En snabb förändringstakt på arbetsmarknaden sätter högre krav på medarbetarnas kunskap och lärande. Trots detta koncentrerar sig flertalet organisationer idag på de lukrativa vinsterna, vilket skapar sämre förutsättningar för arbetsplatsens grupplärande. Syftet var att utöka kunskapen om medarbetarnas upplevelser av betydelsen arbetsgruppen för lärandeprocesser i relation till organisationsförändring och ett hållbart perspektiv. Studien har en hermeneutisk ansats för att för att kunna tolka och få en djupare förståelse för medarbetarnas upplevelser. Åtta respondenter hittades med hjälp av ett bekvämlighetsurval från respektive åtta olika organisationer. Både strukturerade och semistrukturerade intervjumetoder användes för att besvara frågeställning och syfte. De transkriberade materialet har kodats, analyserats och tolkats med stöd av Illeris (2006) lärandedimensioner i ett successivt samspel där delar och helhet ökat på förståelse för fenomenet. Studien visade på att det upplevs finnas en ambivalent syn bland respondenterna i att lära under förändring i organisationer idag. Detta styrs av individuella erfarenheter, hur medarbetarna upplever relationen och kommunikationen till sina kollegor samt i vilken grad stöd till lärande arbetsplatsen erbjuder. / A quick change in the labor market results in a higher demand on the employee’s knowledge and learning abilities. Despite this fact many organizations today focus on lucrative profits, which in turn create worse group learning conditions in the work places. The purpose of the this study was to expand on the knowledge of the employee´s experiences in regards to the importance of working groups for learning processes in relation to organizational change and sustainable perspective. The eight respondents were chosen through a convenience sampling, who then where interviewed with structural and semi structural interview methods. The transcribed interview material has been processed through categorizing, analyzing and interpretation in a successively manner including both parts and whole. The study shows that amongst the respondents there seem to be ambivalence towards learning within an organization that is changing today. This is driven by; individual experiences, by how the employee´s relationship and communication is towards each other but also by the level of support the working place provides towards learning.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South African adolescents live in a transitional society during a life stage in which they seek to stabilise their identity. They face a heritage of widespread violence and poverty, the lived impact of HIV/AIDS and substance abuse, incessant bombardment by media modelling leisure and vice, an erratic education system, and strained family and social bonds. Noting these challenges South African psychology seeks to become more socially relevant and provide formalised opportunities for positive youth development, supporting the growth of strengths and virtues, and making high human potential actual. Psychologists should seek to provide interventions that can turn the tide of social degeneration towards individual and community flourishing. Schools provide an optimal context for such interventions, with adventure programmes providing a valuable mechanisms by which holistic development, flow, interdependence, competence, and modelling of pro-social values can be experienced. This study sought to investigate the different ways in which one such school-based wilderness adventure programme was experienced and the specific aspects of the programme responsible for variation in outcomes using the methodology of phenomenography. Phenomenography is a research method used to map the qualitatively different ways in which people understand, perceive, or experience various aspects of a specific phenomenon. By understanding the different ways a phenomenon can be experienced, and identifying the critical aspects responsible for more or less powerful ways of experiencing the phenomenon, phenomenography provides a powerful tool for improving educational delivery but had yet to be used as a method to study psychological interventions. Phenomenographic analysis of the descriptions of the 27 day adventure programme, in which participants covered 360km on foot, bicycle and canoe, and engaged in group debriefs, journalling, and a 30 hour solo, revealed four conceptions of the programme: (a) long gruelling school hike, (b) school initiation / rites of passage