Workplace Training, Workplace Learning: A Case Study

Workplace training may be viewed as an instrumental activity that can be evaluated as to its efficiency in conveying requisite skills and knowledge. This paper develops a broader analysis of training by analyzing a series of classes offered to the production workers of a computer manufacturer. The training curriculum failed in its instrumental function, and instead was used by trainees, support staff trainers, and production floor management to pursue diverse agendas. It also simplified organizational messes by making them seemingly amenable to rational problem solving. On-the-job training, the formal training classes, and daily life on the production floor are analyzed as distinct arenas for learning that reflected organizational power as much as efficient pedagogy. The implications of this analysis for a world in which enhancing the skills of workers is widely deemed essential are also explored.