Project

STILLLearning - Innovative Training Solutions for Learning at Work in Disruptive Industries

«STILLLearning» analyzed the demand of key competences in industries strongly experiencing digital disruption, investigated the factors that support employees’ work-based learning and upskilling, and by establishing learning ecosystem workshops, it created an open idea bank for innovative work-based learning solutions, on which to design and implement an open hypervideo-based collaborative MOOC.

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Based on European Commission’s New Skills Agenda the project analyzed and documented the demand of key competences including both generic and field-specific competences in industries, that are strongly experiencing digital disruption (disruptive industries). STILLLearning project focused on improving the competences of HR-officers, work-place tutors, vocational trainers and teachers, and other educational professionals in order to support learning at work.

STILLLearning project investigated what are the factors that challenge and support employees’ work-based learning and upskilling pathways at work, and analysed current learning practices in industries. Project also identified the most relevant key competences needed in disruptive industries. STILLLearning project established learning ecosystem workshops of employers, employees and adult educators from different industries and countries, and encouraged the learning ecosystems to collaborate, cross-fertilize and co-create an idea bank for innovative learning and training solutions for work-based learning. Open idea bank of innovative training practices at work was visualized and presented in an open digital format (OER) at the project website. Idea Bank presents novel, easy to use solutions for facilitating learning at work. From the basis of an analysis and open idea bank, the project designed and implemented an open hypervideo-based cMOOC (collaborative massive open online course) for competence developers in industries and vocational and adult educators. The HVcMOOC offers modular, competence-based and pedagogically designed training program of planning, guiding and assessing innovative learning and training solutions at work in disruptive industries.

The improved competences of competence developers, HR-officers, workplace tutors, vocational trainers and teachers, and other educational professionals, accelerate upskilling the employees of disruptive industries and strengthen their professional identity, wellbeing and employability. The impacts of the competence development increased disruptive industries’ human capital, innovativeness, capacity and resilience to cope in transformation. Overall, the project was built with a holistic approach in developing the competences of educators and other personnel to support learning at work in disruptive industries.

Method

We performed the analysis of competence requirements and learning at work in disruptive industries through a series of Delphy workshops with employers, coupled with interviews with employees and adult educators and a questionnaire for employees. The analysis of these data allowed us to organize workshops with different stakeholders to co-create and idea bank of innovative learning and training solutions. Finally, we designed and implemented a hypervideo-based collaborative MOOC and proceed with assessing it.

 

Results

Research results

The research partners investigated the impact of disruptive changes on informal learning practices according to the perspectives of employers, employees and adult educators. Fifty-five companies’ representatives (average age = 43.2 years; SD = 11) from three European countries (Finland, Switzerland, and Italy) and four industrial fields (bioeconomy, tourism, textile and building sectors) were interviewed. The interviews were triangulated with questionnaires collected by employees from the same companies (N = 141; average age = 40.2 years, SD = 17.8). Questionnaire data were used to collect detailed information on individual informal workplace learning (IWL) strategies and digital technologies adopted in organised informal learning. Interviewees reported the possibility of interacting with colleagues and being autonomous as the main sources of everyday informal learning processes. Employees from the same companies reported model learning, vicarious feedback, and applying someone’s own ideas as the most frequent IWL strategies. Organised informal learning was mainly based on knowledge transfer, which reflects passive cognitive engagement by employees. Specifically, digital technologies in organised informal learning were poorly used for supporting reflection, constructive processes, and collaborative knowledge construction. The results suggest that participants believed that higher forms of cognitive engagement are possible only within face-to-face organised informal training or in everyday informal learning.

Practice oriented results

The research partners developed:

  1. The Idea Bank, an open online material for learning topical transversal skills at work. The research of StiLLLearning project revealed that employees and employers in transforming industries need especially. The Idea Bank offers curated OERs (open educational resources) for the development of transversal skills such as collaboration and teamwork skills, active learning skills, creativity skills and digital competence, for individuals and organizations. In addition, the Idea Bank includes StiLLLearning project partners' suggestions as 1-minute video clips on how to develop these skills in daily work routines. The ideators are experts from Finland, Germany, Italy and Switzerland representing different industries and vocational and higher education institutions. The Idea bank is available on www.thinglink.com.
  2. The hypervideo-based cMOOC which is a modular and competence-based online course of planning, guiding and assessing innovative learning and training solutions at work. The course is addressed to competence developers of disruptive industries and adult educators of vocational and higher education institutions. The pilot group of course attendants was chosen from the participating countries and institutions.