programme, (c) once-in-a-lifetime group adventure, or (d) multifaceted learning and development opportunity. These categories of description are structured hierarchically, from least to most powerful, and are directly related to the perceived outcomes of the programme. At the lowest level, perceived processes and outcomes are largely physical, whereas at the highest level participants descriptions are more complex, and focused more on learning and developmental change that was accrued during the programme and could be transferred to the participant's home and social context. There are six major dimensions of variations that were identified in the data that help to understand the hierarchical relationships between the four identified categories of description. These include (a) the overall characterisation of the programme, (b) the nature of group interactions and processes, (c) the nature of the interactions and emotional connection participants had with their adult leaders, (d) the depth with which participants engaged with their experiences on the programme, (e) the personal relevance that trials, interactions and accomplishments had for participants, and (f) the type of growth and learning that was perceived to have accrued as a result of the wilderness adventure programme. These findings have important implications for both adventure programming design and implementation, and for research on psychological interventions. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrikaanse adolessente leef in ‘n oorgang samelewing gedurende ‘n lewensstadium waarin hulle poog om hul identiteit te stabiliseer. Hulle staar ‘n erfenis van wydverspreide geweld en armoede in die gesig, die geleefde impak van MIV/VIGS en dwelmverslawing, die aanhoudende bombardement deur die media wat ontspanning en onsedelikheid modelleer, ‘n wisselvallige onderwyssisteem, en gespanne gesins- en sosiale verbintenisse. Suid-Afrikaanse sielkunde het kennis geneem van hierdie uitdagings en poog om meer sosiaal relevant te word, en om geformaliseerde geleenthede te verskaf vir positiewe jeugontwikkeling wat die ontwikkeling van sterktes en deugde ondersteun, sowel as om hoë menslike potensiaal te aktualiseer. Sielkundiges behoort te streef om intervensies te verskaf wat sosiale agteruitgang kan verander in individuele- en gemeenskapsflorering. Skole verskaf ‘n optimale konteks vir so ‘n intervensie, met avontuur programme wat ‘n waardevolle meganisme verskaf deur middel waardeur holistiese ontwikkeling, vloei, interafhanklikheid, bevoegdheid, en die modellering van pro-sosiale waardes ondervind kan word. Hierdie studie het gepoog om die verskillende maniere te ondersoek van hoe so ‘n skoolgebaseerde wildernis avontuur program ondervind was, asook die spesifieke aspekte van die program wat verantwoordelik was vir die variasie in uitkomste deur middel van die gebruik van fenomenografiese metodologie. Fenomenografie is ‘n navorsingsmetode wat gebruik word om kwalitatief verskillende maniere te karteer van hoe mense verskillende aspekte van ‘n spesifieke fenomeen begryp, waarneem, of ondervind. Deur die verskillende maniere te verstaan van hoe ‘n fenomeen ondervind kan word, en deur die kritiese aspekte te identifiseer wat verantwoordelik is vir die òf meer òf minder kragtige maniere van hoe die fenomeen ondervind kan word, verskaf fenomenografie ‘n kragtige instrument wat aangewend kan word vir verbeterde onderwyslewering alhoewel die metode tot dusver nog nie aangewend is om sielkundige intervensies te bestudeer nie. Fenomenografiese analise van die beskrywings van ‘n 27-dag avontuur program, waarin deelnemers 360 km te voet, per fiets en kanoe gedek het, en deelgeneem het aan groepontlontings, dagboekhou, en ‘n 30-uur solo, het vier opvattings van die program onthul: (a) ‘n lang, uitmergelende skool staproete, (b) ‘n skool inwyding- / passasierite program, (c) ‘n eenmalige groep avontuur, of (d) ‘n veelsydige leer- en ontwikkelingsgeleentheid. Hierdie beskrywingskategorieë is hierargies gestruktureerd, van die mins tot die mees kragtig, en is direk verwant aan die waargenome uitkomste van die program. Op die laagste vlak is waargenome prosesse en uitkomste grootliks fisies, teenoor die hoogste vlak waar die beskrywings van deelnemers meer kompleks is, en meer gefokus is op leer- en ontwikkelingsverandering wat oploop tydens die program, en oorgedra kan word tot die deelnemer se huis- en sosiale konteks. Daar is ses hoof variasie dimensies wat geïdentifiseer is in die data wat lei tot ‘n beter