The Work‐Based Learning Student Handbook Palgrave Study Skills

Citation

Gibbs, P. (2011), "The Work‐Based Learning Student Handbook Palgrave Study Skills", Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 80-80. https://doi.org/10.1108/heswbl.2011.1.1.80.2

“Good sense from practically wise people” might be the subheading for this excellent book edited by Ruth Helyer. Its clear focus and style will appeal to those engaging with an academic approach to work‐based learning for the first time. Its easy read should not be confused with a lack of its practical application of the knowledge that the authors bring to their chapters.

The book ranges from the balanced and careful opening contribution on learners adapting to higher education, through the process of work‐based accreditation and the practices of doing work‐based projects to the growing influence of work‐based learning. The contributors, many of whom are leading lights in the UK work‐based learning community, come from different institutions and offer varying methods and insights but all find a way to make familiar that which might seem strange to newcomers to the academic discourse of higher education. In doing so, some of the nuances are overlooked but the price of doing this is well rewarded by the approachable style.

The book's market is clearly new work‐based learners seeking academic qualifications and in this context the book offers real value, although there is also benefit for those academics coming new to this field of study. I would recommend the book for those who want to become more effective in their studies because, apart from its clear focus, it does its readers the great favour of answering those questions many might not dare to ask.

There have been a number of introductory books on the market all of which have value in terms of their reach or the brevity of their coverage but for me this introduction is the best of a very good new batch of work‐based learning literature.