Karen Evans (PhD, FAcSS) is Emeritus Professor of Education at UCL. Formerly Chair in Education and Lifelong Lifelong Learning at UCL and Head of the School of Lifelong Education and International Development at the Institute of Education, University of London she specialises in international and comparative studies of education and learning throughout the life course. She has led a programme of research in the UK Economic and Social Research Council LLAKES Centre for Learning and Life Chances in Knowledge Economies and Societies between 2008 and 2016 and is now LLAKES Honorary Professor. Karen Evans’ main fields of research are learning in life and work transitions, and learning in and through the workplace. She has directed many major studies of learning and working life in Britain and internationally, including the Work-Based Learning Centre for Education Professionals and Professionals who Educate. She is currently editor ( with Andrew Brown) of the Springer Lifelong Learning Series and was previously joint editor of the journal COMPARE. She is also a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) and Honorary Professor at RMIT University Melbourne, Australia. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6981-7703
The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate some of the kinds of formal and informal... more The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate some of the kinds of formal and informal workplace training activities that workers with low literacy engage in from different parts of Canada and the United Kingdom. The study employed a multi-site case study research design with 31 employees and 18 instructors from seven different types of workplace literacy programmes in various regions of Canada and 42 employees and six supervisors/tutors from four workplace basic skills programmes in the north and south of Greater London, England. Data sources from each country were developed and were used for comparable purposes following a within case and cross case analysis. The findings are described under three main themes. The first theme depicts the range of formal workplace programmes in both countries that employees with low literacy have participated in. The second pattern highlights the main types of informal learning activities that emerged from the data which included: observ...
This paper draws attention to the imminent publication of the Routledge book 'How Non-Permane... more This paper draws attention to the imminent publication of the Routledge book 'How Non-Permanent Workers Learn and Develop' (Bound, Sadik, Evans. & Karmel, 2018). The research underpinning the book was initiated as part of a Singapore-UK collaboration. It outlines connections with recent inquiries into casualisation of work in the UK (Taylor, 2017). It reviews connections between the European Union and International Labour Organisation perspectives (see for example EC, 2016; ILO, 2016) on the growing prevalence of non-standard work, the challenges this presents in contrasting economies and societies and the limited attention given to the learning and development of workers whose employment is characterised as 'precarious' or 'contingent'. The inquiry draws on draws on Ragin's (1991) comparative sociological approach in developing an extended dialogue between ideas and evidence yielded by recent research into how working lives are sustained in contingent wo...
ABSTRACT Examines the role of “key workers” in industry, who combine both technical and training ... more ABSTRACT Examines the role of “key workers” in industry, who combine both technical and training mastery in the workplace. Such workers are significant because, as well as providing training to meet existing needs, they also prepare workers to cope with the demands of longer-term change. The role of British key workers is compared with those of their counterparts in Germany and Japan. Factors which affect the development of key workers in the UK are discussed, focusing particularly on the introduction of National Vocational Qualifications and their functions as “enablers” or “containers”. Suggests that the key worker should not be viewed as one person. The term can be applied to many people at different levels within a company according to the nature of the training and development required.
How Non-Permanent Workers Learn and Develop is an empirically-based exploration of the challenges... more How Non-Permanent Workers Learn and Develop is an empirically-based exploration of the challenges and opportunities non-permanent workers face in accessing quality work, learning, developing occupational identities and striving for sustainable working lives.
Evans, Karen (2002) Challenging inequality, choosing inclusion: higher education in changing soci... more Evans, Karen (2002) Challenging inequality, choosing inclusion: higher education in changing social landscapes. In: Access, participation and higher education: policy and practice. Future of Education From 14+. Kogan Page, London, pp. 40-54. ISBN 978-0-...
Lifelong Learning Book Series VOLUME 2 Series Editors David N. Aspin, Em, Faculty of Education, M... more Lifelong Learning Book Series VOLUME 2 Series Editors David N. Aspin, Em, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia Judith D. Chapman, Centre of Lifelong Learning, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia Editorial Board William L. ...
Finding the right relationship between education and 'real life'has preoccupied educati... more Finding the right relationship between education and 'real life'has preoccupied educationalists and politicians for most of the last century. I start this book on Learning, Work and Social Responsibility with the words of a controversial English politician, known for ...
The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate some of the kinds of formal and informal... more The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate some of the kinds of formal and informal workplace training activities that workers with low literacy engage in from different parts of Canada and the United Kingdom. The study employed a multi-site case study research design with 31 employees and 18 instructors from seven different types of workplace literacy programmes in various regions of Canada and 42 employees and six supervisors/tutors from four workplace basic skills programmes in the north and south of Greater London, England. Data sources from each country were developed and were used for comparable purposes following a within case and cross case analysis. The findings are described under three main themes. The first theme depicts the range of formal workplace programmes in both countries that employees with low literacy have participated in. The second pattern highlights the main types of informal learning activities that emerged from the data which included: observ...