begrip van die hierargiese verhoudings tussen die vier geïdentifiseerde beskrywingskategorieë. Hierdie sluit in (a) die algehele karakterisering van die program, (b) die aard van die groep interaksies en prosesse, (c) die aard van die interaksies en emosionele verband wat deelnemers gehad het met hulle volwasse leiers, (d) die diepte waarmee deelnemers geskakel het met hul ondervindings van die program, (e) die persoonlike relevansie wat beproewings, interaksies en prestasies gehad het vir die deelnemers, en (f) die tipe groei en leer wat ervaar is en vermeerder het as gevolg van die wildernis avontuur program. Hierdie bevindings het belangrike implikasies vir beide die ontwerp van avontuur programmering, die implementering daarvan, en vir navorsing op sielkundige intervensies.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: There has been an increase in the popularity of adventure programming over the past few years, with the result that the practice of high-risk recreational activities is growing phenomenally. This study examined how students who are enrolled in a full time adventure education programme involving high-risk recreational activities would differ in terms of sensation-seeking, locus of control and self-efficacy when compared to their non-participative peers. The research group devoted a whole year towards an adventure-based gap year programme that utilises high-risk recreational activities as a core aspect of the programme’s curriculum. It was hypothesised that the research group will measure higher in sensation-seeking, locus of control and self-efficacy when compared to the research equivalent group. For this cross- sectional quantitative study, the research group consisted of 25 students participating in the high-risk iALA recreational adventure programme. The research equivalent group consisted of 34 first year university students. The two sample groups were assessed in terms of their attribute differences on Zuckerman’s Sensation-Seeking Scale, Sherer’s General Self-efficacy Scale, and Rotter’s Internal-External Locus of Control Scale. MANOVA and ANOVA analyses were performed in order to analyse the data. The study indicated that there was a significant difference in sensation-seeking between the two samples. There was, however, no significant difference in levels of locus of control and self-efficacy between the two samples. The study’s significant findings support trends in previous studies concerning greater sensation-seeking among participants of high-risk recreation activities. Important considerations for the results obtained are provided together with implications for further research in this field. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Avontuurprogramme het die afgelope paar jaar in gewildheid toegeneem en het tot gevolg dat daar al hoe meer van hoë-risiko ontspanningsaktiwiteite gebruik gemaak word. Hierdie studie ondersoek hoe studente wat aan hoë-risiko ontspanningsaktiwiteite deelneem, verskil ten opsigte van die soeke na sensasie, lokus van kontrole en self-effektiwiteit in vergelyking met hul niedeelnemende portuurs. Die eksperimentele groep het vir ʼn jaar deelgeneem aan ʼn gapingsjaar-avontuurprogram met hoë-risiko ontspanningsaktiwiteite wat ʼn kernsaspek van die kurrikulum uitmaak. Die hipotese was dat die eksperimentele groep hoër sou meet in die soeke na sensasie, lokus van kontrole en self-effektiwiteit as die kontrolegroep. Vir die doel van hierdie kwantitatiewe studie het die eksperimentele groep uit 25 studente bestaan wat aan hoë-risiko ontspanningsaktiwiteite deelgeneem het gedurende die gapingsjaar-avontuurprogram. Die kontrolegroep het uit 34 eerstejaar universiteitstudente bestaan. Ten einde die verskil tussen die twee groepe te assesseer, is Zuckerman se Sensation-Seeking Scale, Sherer se General self-efficacy scale, en Rotter se Internal external locus of control scale gebruik. ʼn MANOVA en ANOVA is gebruik om die data te analiseer. Die studie het getoon dat daar ʼn betekenisvolle verskil tussen die twee groepe was ten opsigte van die soeke na sensasie. Daar was egter geen betekenisvolle verskil in die vlakke van lokus van kontrole en self-effektiwiteit tussen die twee groepe nie. Bevindings van die huidige studie oor die soeke na sensasie het bevindings van vorige studies rakende die soeke na sensasie en hoë-risiko ontspanningsaktiwiteite ondersteun. Belangrike afleidings kan gemaak word uit die resultate wat verkry is wat moontlikhede bied vir verdere navorsing in hierdie veld.

