This thesis discusses how the restructuring of the UK television industry in the 1980s and 1990s has affected learning and skills development in the sector. It is based on 71 semi-structured interviews with television freelancers and key informants in the industry, and a case study of a small regional independent company developed through semi-structured interviews and three months of participant observation. To investigate the current learning and skills development mechanisms, this thesis engages with community-based learning theories. These are discussed in relation to industry characteristics such as commissioning and independent production and labour market realities related to freelance work and educational provision. The findings reveal that the traditional on the job learning mechanisms within communities of practice are challenged under the new structural context characterised by unrestricted entry and progression and short-term projects within an uncertain employment context. Commercial pressures affect both the access to learning opportunities and the learning experience, mainly because of the lack of legitimate and gradual experiential learning possibilities, short-term involvement in the industry under pressures to perform. The thesis also discusses the realities of the work in a small regional independent production company as well as its benefits and limitations as a venue for community-based learning. This thesis concludes with several policy recommendations which address some of the main challenges to the sustainable skills development in UK television. These recommendations subscribe to the need for introducing legitimate traineeships, entry rules and detaching learning from the commercial pressures in the sector.

This thesis discusses how the restructuring of the UK television industry in the 1980s and 1990s has affected learning and skills development in the sector. It is based on 71 semi-structured interviews with television freelancers and key informants in the industry, and a case study of a small regional independent company developed through semi-structured interviews and three months of participant observation. To investigate the current learning and skills development mechanisms, this thesis engages with community-based learning theories. These are discussed in relation to industry characteristics such as commissioning and independent production and labour market realities related to freelance work and educational provision. The findings reveal that the traditional on the job learning mechanisms within communities of practice are challenged under the new structural context characterised by unrestricted entry and progression and short-term projects within an uncertain employment context. Commercial pressures affect both the access to learning opportunities and the learning experience, mainly because of the lack of legitimate and gradual experiential learning possibilities, short-term involvement in the industry under pressures to perform. The thesis also discusses the realities of the work in a small regional independent production company as well as its benefits and limitations as a venue for community-based learning. This thesis concludes with several policy recommendations which address some of the main challenges to the sustainable skills development in UK television. These recommendations subscribe to the need for introducing legitimate traineeships, entry rules and detaching learning from the commercial pressures in the sector.

Aim. In close cooperation with an international automotive supplier we developed the “C2” business simulation game in order to meet real work practice needs. Based on the example of a site-location decision and the setup of a new factory in China, the participants of the game experienced the challenges of an interdisciplinary project team as well as project management in complex and rapidly changing situations. During the game we used the creative learning method LEGO® Serious Play®,1 which helps to express different understandings through hands-on modelling. The aim of the game is to acquire and improve both technical project management knowledge and soft skills of the participants. Method. In total, 47 students participated in one of six two-day game sessions. They reported self-perceptions about their skill level through pre- and postgame questionnaires. Further data were collected during the simulation game based on observations, lessons learned reflections of the participants and evaluation questionnaires. Results. Results from our pre- and post-game self-assessment questionnaires show that the “C2” business simulation game improves not only conceptual knowledge about project management but also team working and the participants’ other soft skills. Results indicate that the students’ reactions to the simulation game were positive, and students felt that the LEGO Serious Play method helped them to better cope with challenges of teamwork, influences of stakeholders, risk factors and unpredictable project situations. Conclusion. These results suggest that our business simulation game has the potential to be an effective learning and training tool to provide students with relevant skills necessary for project managers. By giving students the opportunity to act in an authentic scenario based on a real project case, we can support their action-oriented as well as their trial-and-error learning, or in short their learning through experience.

Som en del av den pågående reformeringen av Arbetsförmedlingen lanserades under våren 2020 en ny matchningstjänst på svensk arbetsmarknad, tjänsten Kundval Rusta och Matcha (KROM). Handledarna är anställda på privata företag och arbetar för att coacha de som är inskrivna på KROM-tjänsten. Syftet med denna studie är att skapa ökad förståelse för de förutsättningar som KROM-handledarna har i sitt arbete. Studiens har undersökt förutsättningar för åtta handledare som är anställda i fem olika externa leverantörer, det vill säga privata företag som levererar KROM-tjänsten. Studiens bygger på personliga förutsättningar samt interna förutsättningar. För att besvara studiens syfte användes en kvalitativ ansats med semistrukturerade intervjuer. Studien använde ett hermeneutiskt förhållningssätt och tillämpade deduktiv ansats. Resultatet visar att handledarna har nästan likadana förutsättningar när det gäller coachning erfarenheter och färdigheter. Handledarna använder sig av GROW-modellen i sin coachningsmetod och med en tro på egen intuition och tysta kunskap. Resultatet visar att handledarna upplever att ett stort socialt nätverk ökar handledarnas möjlighet att hjälpa deltagarna till en få en anställning. Resultaten visar att de interna/organisatoriska förutsättningarna för varje handledare är olika där en del handledare upplever att de inte har tillräckliga förutsättningar angående lärandet och kompetensutveckling. Även gällande feedback finns det variation vissa handledare upplever att de får tillräckligt feedback och återkoppling av sin chef och en del önskar mer feedback på sin prestation. Resultatet visar också att samtliga handledarna upplever stort flexibilitet och arbetsfrihet i sitt yrke. / As part of the ongoing reform of the Swedish Public Employment Service, a new matching service was launched in the Swedish labor market in the spring of 2020, the Kundval Rusta och Matcha (KROM) service. The supervisors are employed by private companies and work to coach those who are registered in the KROM-service. The purpose of the study is to create an understanding of the conditions that the supervisors have in their work. The study has examined the conditions of eight supervisors who are employed by five different external suppliers, ie private companies that supply the KROM-service. The study is based on personal conditions as well as internal and external conditions. To answer the purpose of the study, a qualitative approach was used, and semi-structured interviews were conducted. The study used a hermeneutic approach and applied a deductive approach. The results show that the supervisors have almost the same conditions when it comes to coaching experience and skills, the supervisors use the GROW-model in their coaching method and use their strong intuition and tacit knowledge. The results show that the supervisors experience that a wide social network increases the supervisors' ability to help KROM-participants to find a job easily. The results show that the internal / organizational conditions for each supervisor are different, some supervisors experience that they do not have good enough conditions regarding learning and competence development, some supervisors experience that they receive sufficient feedback from their manager, some have lesser conditions and strives for more feedback on their performance. The results also show that all supervisors experience great flexibility and freedom of work in their occupation.