This paper explores the different epistemologies that define the Professional Doctorate, paying close attention to how Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs) doing a Professional Doctorate reconcile academic and professional knowledge. Through a narrative exploration of the literature published since the first UK Professional Doctorates were awarded in…

Continuing professional development (CPD) is a substantial, but hitherto largely unappreciated component of lifelong learning and education (LLL/LLE). CPD encourages analysis of the LLL/LLE of those with high education in early years. It draws attention to the influence of particular organisations, professional associations and regulatory bodies,…

Over recent years, the professional development review process has risen in importance in universities with such exercises being shown to have a positive effect on student learning, staff motivation, recruitment and retention. However, they may also be perceived as a controlling mechanism and part of a culture of 'performativity', which implies a…

For more than 25 years, the Adult Participation in Learning Survey has provided a unique insight into adult learning across the UK. It adopts a deliberately broad definition of learning, reflecting the fact that learning is about so much more than formal courses and qualifications. The good news is that, after a decade of declines during the…

The quality of provision in the further education sector in the United Kingdom has long been contested. An ongoing issue in further education colleges has been the focus upon minimum competence in qualifications. Yet, there are examples of high standards in teaching and learning. Drawing on interview data with 24 WorldSkills Training Managers…

UK higher education has seen a shift towards greater businesslike operations and accountability, with increasingly specialised support roles and fewer 'generalist' administrators; however, professional training, structured career development and planning, and opportunities for continuing professional development (CPD) have been less well…

It is 25 years since the first adult participation in learning survey, and this one is published during Learning and Work Institute's centenary year. This year's survey shows that 44% of adults have taken part in learning in the last three years. That's an increase on the record lows found in 2019 and marks the first rise in participation since…

Over only a few weeks in March 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic changed health care delivery in the United Kingdom completely - not least in general practice, where over 1 million patients are already treated every day. To reduce viral spread, practices introduced remote doctor-led triage and face-to-face consultations where converted almost exclusively…

Informal learning in blended and online settings plays an increasingly important role in the continuous professional development of individuals. Yet, how do individuals engage into these types of activities? We argue that social capital theory can provide valuable insights into how people behave and decide to take part in (in)formal learning.…

The article analyzes the process of training social educators how to organize cultural and leisure activities. It was specified that analysis and thorough study of British experience was a fundamental source required to define relevant strategies and areas to solve the problem of training social educators to organize cultural and leisure…

In this paper, the authors seek to disentangle what they see as contradictory uses of the term "professionalisation" with reference to adult educator development and training (AEDT). They set out to distinguish "professionalisation" from "professionalism," and to identify the locus of control of AEDT in Germany, the…

This paper identifies how a series of higher apprenticeships projects funded by the UK coalition government in England between 2012 and 2014 are located within structures of professional and vocational formation. Factors that relate to the structuring of formation are discussed, including how notions of professionalization and legitimacy, and the…

Practitioners need to invest in professional development to enhance credibility, job security and employment prospects. Employer expectations of continuing development as a performance measure link to the notion of career capital; namely that knowledge competence influences job advancement. This study uses an interpretivist approach to explore…

In this paper, we have developed the concept of dialogic space to elaborate our view of the importance of creating future academic practice together in relationship with others in a higher education context. We see scope and potential for the dialogic space as a forum for "interthinking" to engage the voices of stakeholders in…

The purpose of this study was to examine the contexts in which action learning has been used and provide implications for the design of action learning programmes. We performed a content analysis of 127 articles (case studies and case reports included) published in "Action Learning: Research and Practice" between 2004 and 2012. In this…