Towards work-integrated learning communities

In this paper we raise the concept of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) as a means of supporting activities of competence development and learning in organisations. In order to illustrate our conceptual understanding of WIL, the paper includes empirical results from a case study in a consultant firm, Ypsilon, which operates in the education sector and delivers courses for IT-professionals. Ypsilon is at present undergoing a transition from having one big customer to being forced into a more flexible way of meeting the different demands from many new clients. The results highlights three main considerations believed to be critical for WIL activities: (i) A shift from an individual teaching culture to a social and collaborative culture. (ii ) Extending the role of technology from codifying competencies to supporting negotiation of practice. (iii) Adoption of holistic and integrated strategy that can cope with a dynamic business context. We conclude the paper by pointing at several implications for how the understanding and advancement of work-integrated learning can be approached in the future.