Inter-professional working and learning: ‘recontextualising’ lessons from ‘project work’ for programmes of initial professional formation

The paper argues that over the past two decades there has been a paradox at the heart of the literature on the professions: inter-professional work has been a growing feature of work in the global economy since the 1990s, however, this has been rarely acknowledged. The paper addresses this paradox in three ways. The paper explains how changes in the organization of work, from functional differentiation to project-work, have resulted in the increasing prominence of inter-professional working and learning, and uses a case study to illuminate the learning challenges associated with this change. It then explains the way in which debates about the contribution of disciplinary knowledge to professions formation have marginalised discussions about inter-professional work and learning, before identifying a conceptual framework to address the inter-professional learning challenge professionals now face. The paper concludes by outlining ways in which universities and professional institutes could work together to redesign programmes offered for initial professional formation, so they can assist learners to develop the capabilities required for inter-professional working and learning.