The relationship between organisational context and novice workers’ learning

This article reports on findings from a longitudinal study, carried out during 1998–9, of the learning and training experiences of 11 Australian teenagers in their first year of fulltime work. Interviews with the young people over the course of the year were supplemented by interviews with parents, employers, and college teachers where appropriate. The working and training environments, and the learning experiences of the young people are described. The relationship between performance and learning is discussed. The article provides an insight into the lived experiences of young people attempting to learn about work within an organisational context.