WBL and Upskill/Reskill approach
Our Work-Based Learning (WBL) reverse engineers the priorities of employers or organizations’ desired skill sets, capacities, and capabilities. Our goal in working with edge learners is to support their engagement with industry and community. WBL research and data highlight job shadowing, internships, and apprenticeships as valuable learning avenues; however, these work experiences are often logistically challenging. Thinking about ways to simulate WBL, addressing where learning occurs in organizations, and examining learner needs and industry expectations is critical. We focus on preparing and supporting learner confidence to engage and prepare to collaborate. We seek to encourage and support capacity that leads to success in speaking up and sharing ideas, contributing to solving problems, leading product or project initiatives, and earning a place at the table. Practice and participation solidify learning and accelerate careers. Our approach assumes there are learning or logistical challenges supports learner desire for meaningful careers and thriving in livable wage jobs.
We begin by identifying use cases that support applying knowledge or skills to various current and relevant contexts in organizational settings. Each use case starts with an overview to spark curiosity and engagement, encouraging learners to expect WBL rather than traditional approaches. Overviews of use case industries spark a novel type of communication with learners; the tone is onboarding into an industry sector and exploring the challenges, opportunities, customer priorities, and the product or project to be explored, developed, improved, tested, or expanded. Approaches and tools utilize business tools and reflect real-life work experiences. We organize this as Explore, Practice, and Apply. Learners expect to be “new” to ideas when they explore. Practice dictates successes and setbacks; learning new ideas and technologies takes time. Apply enters as learners build confidence in their practice and are ready to “get to work.”
In 2025 we will publish a series of “Use Cases” (simply defined) as Work-based Learning Workbooks utilizing the Explore, Practice Apply approach.
We will set up the book Grant Strategy and Writing Tips for feedback on its level of useful for readers.