The Future of Work in the Public Sector: Learning and Workplace Inequality. Working Paper.

The patterns of manual and clerical workers' access to learning opportunities in the workplace in the United Kingdom were examined through case studies of three local authorities and three National Health Service trusts and a survey examining their employees' learning experiences. The workers occupying the lowest- grade jobs at the study organizations included younger workers, women returning to the labor market, and older workers who were either close to retirement or older than retirement age. A large percentage worked part-time. The case studies revealed evidence of upskilling and job enrichment, with individual workers' attitudes toward this upskilling and retraining depending on the social context in which they were occurring. Also identified were examples of work intensification and deskilling and of a number of people feeling trapped in routine and monotonous jobs. The following types of learning at work were identified: learning within the job and "doing the job better"; learning to understand the job; learning for job progression; learning around the job by extending knowledge of the section or department; learning for employability; learning for personal development; and learning for democratic participation in the 21st century. However, not all employees had such opportunities available to them, and some workers were not interested in job progression. (Contains 25 references.) (MN)