Workplace learning as a linchpin of Europe's lifelong learning policy: An examination of national policies with particular reference to people with long-term mental illness
Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning
ISSN: 2042-3896
Article publication date: 30 September 2013
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which workplace learning forms a building block in national lifelong learning policies by obtaining evidence, first-hand, from mental health practitioners about their perceptions of their individual country's national lifelong learning policy and, in particular, its application to adults with long-term mental illness.
Design/methodology/approach
Text analysis: review of relevant literature and European Union policy documents and survey questionnaire.
Findings
It is evident that the use of workplace learning as a linchpin in national strategies for lifelong learning in Denmark and France is clear and empirically supported.
Research limitations/implications
Comparative evidence of evaluations of impact and effectiveness of workplace lifelong learning provision in the two countries examined is patchy at best raising further questions about the “value” of investments in both workplace learning and lifelong learning in these countries.
Practical implications
There is a risk that by focusing on jobs and workplace learning, the specific needs and desires of people with mental illness who, in the main, might want to engage in lifelong learning for reasons other than jobs and workplace learning, may end up being disadvantaged as their (non-economic) needs go unmet.
Originality/value
Until now there has been little or no attempt to examine Europe's conception of lifelong learning policy and its application to a multiple disadvantaged group such as mental health service users. This is a major attempt to remedy current dearth of research in the area.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work reported in the paper is funded by the European Union under the 6th Framework Programme. EMILIA – Empowerment of Mental Illness Service Users: Life Long Learning, Integration and Action; CIT 3-CT-2005-513435.
Citation
Ogunleye, J. (2013), "Workplace learning as a linchpin of Europe's lifelong learning policy: An examination of national policies with particular reference to people with long-term mental illness", Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 180-195. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-04-2011-0025
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited