Organizations increasingly face wicked problems; complex, systemic challenges that defy simple solutions and span multiple boundaries. In Nordic welfare and educational contexts, such problems call for participatory approaches that enable collective learning and adaptive responses. This article examines how two collective learning methods, Learning Circles (LC) and the Change Laboratory (CL), operationalize cross-boundary framing and collaborative inquiry in practice. While both share core values of dialogical engagement, co-creation, and inclusivity, they differ in structure and tools. Drawing on two empirical cases, a LC process in Danish elderly care and a CL intervention in a Finnish university hospital, we analyze how practitioners engaged with wickedness, how problems were navigated, and what kinds of responses emerged. Findings show that neither method seeks to eliminate complexity; instead, they transform how practitioners work with it. In the LC case, dialogical practices reframed recruitment and retention challenges as collective learning opportunities, turning tensions into objects of inquiry and enabling small cross-boundary try-outs. In the CL, the wickedness of an organizational merger became a catalyst for collective learning, as iterative cycles of critique, analysis, and modelling supported the development of a shared tool for coordinating workflows across clinics. Across both cases, participatory interventions surfaced contradictions, supported experimentation under uncertainty, and fostered reflexive practices. The article contributes to debates in vocational and workplace learning by offering empirically grounded insights into designing collective learning processes for navigating wicked problems.
Apprentices in dual vocational education and training (VET) rely strongly on workplace social support (WSS), including guidance, feedback, recognition, and social integration. During the COVID-19 pandemic, training firms had to reorganise work and learning processes, which may have affected how such support was provided and experienced. This study investigates how WSS for apprentices changed during the pandemic in Swiss dual VET and how these changes were linked to different firm-level crisis conditions. It also examines how trainers’ and apprentices’ perspectives complement each other. The study applies a convergent mixed-methods design, combining survey data from 1,380 vocational trainers with 16 focus group interviews involving 119 apprentices. The analysis compares four pandemic-related conditions: short-time work, working from home, increased workload, and marginal impact. Trainers tended to report that WSS was largely maintained, with particularly positive assessments in firms affected by short-time work and working from home. Apprentices presented a more differentiated picture. They described support as less spontaneous, less consistently accessible, and more dependent on specific work and training arrangements. In short-time work and remote settings, support often became more formalised and was accompanied by fewer task opportunities. In increased workload settings, apprentices more often reported limited guidance, feedback, and emotional support. The findings suggest that crises do not merely reduce or preserve WSS; they reshape its accessibility and meaning. Combining provider and recipient perspectives is therefore essential for understanding support in disrupted training contexts.
The growing use of technology-supported training has increased the need to examine training methods in higher education and workplace settings more thoroughly. Although the literature includes many studies that report a growing use of technology-supported training, such as simulation-based and immersive approaches, it still presents important gaps because it remains fragmented. Many studies focus on isolated training methods, specific sectors, or single outcomes, which limits a broader understanding of how training has been designed, evaluated, and measured across different contexts. To address this gap, this systematic literature review analyzes research published between 2019 and 2024 on training methods in higher education and the workplace. Following the PRISMA framework, this review of the literature analyzes 36 articles to examine how training methods, learning theories, and evaluation practices are reported and combined in both higher education and workplace settings. The analysis suggests that constructivist, cognitivist, and behaviorist perspectives have commonly guided training design approaches, with limited hybridization across them, while assessment practices have varied across contexts and include different research methods and structured evaluation models. In addition, outcome measures have mainly focused on learning, performance, and skill development, while fewer studies have examined long-term impact. The findings highlight that these elements are not consistently aligned across studies. Therefore, from a technology and design education perspective, this review identifies patterns, implications for instructional design, variations, and gaps, providing a clearer account of how training has supported knowledge in action and the integration of theory and practice, providing an integrated overview of how training methods have been designed and evaluated across technology-supported higher education and workplace settings.
As Generation Z (Gen Z) enters vocational education, their distinct expectations and digital fluency present new challenges for dual vocational education and training (VET). While these issues are frequently discussed in public discourse, empirical evidence remains scarce. This study examines how Gen Z apprentices define the quality of training in school- and company-based learning environments. Drawing on 15 semi-structured interviews with commercial apprentices in Germany, a qualitative content analysis was conducted. Six core dimensions were identified: (1) digitalization, including access to infrastructure, tools, and artificial intelligence (AI); (2) flexibility and work-life balance, with a focus on remote work and individualized schedules; (3) meaningful work, reflected in autonomy, relevance, and opportunities for impact; (4) job security and career opportunities, including transparent pathways and structured development; (5) individualization, such as customized feedback and learner-driven content; and (6) interpersonal relationships, emphasizing respectful communication, team cohesion, and emotional support. These findings extend existing models by foregrounding learner agency and socio-technological change, suggesting that VET quality models must become more learner-centered and digitally integrated to align with Gen Z apprentices’ expectations.
The article examines the recruitment and training strategies of German multinational companies in Japan, focusing on the intermediate skill level. It also analyses which factors in the Japanese environment influence these strategies. The EPRG typology and the concept of “institutional logic” serve as the theoretical basis. Twenty-five experts from the field of human resource management (HRM) in ten German companies were surveyed, along with four external experts. The key findings show that German companies in Japan are increasingly hiring older applicants with professional experience. While onboarding is common for all new employees, the dominant form of training for the small number of career entrants is on-the-job training. Moreover, these companies adopt few if any elements of German training modes. These strategies may be understood in terms of institutional logic. The findings are of practical relevance to companies but also offer new insight into theoretical perspectives. The independent strategy pursued by German companies in Japan in the context of recruitment cannot be classified under the EPRG approach: although they do not act like big Japanese companies when recruiting, neither do they implement the strategy of their home country or a global or regional strategy. Their strategy can therefore be termed “independent localisation”, thus expanding the existing EPRG approach.
