring our findings and conclusions to public discussion. In this respect we may have different time lines in different areas of work.
I think this is enough on this topic at the moment. In my next postings I will try take a closer look at different thematic focuses and on related arenas on piloting. In the meantime I welcome comments and further inputs.
Pekka Kämäräinen

So far the comparative analysis of different preconditions for workplace learning partnerships has highlighted diferent institutional and organisational starting points and relate working perspectives. In this respect I have emphasised the following approaches to the creation and promotion of workplace partnerships:

• Educational approaches that focus on the incorporation of workplace learning into vocational curricula (and on the attainmen of related qualification goals);
• Work process -oriented approaches that focus on the incorporation of training provisions (or virtual learning arrangements) into the culture of  organisational learning and process improvement;

• Virtual networking initiatives that try to create joint resource pools among training providers and partner enterprises (and to promote related capability for knowledge sharing and networking).

Although this is a rough categorisation, it gives an idea how different boundary conditions are characteristic of the counry contexts in which the members of the WLP project team are working. However, in order to get a clearer idea on possible arenas for piloting we need to be more specific on the preconditions and on the process dynamics that are related to partneship creation and/or to the supporting activities.

Therefore, I would like to draw attention on the way that the preconditions for partnership creation (and for related support activities) vary in different developmental contexts. In this respect I would highlight the following contextual settings:

a) Co-development and accompaniment of multi-player partnerships

This kind of partnership concept has been brought forward in the application phase and in the initial phase of the WLP project. The  German predecessor projects GOLO and GAPA can be seen as forerunners of a transition strategy in which the VET colleges adopt a new role in supporting workplace learning and regional or sectoral initiatives. From the industrial perspective this kind of partnership concept has been brought forward by the UK cases that higlight the role of training and learning in the context of supply chains.

b) Outreach activities of training providers and/or training enterprises

This kind of partnership concept comes into picture as the most likely actual starting point or as a potential working perspective. The most striking example is the Solski Center Velenje and its outreach activities (from the educational perspective) or the Estonian enterprises and their potential cooperation with the regional training providers (from the industrialperspective).

c) Facilitator-supported search for joint resource pools or networking concepts

This kind of partnership concept has been brought into discussion in the Italian context with reference to virtual networking and to joint resource pools for knowledge sharing. On the other hand this kind of partnership-oriented approach is coming into picture in the analyses on cross-border cooperation and trans-national synergies between France, Germany and Switzerland.

I think this is enough on this topic at the moment. With this interim remark I have wanted to open the prospects for a more differentiated piloting phase with an understanding on the different preconditions for partnership-creation, networking and using virtual support.

Pekka Kämäräinen