Thesis (MPA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Nine years after the launch of the Learnership programme, considerable efforts have been undertaken by various organisations to implement the programme. However, the implementation of the programme is still faced with various challenges which hamper the overall goal of obtaining a formal registered qualification and maximising the employment opportunities of the learners through the combination of vocational education and training. The study focuses on the evaluation of the implementation of the Learnership programme within the Public Service Commission. By nature, evaluations play a critical role of determining the worthiness of a programme or its shortcomings. The study provides a detailed account of the Learnership programme, its design, and the implementation thereof. Furthermore, the study highlights the need for a transparent, non-discriminatory legislative and policy context, as well as sound institutional mechanisms for supporting the implementation of the programme. Based on the evidence gathered, it appears that there is little appreciation of the concept of skills development through the Learnership programme. The implementation of the programme has been marred by coordination and management challenges and as a result, the acquiring of skills or skills transfer through the programme remains a challenge. Overall, the lack of institutionalising the programme has rendered it an ad-hoc activity as opposed to a strategic investment of addressing skills shortage. A number of recommendations are provided for improving the implementation of the programme and to contribute towards resolving the pervasive skills constraints in South Africa through the Learnership programme. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Nege jaar na die instelling van die Leerderskapprogram is heelwat werk reeds deur verskeie organisasies gedoen om die program te implementeer. Die implementering van die program gaan steeds met verskeie uitdagings gepaard wat nadelig is vir die verwesenliking van die oorkoepelende doel om 'n formele geregistreerde kwalifikasie te verwerf en die leerders se indiensnemingsgeleenthede te verbeter deur 'n kombinasie van beroepsonderwys en -opleiding. Die studie fokus op die evaluering van die implementering van die Leerderskapprogram in die Staatsdienskommissie. Evaluering speel uiteraard 'n kritieke rol om die waarde of tekortkominge van 'n program te bepaal. Die studie bied 'n gedetailleerde oorsig van die Leerderskapprogram en die ontwerp en implementering daarvan. Voorts beklemtoon die studie 'n deursigtige, niediskriminerende wetgewende en beleidskonteks asook 'n stewige institusionele meganisme om die implementering van die program te steun, hoewel dit uit die getuienis blyk dat daar weinig begrip is van die konsep van vaardigheidsontwikkeling deur die Leerderskapprogram. Die implementering van die program word belemmer deur koördinerings- en bestuursuitdagings, met die gevolg dat die verwerwing van vaardighede of vaardigheidsoordrag deur middel van die program 'n uitdaging bly. In die geheel gesien, veroorsaak die gebrekkige institusionalisering van die program dat dit 'n ad hoc-aktiwiteit is in plaas van 'n strategiese investering om die vaardigheidstekort die hoof te bied. Verskeie aanbevelings word gedoen om die implementering van die program te verbeter en om by te dra tot die oplossing van die wydverspreide vaardigheidstekort in Suid-Afrika deur middel van die Leerderskapprogram.

This thesis is a narrative study that examines significant life experiences of six living artists that were pivotal in their decision to pursue careers in the arts. Although the examples found in these conversations are not exhaustive—many factors play into the individuals sense of identity and agency—they serve to give voice to the multiplicity of the learning experience, underscoring that creative education occurs in the home, the community, and among social groups as frequently as it does in the classroom. Through direct, open-ended conversations with artists, research explores the setting of upbringing and education, the pivotal experiences—catalysts—that propelled these individuals into art careers, and impact of their experience on both creative practice and notions of art learning. Interviews encompass artists whose work is located in public spaces, natural landscapes, and urban environments as often as it appears in the traditional exhibition settings, whose work is both collaborative and socially constructed. They comprise Rick Lowe, artist and founder of Project Row Houses in Houston, Texas whose community-centered social sculpture expands on our cultural assumptions about the artist and Anne Wallace, a public artist whose early work as a human right activist and bi-cultural experiences translate into videos about the complexities of the United States/Mexico border. It includes Vincent Valdez, a self-described “hyper-realist” who depicts his home city and composite life experiences of his family through allegorical paintings and drawings; Marie Lorenz, an artist explorer whose interest in urban waterways brings her work into the waters of forgotten canals and rivers; of Robert Pruitt, who critiques ever-changing political landscapes, conceptions of history, and globalism through hybrid drawings and sculptures; and Franco Mondini-Ruiz who fuses aesthetics of high and low in installations and creative economy widely accessible to people both within and outside the confines of the art world. Through narrative conversation, this thesis enriches overlapping theories that encompass our understandings of education and learning—mentorship, experiential learning, the aesthetic experience, place-based learning, communities of practice—through lived example, underscoring learning as a socially constructed phenomenon. Experiences of learning, unique and wholly individualized, contribute to a one’s sense of self and agency; in the case of the six artists featured in this study, creative experiences contribute to their identity as “artist” and motivated their pursuit of lifework and career. / text

This thesis examines the use of actor-based Applied Theatre methods within the workplace. Typically such methods are employed for behavioural skills training with the intention of enabling staff to effectively perform their work roles in a context of rapid and fundamental change to work practices and structures. This research uses case studies and mixed methods and finds that whilst work-based Applied Theatre may be commissioned for reasons of efficiency, in practice there is also the potential for individual efficacy. Whilst competitive forces drive the imperative for increased efficiency, the practice opens a space where the human consequences of this pressure can be explored. Studies of Applied Theatre have ignored or excluded the workplace as a site of research and consequently applications of these methods are under researched and little understood. This thesis questions the exclusive assumptions of the academic field, presenting a more complex picture of the practice than currently appears in the literature. Whilst the workplace presents many tensions that must be negotiated, this research finds that the participative, embodied and dialogic qualities of the practice can enable a space for catharsis, negotiation, expression and learning not possible through other methods. These dialogic and participatory qualities are found to promote a social model of leadership and interaction that is progressive, facilitating a shift away from pervasive mechanistic command and control approaches to management and leadership. A central quality of this efficacy and impact was found to be the role of the workplace actor which has evolved beyond the delivery of performance and into innovative approaches that aim to increase the actor’s contribution to learning. This emerging hybrid role is defined here as the ‘pedagogical actor’, drawing on skills of calibration, feedback and facilitation in addition to delivering a credible performance. Case Studies include an examination of the use actor-based role-play within financial services company Friends Provident and Forum Theatre used by the multi-national 3M, in addition to numerous case examples.