This paper draws attention to the imminent publication of the Routledge book 'How Non-Permane... more This paper draws attention to the imminent publication of the Routledge book 'How Non-Permanent Workers Learn and Develop' (Bound, Sadik, Evans. & Karmel, 2018). The research underpinning the book was initiated as part of a Singapore-UK collaboration. It outlines connections with recent inquiries into casualisation of work in the UK (Taylor, 2017). It reviews connections between the European Union and International Labour Organisation perspectives (see for example EC, 2016; ILO, 2016) on the growing prevalence of non-standard work, the challenges this presents in contrasting economies and societies and the limited attention given to the learning and development of workers whose employment is characterised as 'precarious' or 'contingent'. The inquiry draws on draws on Ragin's (1991) comparative sociological approach in developing an extended dialogue between ideas and evidence yielded by recent research into how working lives are sustained in contingent wo...
ABSTRACT Examines the role of “key workers” in industry, who combine both technical and training ... more ABSTRACT Examines the role of “key workers” in industry, who combine both technical and training mastery in the workplace. Such workers are significant because, as well as providing training to meet existing needs, they also prepare workers to cope with the demands of longer-term change. The role of British key workers is compared with those of their counterparts in Germany and Japan. Factors which affect the development of key workers in the UK are discussed, focusing particularly on the introduction of National Vocational Qualifications and their functions as “enablers” or “containers”. Suggests that the key worker should not be viewed as one person. The term can be applied to many people at different levels within a company according to the nature of the training and development required.
How Non-Permanent Workers Learn and Develop is an empirically-based exploration of the challenges... more How Non-Permanent Workers Learn and Develop is an empirically-based exploration of the challenges and opportunities non-permanent workers face in accessing quality work, learning, developing occupational identities and striving for sustainable working lives.
Evans, Karen (2002) Challenging inequality, choosing inclusion: higher education in changing soci... more Evans, Karen (2002) Challenging inequality, choosing inclusion: higher education in changing social landscapes. In: Access, participation and higher education: policy and practice. Future of Education From 14+. Kogan Page, London, pp. 40-54. ISBN 978-0-...
Lifelong Learning Book Series VOLUME 2 Series Editors David N. Aspin, Em, Faculty of Education, M... more Lifelong Learning Book Series VOLUME 2 Series Editors David N. Aspin, Em, Faculty of Education, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia Judith D. Chapman, Centre of Lifelong Learning, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia Editorial Board William L. ...
Finding the right relationship between education and 'real life'has preoccupied educati... more Finding the right relationship between education and 'real life'has preoccupied educationalists and politicians for most of the last century. I start this book on Learning, Work and Social Responsibility with the words of a controversial English politician, known for ...
Introducing a 2021 volume of forty chapters bringing together perspectives and new empirical insi... more Introducing a 2021 volume of forty chapters bringing together perspectives and new empirical insights into learning and work, written by authors from around the world. Focuses on how work and learning are intertwined in changing times and through the life course.
Publisher's abstract (Routledge):
Across the western world, there is a growing awareness of the ... more Publisher's abstract (Routledge):
Across the western world, there is a growing awareness of the importance of workplace learning, seen at the level of national and international policy, as well as in the developing practices of employers, training providers and Trades Unions. Authoritative, accessible, and appealing, it presents key findings on work-based learning, bringing together conclusions and investigating a variety of workplace contexts to show how such learning can be improved. An extensive practical treatment, brought to life with illustrations from both the public and private sectors, this book has a unique combination of breadth of coverage and depth of understanding.
Grounded in rich and detailed empirical studies, this volume challenges conventional thinking. An important new addition to the Improving Learning series, it focuses on guidelines for improving learning by marrying the very best theory and practice to provide an accessible and authoritative guide to workplace learning.
The workplace is a crucially important site for learning in today's learning society. This i... more The workplace is a crucially important site for learning in today's learning society. This is reflected in the frequent calls for higher levels of skills within the workforce made by management experts, academics, policy makers and employers. This hook considers the changing ...
In this paper we will present early findings from a study of those whose work is contingent acros... more In this paper we will present early findings from a study of those whose work is contingent across three industry sectors: creative sector, the Continuing Education and Training (CET) sector and low wage sectors, specifically, cleaning and labouring work. The rise of contingent (non-permanent) work is indisputable. In fact not only is the percentage of those who undertake work where the relationship with the employer is less than 12 months increasing, but ‘flexible capitalism’ is resulting in changes in the nature of relationships between employers and those considered to be ‘permanent’ workers. The degree of precarity for those whose work is contingent upon the needs of ‘flexible capitalism’ impacts on learning opportunities for these workers. It is now well established that ‘non-permanent’ workers have less access to training and learning opportunities. The growth and extent of change in these working relationships creates an imperative to better understand in what ways the experi...
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Across the western world, there is a growing awareness of the importance of workplace learning, seen at the level of national and international policy, as well as in the developing practices of employers, training providers and Trades Unions. Authoritative, accessible, and appealing, it presents key findings on work-based learning, bringing together conclusions and investigating a variety of workplace contexts to show how such learning can be improved. An extensive practical treatment, brought to life with illustrations from both the public and private sectors, this book has a unique combination of breadth of coverage and depth of understanding.
Grounded in rich and detailed empirical studies, this volume challenges conventional thinking. An important new addition to the Improving Learning series, it focuses on guidelines for improving learning by marrying the very best theory and practice to provide an accessible and authoritative guide to workplace learning.