Learning trajectories in knowledge economies

Learning issues are brought to the forefront in a knowledge society. The emergence of new knowledge economies presents crucial challenges to individuals and communities trying to keep pace with rapidly developing fields of knowledge. At the same time, new tools and technological infrastructures change the conditions for learning in working life. Previous research efforts at the Institute of Educational Research have revealed significant differences in the ways in which professional groups cope with the ne w demands. In particular, our analysis of interview and survey data from the ProLearn project indicates that the extent to which practitioners access and are able to utilise distributed knowledge provided in texts, technologies and other artefacts seems t o have considerable influence on learning opportunities and patterns. Further, the need for a closer examination of the knowledge objects utilized in professional practice implies a need to widen the analytical framework. For example, to include questions about how knowledge is regulated in professional communities and how the engagements with knowledge within different frames of time and space serve to reinforce each other. The LIKE project is designed to build upon these results. It will explore the int ersection between learning and knowledge development in the nursing, teaching, engineering and accountancy professions. By introducing the concept of 'learning trajectory' as a tool for comparative studies, learning patterns in these professions will be i nvestigated through a multi-dimensional approach. This will consist of in-depth studies of learning and knowledge engagements in work settings, longitudinal studies of practitioners' movements over time, and analyses of knowledge transitions in the profes sions' regulatory bodies.