Sammanfattning Författare: Julia Castlin och Robin Andersson Titel: Arbetslöshet, vad gör det med oss? Handledare: Jan Karlsson Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur arbetssökande upplever att arbetslösheten påverkar deras hälsa. Studien hade även för avsikt att undersöka vilka utmaningar arbetssökande upplever och hur dessa hanteras i vardagen. Vidare studerades hur arbetssökande kan lära sig om sin hälsa under arbetslösheten utifrån egna samt andras erfarenheter. Metod: Denna studie grundas på sex stycken semi-strukturerade intervjuer med arbetssökande som varade i 30-40 minuter. De arbetssökande som deltog i studien hade varit utan arbete i minst två månader och var inskrivna eller på väg att skriva in sig på Arbetsförmedlingen. Teori: Teorierna som behandlar såväl hälso- som pedagogiska teorier är: känsla avsammanhang (KASAM), erfarenhetsbaserat lärande och praktikgemenskaper. Samtliga tre teorier har utgjort kärnan i en analysmatris som i studien legat till grund för att finna samband mellan empirin och teorierna, vilket var en hjälp för att besvara studiens syfte. Resultat: Resultaten som framkom i denna studie pekade på att arbetssökandes hälsa påverkas av tilltron till den egna förmågan att uppnå sina individuella mål. Krav och förväntningar från omgivningen verkar också påverka individernas hälsa. Resurser i form av ekonomisk trygghet och socialt stöd tycks kunna bidra till ett bättre subjektivt välmående. Den största utmaningen upplevdes av många arbetssökande vara att få en anställning. Orsakerna till den upplevda svårigheten var dock varierande och individuella hinder såsom brist på resurser, brist på erfarenhet/utbildning och konkurrens på arbetsmarknaden pekades ut. I intervjuerna framkom även att flera av intervjupersonerna hade utvecklat nya “idéer/teorier” som kan underlätta en hantering av liknande situationer i framtiden. Dessa nya idéer kan ha uppkommit både genom egna erfarenheter eller genom utbyte med andra. Slutsats: Hälsan under arbetslösheten tycks vara beroende av individens förmåga att hantera situationen som i enlighet med teorierna om erfarenhetsbaserat lärande och SE, beror på individens tidigare upplevelser och tilltro till sin egen förmåga. Sannolikheten för att få en anställning verkar således öka om individen innehar ett högt KASAM. / Abstract Author: Julia Castlin and Robin Andersson Title: The impact of unemployment - About job seekers perceptions and experiences of unemployment and health Supervisor: Jan Karlsson The aim of this study was to examine how unemployed experience their everyday life and how their health is affected by being unemployed. Another purpose of this study was toexamine which challenges the unemployed are experiencing and how they are handled. Furthermore, this study aspired to see how unemployed can learn about its health during unemployment by experiences from themselves and others. Method: This study included six semi-structured interviews with unemployed, which lasted for 30-40 minutes each. The unemployed, participating in this study had been without work for at least two months and were registered on, or in the process of registration with Arbetsförmedlingen (Employment Service, the largest agency providing jobs in Sweden). Theory: The theories that are addressing both health and pedagogy are: sense of coherence (SOC), experiential learning and communities of practice. All of these three theories have formed the core of an analyzing table, which facilitates findings of correlation between empirical data and theory, in order to enable answers regarding the purpose of this study. Results: The results that emerged from this study indicated that the health of unemployed is affected by the self-efficacy of achieving their individual goals. Expectations from the social environment also seem to be a factor to the health of the unemployed. Resources in terms of financial security and social support also showed indications of contributing to a better subjective well-being. The majority of the unemployed in this study perceived that receiving employment was the greatest challenge. However, the causes of the perceived difficulties were varying and the obstacles were individual, such as lack of resources, lack of experience/education and competition on the labor market. The interviews also revealed that several of the participants had developed new “ideas/theories” that can facilitate the management of similar situations in the future. These new ideas may have emerged either through own experience or through exchange with other people. Conclusion: The health status during unemployment seems to be dependent of the individual’s manageability of the situation, as in accordance with the theories of experiential learning and self-efficacy, depends on the individual’s previous experience and self-efficacy.Thus the likelihood of receiving employment seems to increase if the individual has a strong SOC.

