Combining formal, non-formal and informal learning for workforce skill development

This review of literature was prepared for the national Skilling the Existing Workforce project undertaken by the Australian Industry Group (AiGroup) as part of the Commonwealth–State Skills Shortage Initiative. The aim of the national AiGroup project was to investigate strategies and programs which increase the skills, knowledge and capabilities of individuals and groups in the workforce and those wishing to enter the workforce.This review was commissioned to augment the ?ndings of the national AiGroup investigation by providing a greater focus on how formal, non-formal ¹ and informal ² learning and practical organisational strategies and initiatives are used and recognised in workforce development.

Combining formal, non-formal and informal learning for workforce development by Josie Misko shows how multiple variations and combinations of formal, informal and non-formal learning, accompanied by various government incentives, and organisational initiatives (including job redesign, cross-skilling, multi-skilling, diversi?ed career pathways, action learning projects, quality assurance arrangements, job rotations, and mentoring programs) can be used to prepare workers to gain, maintain or progress through jobs.

Key messages

• Formal learning continues to be the main route to recognised quali?cations, required for entry into jobs, especially regulated occupations. However, informal learning acquired through experience in work and life is the most frequently used of all the learning forms.

• Employers are mostly interested in the results of learning rather than the form of learning.What they want are essential technical skills and knowledge required for jobs and for compliance with legislative requirements.They are also keen to have problem-solving, team work and communication skills.
   

• Workers with higher levels of education and training continue to access greater amounts of learning (formal and non-formal) than others. If we are serious about extending the source of skills, we must invest in the learning of those with lower levels of education and training.
   

• Accelerated apprenticeship training which often relies on recognition of prior learning and self-paced gap training may be problematic for individuals who do not have the required literacy and numeracy skills for independent study.
   

This review provides examples of how different learning forms supported by government incentives and organisational practice operate in the skill development of new and existing workers. However, the concept of workforce development is even broader and includes other human resource aspects such as performance management, and recruitment and retention strategies. Such aspects should not be forgotten by governments and employers when developing policies to increase the skill levels of the workforce.

Tom Karmel
Managing Director, NCVER

¹ Non-formal learning refers to learning that occurs in structured programs but does not lead to accredited ?nal quali?cations.

² Informal learning refers to learning acquired through everyday work and life.

This project is about combining formal, non-formal and informal ³ learning to develop workplace skills. It is also concerned with how such combinations are used and recognised by industry, employers, training providers and individuals. It is particularly relevant today as governments and industry look for alternative sources of workers in an environment characterised by demographic ageing, declining cohorts of youth, and trade skills shortages.

1 There are multiple ways for combining formal, informal and non-formal learning to develop skills for today’s workforce. Senior management commitment and in-kind support for workers to engage in learning (however it is acquired) and individual willingness to engage in learning are keys to successfully integrating learning with work.

2 The most common practice for entry-level workers (that is, apprentices, trainees, cadets and interns) is to combine (or alternate) learning acquired in formal off-and on-the-job training with informal learning acquired through everyday experience on the job. The key to the success of such programs is the extended on-the-job experience obtained in a supervised environment. Innovative approaches include ‘fully-on-the-job’ programs and ‘learning bays’ which locate both formal and informal learning at the worksite.

3 For existing workers the most popular strategy is to blend learning acquired in non-formal (often in-house or external training programs) with on-the-job practice and experience. Other strategies include action learning approaches which provide opportunities for workers to get together to share information and develop suitable action plans for quality improvement initiatives, business innovation, and self-help for users of newly introduced or critical technologies and products. They also include strategies which enable learners to practise skills in simulated environments before being expected to apply such skills in the real workplace. Such strategies are especially relevant to students aiming to acquire qualifications for industry sectors whose workers must comply with specific minimum age requirements (including child care workers), and specific security checks (including child care and aged care workers). Simulated environments are also used for development of business administration skills (including practice firms).

4 Organisations tend to provide formal and non-formal learning opportunities for permanent staff over casual staff (especially if it comes at a cost). Those who already have high levels of educational achievement are far more likely to participate in such programs.

5 Recognition of non-formal and informal learning for formal qualifications (also known as recognition of prior learning [RPL]) is currently being applied with experienced mature-age workers in occupations experiencing skill shortages. It is being used to accelerate the completion of apprenticeships and traineeships for these groups. Helping these mature-age workers to remain engaged in the self-paced learning programs (often a key feature of such accelerated programs) and providing them with language and literacy support, are continuing issues.

6 Recognition of prior learning can also be used to open up pathways to formal qualifications (including senior secondary school certificates). So far, uptake of these RPL processes across education and training sectors has been slow.

7 Learning which has been acquired through formal or non-formal programs can also be supported and complemented by voluntary (and sometimes mandatory) coaching and mentoring programs. Here individuals (including executives, regular employees, and individuals and students from disadvantaged backgrounds) are paired up with more experienced and expert colleagues, supervisors or external consultants. To be effective such arrangements require the development of trust, confidentiality and respect between the partners, adequate time for discussion, and mentors or coaches with relevant expertise.

8 Job redesign, job rotation and restructuring career pathways are also examples of how companies extend learning for employees and integrate it with work. Such approaches (also associated with concepts of cross-skilling and multi-skilling) have been introduced to add task variety and challenge for workers (including recruits in graduate programs). Nevertheless, prescriptive Taylorist and Fordist principles of work organisation continue to exist (especially in those organisations involved in large-batch production and manufacturing).

9 Advanced information and communication technologies (including internet, email and discussion forums) are increasingly being used (within and across industries) to provide workers with opportunities for e-learning and speedy access to large arrays of information resources and communication channels. They have also been widely used in compliance training, especially in industries like financial services and air transport to help demonstrate that employees remain compliant with current legislation. However, e-learning (if it is to be successful) requires considerable amounts of learner commitment, trainer support, monitoring and feedback.

10 Automated forms of production have also involved an increased need for workers to continually update their skills in the use of technology. Although such advances have generally increased challenge and complexity for product designers and executives, they have sometimes led to reduced complexity and challenge for workers at the front line (especially in the no-frills components of the retail industry).

Apart from adopting mandated learning combinations especially required for regulated programs (including apprenticeships and traineeships), businesses and individuals will make their own decisions about learning. Businesses will make them according to their business needs, while individuals will do so according to their particular work or life stages, their willingness to commit to learning, and formal requirements (by their managers) to undertake training.

Bearing in mind that casual workers represent a substantial and alternative source of skills, it is important that organisations increase investment in learning for these groups. It is also important to provide opportunities for formal and non-formal learning of workers with lower levels of prior training. This may also require such groups to acquire basic skills for learning (including language, literacy and numeracy skills, and skills in using information and communications technology). Such basic skills training or learning support will also need to be a priority for those involved in self-paced training provision for mature-age workers who may require extra assistance in completing gap training for accelerated apprenticeship programs.

³ See page 10 for an explanation of these terms.