The notion ‘workplace advocate’ is often used with regard to employee rights; safety and health; bullying, harassment, intimidation and violence; workplace equality; and workplace-based learning.
Mardini (2013, 42) state with regard to practical experiential learning of online workbase instruction that “each learner had a workplace advocate (or a more experienced colleague) to help” and that positive feedback has often been received from workplace advocates about learning being “very relevant to their workplace”. The commercial website Workplace Learning Advocates (WLAs) define WLAs as “people who inspire people to learn at work … by informing, encouraging and supporting others to participate in learning at work”. It is further stated that “WLAs is an approach that works most effectively when embedded within the business with support from the leadership”. This echoes Revill et al (2005, 238) who state that a “workplace advocate is ideally someone within the workplace who is both able to support study and to ensure that the place of work will benefit from the participant’s involvement in the programme”.
An Inter-Disciplinary, Inquiry-Based Learning (IDIBL) webpage emphasises the essential role of the workplace advocate to enable the student to be successful. It further echoes Revill et al (2005, 238) in stating that “you [the advocate] will not be involved with the academic side of work and its assessment but is involved in providing an environment which will maximise learning in the interests of your workplace”. The IDIBL webpage further echoes Revill et al (2005) by summarising the expectations about the role of the workplace advocate, namely:
- To discuss student’s degree and her/his expectations
- To negotiate assignments/projects appropriate to his or her role in the organisation
- To support the dissemination and spread of effective practice
- To support the action research and reflective practice encouraged by the degree
- To advise the student
- To ensure that the student’s experience on the programme can be used to promote change and improvement
Aldred and Jungnickel (2014) indicate that workplace advocates play an important role in culture change. In this regard the ‘Advocate’ webpage of Movement 121 implies that a workplace advocate is someone that is an “outspoken go-getter who isn’t afraid of being up front and telling others” and employed “at a company that is interested in being more involved with social cause and making a positive difference in the world”. This echoes the importance Revill et al (2005, 237) voice about “a conducive learning environment for work-related learning”.
Aldred. R. and Jungnickel, K. (2014). Why culture matters for transport policy: the case of cycling in the UK. Journal of Transport Geography, 34, 78–87.
Inter-Disciplinary, Inquiry-Based Learning (IDIBL). Role of the workplace advocate. Webpage accessed 14 April 2014: http://idibl.bolton.ac.uk/idibl/resources/workshop/role-of-the-workplace-advocate.
Mardini, J. 2013. Creating and evaluating an online and work-based instructional model. Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning, 3 (1), 30-50.
Movement 121. Advocate. Webpage accessed 14 April 2014: http://movement121.com/engage/advocate/
Revill, G.; Terrell, I.; Powell, S. and Tindal, I. 2005. Learning in the workplace: a new degree online. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 42, 3, 231–245.
Workplace Learning Advocates (WLAs). Case study - Lead Workplace Learning Advocates. Webpage accessed 14 April 2014: http://www.workplacelearningadvocates.org.uk/case-study-lead-workplace-learning-advocates.
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