Introduction to the Special Issue on ‘Learning for Work’

The relationship between learning and work has a history that is long, complex and contested. The very title of this special issue, ‘Learning for Work’ is perhaps provocative, since many would challenge the idea implicit in that title that learning is or should be instrumental in preparation for work, developing skills in work, or meeting the needs of the economy, arguing that education is a citizen’s right in and of itself without reference to work or economic productivity. That is a big debate, and there is a wide array of theoretical and policy literature that defends both sides of the argument. This collection of articles represents a range of positions on the challenges and benefits of learning for work. These could have been revised and edited with a view to fitting them into a pre-conceived model or pattern of learning for work. However that would have imposed an artificial conceptual template on a field that is extremely rich and diverse. Rather, the collection seeks to showcase high quality research in the field of education related to preparation for work or enhancing employees’ knowledge and skills, to suggest how learning for work has been interpreted and implemented across a variety of settings.