The central argument underlying this research is that experiential learning (EL) can strengthen environmental university programs. Its goal is to demonstrate the benefits of EL from students' and graduates' perspectives and to provide recommendations for its effective implementation into a program. The research utilized a qualitative case study (Environmental Sciences/Studies (ESS) programs at the University of Manitoba, Canada) through focus groups and individual interviews with students and graduates. The results indicate that EL helps develop an understanding of environmental complexities; motivates students to engage at all levels of their ability; is decisive in skill development; engages students in environmental issues with diverse stakeholders; is important in obtaining employment; and it is imperative to connect EL activities to concepts taught in class. The data however, did not show EL to be a significant factor in fostering pro-environmental behaviours in post-secondary environmental students. Overall, the research shows that provided effective implementation, EL can play a significant role in enhancing ESS curriculum and that ESS students place a great value on EL in their education. / October 2016

There exists a strong endorsement in the literature of the effectiveness of an individual counseling experience as an influence in the personal and professional development of counseling students, yet few counselor education programs seem to require that students complete such an experience. Thus, the question arises as to why the required individual counseling experience as a client is not being required by a large proportion of counseling programs. The purposes of this descriptive, exploratory study were to determine the prevalence of the required experience as a client in individual counseling, examine the opinions of counselor education program leaders regarding the risks and benefits of experiential training components, determine the modalities used to deliver experiential training components, obtain counselor education program coordinators' views on the various modalities, and explore policies and procedures used in counselor education programs with respect to experiential training components. Finally, this study attempted to determine the level of satisfaction of those program directors who do utilize a required individual counseling experience, as well as their policies and procedures with regard to outcome measurement. Results of the study showed that there were some significant inverse relationships between counselor education program directors' opinions regarding potential benefits for counseling students and their policies regarding a required individual counseling experience. Additionally, although respondents did not strongly endorse the potential risks associated with the exercise, it is still not required by the majority of the counselor education programs surveyed. However, those program directors who do endorse a required individual counseling experience reported on its many benefits, and offered qualitative insights into how the requirement is implemented. The results of this study have implications for the counseling profession by offering empirical evidence regarding the prevalence of a required individual counseling experience for master's-level counseling students. The results of this study contribute to the counseling profession's knowledge base by determining counseling program directors' opinions of the potential benefits and risks of a required individual counseling experience, and by establishing that program directors whose programs require this exercise are overwhelmingly satisfied that the experience accomplishes the purposes for which it is intended.

This study explores what happens as the ideals of a learnership, envisioned in the South African legislation, become real practice in a workplace within the financial services industry. Learnerships are at the centre stage for illuminating the processes of acquiring a vocational qualification, which combines education with work readiness. The constructivist philosophy to this research and its qualitative paradigm resonates well with the postmodernist thinking that knowledge has different purposes strongly linked to performance, demanding education that is value adding. It is through this postmodern lens that the broad theoretical framework for study is located. It encompasses theories of learning and workplace learning, such as Wenger’s (1998) perspectives on communities of practice and Kolb’s (1984) experiential learning circle. Mezirow’s (1981) transformative learning theory adds the dimension of dialogue. The method of illuminative evaluation is used to examine one event in order to explore its contextual insights. Qualitative inquiry has a fundamental people orientation and, for this reason, observation adds depth to the information gathering possibilities of interviews and document analysis. This report is enriched by narratives of people’s perspectives on events. This illuminative evaluation brought out rich and varied insights into the acquisition of knowledge, skills and work identity (values and attitudes), with some surprising and unexpected insights on success and failures. The workplace’s control of the learning process, while impacting extremely positively on the quality of the theoretical learning (which is interesting as education is not its core purpose), compromised in some respects the success of the end product of the learnership, the work readiness and employment possibilities of learners.