An extensive body of workplace learning literature documents the changing nature of professional learning, knowledge and work, but the tensions between the distinctive purposes and interests of professions and organizations have not received the same level of attention. The sociology of professions literature in contrast has paid an enormous…

This paper aims at investigating the effects of a genre-based approach to teaching technical writing to Thai engineers, with a focus on writing work instructions, and the attitudes of Thai engineers toward this genre-based writing. The lesson plan was evaluated by three experts for the appropriateness of teaching technical writing to Thai…

This report documents the implementation and early impacts of Year Up--a national sectoral training program for urban young adults aged 18-24. Operated by an organization of the same name, Year Up provides six months of full-time training in the IT and financial service sectors followed by six-month internships at major firms. The full-time…

This paper presents a study that applied both "productive failure" (PF) and "authentic learning" instructional approaches in online learning activities for early-career process engineers' professional development. This study compares participants learning with either a PF (low-to-high [LH]) or a more traditional (high-to-low)…

Many have argued for increased continuing education for working engineers, but relatively little research has been done on how to most effectively teach that group. Many have also recommended using learner characteristics to enhance learning, but relatively little is known about the learner characteristics of working engineers. In the study…

The research reported here is an exploratory qualitative study aimed at identifying professionals' self-regulatory strategies underpinning the planning and attainment of learning goals in the workplace and showing how a number of organizational factors affect these strategies. The rationale for the study is that existing research tells us…

This paper discusses the roles of professional engineers (PEs) who are attached to the Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs) and how their contributions are as important as their counterparts in the industry. This paper highlights the roles for PEs at IHLs based on a survey conducted at selected IHLs in Malaysia. Academician-professional…

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to gain insight into some of the types of training and development practices that are carried out in the chemical industry for technical workers. A salient focus of the study is to make a comparative analysis of four MNCs, which were selected based on equity ownership, to ascertain whether T&D practices are…

Education to meet labour market demands and employer needs is a key priority in New Zealand's education policy. Government agendas for language and literacy education align with global discourses that link economic productivity to quality control, standardisation and proceduralisation through close regulation and funding. Yet, the interviews…

For the field of chemistry to play a leading role in the science and technology sector of the U.S. economy it must recruit and retain the best and brightest talent from all segments of our society. Currently in the United States there is a significant disparity in the recruitment and retention of women relative to their male counterparts,…

Previous research confirms that many employees work in jobs not well matched to their skills and education, resulting in lower pay and job satisfaction. While this literature typically uses cross-sectional data, we examine the evolution of mismatch and its consequences over a career, by using a panel data set of scientists in the USA. The results…

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate how workers' work-related identity is related to various forms of workplace learning. The study also aims to show how changes in the organization affect both learning and the work-related identity construction of employees. Design/methodology/approach: In-depth interviews with four design engineers…

This article draws on a longitudinal qualitative study of graduate transitions from higher education programmes to the world of work. In the study, 23 physicians and 20 master's level engineers in information technology, recently graduated from four different universities in Sweden, were interviewed. The aim of this article is to explore the…

Current scholarship views organizational socialization as a learning process that is primarily the responsibility of the newcomer. Yet recent learning research recognizes the importance of the social interactions in the learning process. This study investigated how newly hired engineers at a large manufacturing company learned job-related tasks…

A pilot study was conducted to better understand the knowledge, perceptions, and concerns of turf and lawn care pesticide professionals in New York State (NYS) regarding cancer and other health risks. Data were collected from 31 focus group participants and 104 questionnaire respondents in applicator trainings and other meetings around the state.…