3. Use of common tools to promote the development of workplace learning partnerships

3.1. From one central tool to the development of a gallery of common tools

As has been indicated above, the WLP project was based on German background experiences and that the development of the project can to some extent be interpreted as europeanisation of certain elements of the German predecessor activities. However, at the same time the WLP has tried to develop European research & development dialogue that prepares a common ground for promoting workplace learning partnerships in different countries.

Regarding the role of common tools these two tendencies have become manifest in the following way:

1. At the early stage of the work (alongside the preparing of the preliminary country studies) the project used one common tool - the Learning Potential Analysis (the LPA tool). This tool was based on the tool development that had taken place in the German predecessor activities. The aim of the tools was to identify the learning areas that can be well covered by certain enterprises and the gaps that could be covered with the help of partnership-based cooperation.

2)As a result of the LPA-analyses some partners proposed alternative tools (e.g. the Learning Achievement Review – the LAR tool). Others started to customise the tools for their national action contexts (e.g. the Slovenian partners’ own questionnaires). These movements can be characterised as a transition from using one central tool towards the development of several mutually related tools.

3. At later stage (alongside the development of the WLP course) it was observed that the project needed tools for supporting the initial discussions on partnership cooperation, networked learning and on possible organisational measures. This step can be seen as an effort to link the preliminary analyses to strategic discussion on possible development scenarios and the practical steps to be taken.

In the light of the above the work with common tools has gone through different phases of europeanisation and knowledge enrichment. Concerning the process dynamic within the WLP project this development will be discussed in the Process Development Report. As regards the usability of the tools and the mutually complementing relations between the tools, the next sub-sections will firstly discuss the LPA tool and then the further steps in tool development. At the end of these analyses an overview will be given on the gallery of the WLP tools.

3.2. Use of the LPA tool for basic analyses in different countries

At the beginning phase of the project the coordination team introduced the LPA-tool as the central tool for preparing the grounds for fieldwork. Alongside the introductory material some presentations were given on the prior use of the LPA tool in the German predecessor activities. This introduction linked the analyses of the learning potentials of workplaces to the prospect of broadening the cooperation of VET colleges with several partner enterprises.

As has been indicated, the preconditions for developing workplace learning partnerships varied considerably in the participating countries. However, it was considered appropriate to use common tools to get similar insights into the problems and interests in different countries and at different workplaces. Yet, regarding the further development of the WLP project the implementation of the LPA-analyses and the conclusions of the national partners started to bring forward different working perspectives:

1. For the Estonian partners the use LPA tool served the purpose of deepening the case studies in the mechatronic industries of the target region. However, undertaken as separate measures, the analyses did not open clear prospects for bringing the regional enterprises to closer cooperation among themselves or with the regional VET colleges.
2. For the French partners the use of the LPA tool served the purpose of getting insights into the training needs and training policies of different partner enterprises. However, due to basic differences between the company-specific training policies the LPA-analyses could note bring further common discussion on cooperation between the said enterprises and/or regional training providers.
3. For the Italian partners the use of the LPA tool served the purpose of anchoring the discussions on the training-related needs of regional enterprises to the cooperation with LPA-analysis. However, taken as such, the results of the analyses did not bring forward any specific reasons to develop partnership cooperation. Instead, the ideas on developing regional cooperation on workplace learning were linked to other issues.
4. For the Slovenian partners the use of the LPA tool provided the starting point for a subsequent step in developing locally customised questionnaires. In this context the focus was shifted slightly. In the Slovenian context the analyses provided a basis for specifying the role of individual enterprises as providers of workplace learning opportunities to the school-based VET curriculum.
5. For the partners in the United Kingdom the use of the LPA tool was not a relevant initial step because the UK case was linked to ongoing collaborative processes that were already working on more detailed analyses. Therefore, as a corresponding step, the UK partners started to develop a parallel that focused on analysing the learning achievements (and related evidence on learning progress) in the context of workplace learning.

In the light of the above it appears that the work with common tools at the early stage of the project helped to bring the fieldwork to the picture at the same time. Yet, as the above presented remarks indicate, the use of LPA tool (taken as a stand-alone measure) could not link the national partners to common working perspectives in the next step. Therefore, the role of the LPA tool within the gallery of tools and instruments had to be reconsidered.

3.3. Taking further steps in tool development

As has been indicated, the UK partners could not adjust the use of LPA tool to the process dynamic of the partnership-based cooperation that they were monitoring. The commentary note that explained the underlying differences provided the basis for an alternative tool ‘Learning achievement review’ (LAR). As a distinction to the LPA tool (that focused on the learning potentials of workplaces and their relevance for curricula or training objectives) the LAR tool drew attention to the attainment of individual learning goals in the context of workplace learning. In this context the tool raised the question on the availability of evidence on the learning progress. The usability of the tool has been demonstrated by an attached example. However, in the WLP project this tool has not been subject to wider piloting.

At a later phase it has become clear that the LPA tool has been used to obtain information from the workplaces for discussing how to promote partnership cooperation between the analysed enterprises and training providers. Yet, the LPA tool (as such) doesn’t raise the question on the relevance of training provisions for the workplaces. From this perspective the WLP project has at a later date brought into discussion a complementary tool – the Learning provision review (LPR). This tool is essentially based on the logic of the LPA tool but it requires a cross-valorisation between the analysis of learning potentials at the workplace (reviewed by training providers) and the learning opportunities within VET colleges or other training provisions (reviewed by enterprises).

Parallel to the above mentioned step the WLP project has also taken other steps to support local and regional discussions on partnership cooperation. In this respect the project has produced WLP Workshop tools to support regional workshops that discuss partnership concepts, networked learning and possible organisational measures to be taken in the region.

3.4. Overview on the WLP tools

On the basis of the above presented remarks it is possible to conclude that the work of the WLP project shifted the emphasis from one central tool (LPA) to a gallery of mutually complementing tools. The table 5 (see below) summarises the main characteristics of the above discusses tools and their role in preparatory analyses and development projects.

Table 5: Overview on WLP tools and on their role in promoting partnership cooperation

Tools of the WLP project (WLP tools)

Learning potential analysis (LPA)

Learning achieve-ment review (LAR)

Learning provision review (LPR)

WLP Workshop tools

Starting points

Analysis of the learning potentials at specific workplaces (in the light of pre-given/ agreed lear-ning objectives).

Analysis of the at-tainment of indivi-dual learning goals in workplace lear-ning (in the light of opportunities and provided evidence). Cross-valorisation of the relevance of workplace learning opportunities (for training providers) and of training con-tents(for enterprises). Raising awareness of partnership con-cepts, networked learning and prac-tical organisational measures (and of learning from other European contexts).

Strategic relevance

Broadening of the range of workplaces in VET provisions; enrichment of the competence profiles that are promoted by VET provisions. Making learners aware of their progress in the context of workplace learning (including key competences for lifelong learning). Facilitation of re-gional dialogue on relations between the development of training provisions and related develop-ment of workplace learning . Support for the participants’ work with scenarios, strategic options, analogies to other cases and plans for the own region.

As the above presented overview shows, the work with the tool development has gradually shifted the emphasis from single tools (and their alleged effects) to a combination of tools that supports the creation of a social space for cooperation and innovations. In this respect the ideas on the final products (in particular the WLP Manual and the WLP course) have been reconsidered in this context.

This conceptual transition is also reflected in the discussion of the WLP project on different piloting agendas (see section 6). However, before proceeding to this issue it is essential to discuss the role of web resources (i.e. of web-based applications, web platforms and of general web services) in the development of the WLP project.