Abstract:

The research aims at the development of work-based learning activities for helping lifelong learning students to gain labour experience while training.

Most students at the IL3-UB pursue the interest of learning to find a new job or to improve their labour conditions. Thus, the professional orientation is the backbone of the learning process at the IL3-UB. Our methodological challenge is to guarantee professional development, meant as acquiring labour experience while being trained. Results are measured by participants in terms of professional development and by their enterprises in terms of business impact.

The main characteristics of professionalising activities identified in a IL3-UB report are: emerging from professional practice; centred in work-based needs of the professional profile; oriented to train complex labour situations; connected to professional sector contents; oriented to develop concrete professional competences and to explicit the tacit knowledge; and searching to create informal learning processes.

The report conclusions are currently being implemented in several long programmes, chosen for a pilot test research. After analysing the methodological approach of every single programme, the conclusion is the need of incorporating professionalising activities as a main axe in all of them. A work plan will help teaching staff redesign learning activities into professionalising ones, and implement them in their courses within this academic year. The objective of the research is the further evaluation not only from staff and students point of view but mainly from the institutional and the end enterprises one.

Keywords:

Professional learning, professionalising activities, work-based activities, lifelong learning.