Routledge-IAL Series on Adult Learning for Emergent Jobs and Skills – serie

At the heart of this book is the rapid pace of change, the need to invest in and create good jobs and support the learning that this entails. It brings together a range of socio-cultural perspectives to examine the hard issues in relation to digitalisation, identity, work design and affordances for learning, mediated by the ecosystems within which work, and the workplace is positioned.The contributors take a strong social justice perspective that seeks to uncover commonly held assumptions about where the responsibility for workplace learning lies, how to understand workplace learning from a range of different perspectives and what it all means for practitioners and researchers in the field. The first section sets the scene in its theorisation of the role and place of workplace learning in the context of changing circumstances. The second section brings together a rich collection of investigations into workplace learning that address the challenges of rapidly changing circumstances. In the final section, the authors consider what workplace learning in changing circumstances means for change practitioners, the changing roles of human resource practitioners, and for workers and quality work.This volume will appeal to graduate and post-graduate students, and academics as well as practitioners such as adult educators, and human resource personnel.

At the heart of this book is the rapid pace of change, the need to invest in and create good jobs and support the learning that this entails. It brings together a range of socio-cultural perspectives to examine the hard issues in relation to digitalisation, identity, work design and affordances for learning, mediated by the ecosystems within which work, and the workplace is positioned.The contributors take a strong social justice perspective that seeks to uncover commonly held assumptions about where the responsibility for workplace learning lies, how to understand workplace learning from a range of different perspectives and what it all means for practitioners and researchers in the field. The first section sets the scene in its theorisation of the role and place of workplace learning in the context of changing circumstances. The second section brings together a rich collection of investigations into workplace learning that address the challenges of rapidly changing circumstances. In the final section, the authors consider what workplace learning in changing circumstances means for change practitioners, the changing roles of human resource practitioners, and for workers and quality work.This volume will appeal to graduate and post-graduate students, and academics as well as practitioners such as adult educators, and human resource personnel.

This volume guides workplace trainers in teaching the significance of Employee-Driven Innovation (EDI) and recognising that each and every employee is capable of being the driver of innovation. Given that innovation has become imperative to unlock competitive advantage, and that employees are increasingly regarded as a quintessential aspect of innovation, this focus on EDI and how to enable it is both necessary and opportune.The book is split into three parts: first focusing on helping trainers to address the challenges of getting employees to engage in innovative work besides their regular job tasks. How can organisations instil this mindset in their employees who see themselves as stalwarts of status quo? The book then turns to how organisations can engage employees in innovation, with an accompanying emphasis that the enactment of EDI may not follow a prescribed or planned flow. It then closes by offering real-world examples of the unfolding of EDI in both the Finnish and Singaporean contexts.The book is aimed at educating enterprises, both employers and workplace trainers, and adult educators in the practices and approaches to engage employees in innovation. It seeks to bridge, specifically the theory-practice nexus of EDI, and nudge the enterprises and TAE (training and adult education) practitioners that have yet to involve or engage employees systematically in innovation to seriously consider it.

This volume guides workplace trainers in teaching the significance of Employee-Driven Innovation (EDI) and recognising that each and every employee is capable of being the driver of innovation. Given that innovation has become imperative to unlock competitive advantage, and that employees are increasingly regarded as a quintessential aspect of innovation, this focus on EDI and how to enable it is both necessary and opportune.The book is split into three parts: first focusing on helping trainers to address the challenges of getting employees to engage in innovative work besides their regular job tasks. How can organisations instil this mindset in their employees who see themselves as stalwarts of status quo? The book then turns to how organisations can engage employees in innovation, with an accompanying emphasis that the enactment of EDI may not follow a prescribed or planned flow. It then closes by offering real-world examples of the unfolding of EDI in both the Finnish and Singaporean contexts.The book is aimed at educating enterprises, both employers and workplace trainers, and adult educators in the practices and approaches to engage employees in innovation. It seeks to bridge, specifically the theory-practice nexus of EDI, and nudge the enterprises and TAE (training and adult education) practitioners that have yet to involve or engage employees systematically in innovation to seriously consider it.

In an era of rapid technological, economic, and social change, organisations must constantly adapt to remain relevant. This book examines the growing importance of dynamic capabilities in enabling training providers to respond to uncertainty, reconfigure resources, and create sustainable value in increasingly complex and volatile environments.Focusing on the training and adult education (TAE) sector, the book examines how organisations integrate, build, and reconfigure internal and external resources to respond effectively to shifting demands. It conceptualises dynamic capabilities through a socio-cultural lens, emphasising the central role of people, leadership, and organisational culture in driving strategic change. Drawing on empirical research conducted with 18 training providers in Singapore, the book presents seven in-depth case studies that reveal how dynamic capabilities are enacted in practice. From these cases, seven key organisational resources are identified and analysed, showing how they are mobilised, combined, and transformed across different contexts, purposes, and time horizons. The book develops a practical framework that captures effective practices in capability development and includes a toolkit to support organisations in diagnosing their capability profiles, aligning resources with strategic goals, and fostering continuous innovation and learning. The books in the series are for graduate and post-graduate students, academics and practitioners such as adult educators, human resource personnel, and consultants who are change agents.

In an era of rapid technological, economic, and social change, organisations must constantly adapt to remain relevant. This book examines the growing importance of dynamic capabilities in enabling training providers to respond to uncertainty, reconfigure resources, and create sustainable value in increasingly complex and volatile environments.Focusing on the training and adult education (TAE) sector, the book examines how organisations integrate, build, and reconfigure internal and external resources to respond effectively to shifting demands. It conceptualises dynamic capabilities through a socio-cultural lens, emphasising the central role of people, leadership, and organisational culture in driving strategic change. Drawing on empirical research conducted with 18 training providers in Singapore, the book presents seven in-depth case studies that reveal how dynamic capabilities are enacted in practice. From these cases, seven key organisational resources are identified and analysed, showing how they are mobilised, combined, and transformed across different contexts, purposes, and time horizons. The book develops a practical framework that captures effective practices in capability development and includes a toolkit to support organisations in diagnosing their capability profiles, aligning resources with strategic goals, and fostering continuous innovation and learning. The books in the series are for graduate and post-graduate students, academics and practitioners such as adult educators, human resource personnel, and consultants who are change agents.

The authors take an illuminating exploration of the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in adult education and training, by drawing from a comprehensive international survey.This groundbreaking project delves into the current landscape and future trends surrounding adult educators’ practices and perceptions of AI technologies. It offers a rich, data-driven analysis of how AI is shaping the field, providing valuable insights into its impact on educators, learners, and educational institutions across the globe. The book synthesizes findings from an extensive online survey conducted across 19 countries, encompassing a diverse range of adult educators. The research focuses on current practices, examining the types, frequency, and purposes of AI applications in adult education and training. It assesses how different AI tools and technologies are currently employed and their roles in various educational contexts. It also looks at educators’ confidence levels in using AI, exploring factors that contribute to or detract from their comfort and proficiency with these technologies. The chapters offer an analysis of the perceived effects of AI on adult educators’ roles, workloads, income, labour markets, and work opportunities. Finally, the book turns to the impacts on learner and educator well-being, including the potential benefits and drawbacks of AI, especially in terms of adult learner engagement, learning outcomes, and overall wellness.Offering a unique insight into the benefits, challenges, and support needs associated with AI use, and effectively integrating AI into practice, this book will serve as a pivotal resource for educational leaders, teaching and research staff, in adult learning and higher education institutions.