Partnerships for work place learning in work integrating social enterprizes

In this paper the case of a multi-sector partnership with the aim of improving work place learning in Work Integration Social Enterprises is presented. Work Place Learning (WPL) is a concept that connects institutions of education with work places in the surrounding society. Typical examples are when students during their formal education do periods of internships or vocational training in an organization of relevance to their future profession, or when teachers perform curricular activities atwork sites in the community. The two examples illustrate that the “learners” in work place learning could be both students in the educational system and employees at the work sites. Typical and common characteristics for different initiatives related to WPL is that; 1) it is built upon an ambition to combine theoretical knowledge with practice, 2) work-places are seen as important arenas for learning and 3) it is performed in partnerships between heterogeneous actors, often representing different sectors in society. This paper specifically focuses upon the partnership dimension of workplace learning.