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Amongst the academic community there has been an increasing acceptance that knowledge and learning is no longer situated solely within academic settings and that workplace settings are also legitimate spaces for reflecting on practice in order to enhance professional capabilities. Learners are uniquely placed to draw on their workplace experiences as they explore the relationship between this experience and the academic curriculum. Moreover, biography, prior experience and lived experiences are being recognised as legitimate knowledge arenas in tackling challenging issues of inequality and promoting diversity. Within this context, which teaching and learning methodologies enable facilitators and learners to negotiate the boundaries between workplace and academic environments? This article discusses a multi-disciplinary research project in which youth and community practitioners engaged in participatory theatre as a site for critical action learning. We argue this approach furthers our understanding of the process of in-depth learning concerning issues of equality across disciplinary and cross service dialogues.

Purpose – The paper aims to explore young people's experiences of having access to personal advisors (PAs), from Connexions, a support and guidance service. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were conducted, in two phases, with young people in a large new town. Thematic analysis highlighted significant issues and suggested factors that might differentiate between those in employment, education and training and those not in this position. Findings – Young people's relationship with their Connexions PA emerged as a significant factor in mediating the extent to which they used the service as a "portal" to opportunities and resources. For some young people faced with complex and challenging circumstances, the relationship with their PA provided a uniquely stable and valued source of support. Research limitations/implications – Although drawn from a small and focused sample, the results suggests that the large-scale cuts to the service, currently underway, could have a significant impact on young people in difficult circumstances. Practical implications – The identity of the Connexions service creates issues of access for potential service users. Originality/value – The research illustrates the positive impact that PAs can have in the complex and challenging situations which some young people encounter. It highlights the nature of the relationship developed with PA as a key issue in facilitating positive changes in the lives of young people. It also suggest that the categories of not in education, employment and training and education, employment and training are too simplistic as descriptors of the young peoples lives or the work undertaken with them by PAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]