Recent research has linked the development of self-directed learning of building and construction apprentices to the quality of relationship between the apprentice and their sponsor. This relationship was found to be critical for the apprentice to develop the capacity for self-directed learning. The sponsor as a more confident or experienced other…

This article discusses the standing and attractiveness of vocational education and training (VET) in Finland. We argue that learning environments, along with the expectations for and attitudes towards them, are related to the attractiveness of VET. The empirical part of the article describes a comprehensive view of learning environments based on…

The paper investigates how learning and processes of becoming are shaped and enacted in retail apprenticeship in Norway. The analysis draws upon a qualitative study of managers and apprentices in different retail sub-sectors. The empirical point of departure is managers who, more or less deliberately, throw apprentices into tasks from day one.…

The high drop-out rate in upper secondary education is a major challenge to European and US educational programmes. Upper secondary education in Norway faces a similar challenge, because in recent decades, around one-third of the students drop out of the educational programmes. The majority of the drop-outs are students in vocational programmes,…

To meet the requirements of an increasingly innovative and competitive environment, workers need to continuously develop and maintain competence. Consequently, initial vocational education and training should prepare (future) workers by providing a basis for lifelong learning in developing both routine and flexible competence. The question is…

This paper explores the concept of apprenticeship in the context of the professional formation of knowledge workers. It draws on evidence from research conducted in two knowledge intensive organizations: a research-intensive, elite university; and a "cutting edge" software engineering company. In the former, we investigated the learning…