The period of “transition from higher education to work”, in the life of young adults, is significant in that “entrance into a new context brings its own challenges”, say Grosemans, Coertjens, and Kyndt (2020: 20). “Early-career employees are expected to develop new competences and deepen their current competences”, which “can be achieved through work-related learning” (WRL). Literature about “learning relevant to work can be conceptualized in at least two ways”, say Sambrook (2005: 102), namely “learning that occurs at the place of work and learning that is embedded in work processes”—illustrated in Figure 1 below; and therefor “the term work-related learning [WRL] encompasses all forms of learning in and at work”. Other differentiated "learning at work, for work and through work". Grosemans et al. (2020: 20) indicate that work-related learning involves both formal and informal learning activities, as well as both on and off the job learning. “Formal learning activities are those activities that are more strictly organized, often within a fixed and limited time span”, whereas “informal learning activities are typically activities that follow from” carrying out work/assigned tasks. The UK, ‘work-related learning guide’ (DCSF: 6) defines of work-related learning as a “planned activity that uses the context of work to develop knowledge, skills and understanding useful in work, including learning through the experience of work, learning about work and working practices, and learning the skills for work”.
While “work-related learning is demonstrated to be particularly important for graduates embarking on their career, as the entrance to their new job comes along with many challenges that can trigger work-related learning”, “little is known about work-related learning in the case of early-career employees”, say Grosemans et al. (2020: 20), and “the question remains as to how factors in higher education can prepare students for future work-related learning”. Three orientations are perceived as significant “antecedents of work-related learning in the transition from higher education to work”, namely learning-goal orientation, performance-approach orientation, and performance-avoidance orientation observe Grosemans et al. (2020: 20-2). It has been found that students with a high learning-goal orientation are generally focused on developing required competences and performing tasks in order to learn new things; whereas students with a high performance-approach orientation are particularly directed towards demonstrating their competences and/or comparing themselves with other; but that students with a high performance-avoidance orientation endeavour to avoid tasks of which they expect the consequences to be negative. Self-efficacy, i.e., “the ‘belief in one’s own capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce given attainments’” and “perseverance in taxing situations”, is regarded as “critical to increase preparedness for the transition to work”
Sambrook (2005: 106-7) further indicates that “a key factor supporting work-related learning is the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs)” because “the Internet (web-based) enables the delivery of computer-based training across time and distance”.
DCSF stand for United Kingdom Government, Department for Children, Schools and Families.
Grosemans, I.; Coertjens, L. & Kyndt, E. (2020). Work-related learning in the transition from higher education to work: The role of the development of self-efficacy and achievement goals. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(1), 19–42.
Sambrook, S. (2005). Factors influencing the context and process of work-related learning: synthesizing findings from two research projects. Human Resource Development International, 8(1), 101 – 119.
United Kingdom Government, Department for Children, Schools and Families. (2009). The Work-Related Learning Guide (Second Edition). https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/id/eprint/10591/7/Work-related_learning_Redacted.pdf