Gennem de seneste årtier har der været en stigende opmærksomhed på læring og kompetenceudvikling i arbejdslivet. Både ud fra lærings- og effektivitetsmæssige og ud fra demokratiske og emancipatoriske perspektiver kan der argumenteres for ideen om at knytte uddannelsesaktiviteter til arbejdslivet. Arbejdsmarkedets parter er da generelt også enige om, at der er et behov for kompetenceudvikling og en styrkelse af voksen- og efteruddannelsesindsatsen. Til gengæld er det ikke entydigt, hvad der ligger bag ordene, når virksomheder og deres medarbejdere definerer kompetenceudvikling og læring, som også ovennævnte perspektivers forskellighed antyder. Artiklen sætter ud fra en uddannelsessociologisk vinkel fokus på, hvordan virksomheder og medarbejdere ser forskelligt på den almene kursusundervisning, der knytter an til arbejdslivet. Med udgangspunkt i en empirisk analyse belyses det, hvilken betydning betingelserne i arbejdslivet, specielt for de kortuddannede, spiller for deltagelsen i almen kursusundervisning, samt hvorvidt og hvordan mødet mellem rollen som medarbejder og kursist skaber konflikter og særlige læringsrum.
ENGELSK ABSTRACT:
Annette Rasmussen: Perspectives and Conflicts Between Working Life and Education
Lifelong learning has become a mantra of educational policy. Therefore, the development of general competences in working life has enjoyed growing attention, and several projects have been undertaken to increase the participation of low skilled workers in general adult education in Denmark. This article draws on findings from a recent research project which focused on the encounter between working life and education. It considers cases in which low skilled workers attended courses that were established by adult education centres and private or public enterprises. It focuses on the conflicting logics of work and education and the sometimes divergent perspectives of employers and employees on the meaning of such courses. It illustrates how meaning attached to adult and workplace education and learning reflects the perspectives of the various stakeholders; and it shows how power relations are implicitly part of the pedagogical strategies employed in the educations. The concepts of interests and investments are important tools in this analysis. Observations from the courses and interviews with participants outline the tensions and contradictions which have arisen from the meeting of working life and education.
Key words: Adult and workplace education, interests, conflicts, lifelong learning.
