MWL Newsletter No 41

News and articles about Modern Workplace Learning (MWL) selected by Jane Hart for the week
19-25 November 2017.


From around the Web

Our education systems must focus on developing underlying human capabilities, not just knowledge and skills  Ross Dawson, 17 November 2017

“In a world of rapid change, adaptability and resilience are fundamental capabilities. The ability and inclination for continuous learning will be absolutely essential. There is no knowledge or skill that will not erode in a changing world, so we will have to continue to learn throughout our lives to create value through our work and keep ahead of machines.”


Top tips on building an HR department from the ground up Forbes, 21 November 2017
“9. Keep It Simple

Startup organizations are environments that need to move fast and grow quickly. Making smart investments and mitigating risk are critically important. In a startup environment, the key for HR is to keep it simple: Put in place programs, processes, tools, and decision support that have just the right level of maturity to meet the organization’s needs. Don’t overdesign it!”


Why Grouping Your Workforce By Generation Is A Mistake, Julie Chakraverty, Forbes, 22 November 2017
“Employers who categorize employees by generation are potentially dismissing employees’ abilities or skills because of their age. Judging employees by generation needs to stop – the broad brushstroke approach doesn’t work in the workplace as employees expect (and deserve) to be treated as individuals, not as a group with assumed commonalities driven by their date of birth.”


Why Do Freelancers Upskill More Than Employees? Lauren Dixon, Talent Economy, 8 November 2017
“Most working Americans are aware that they need to learn new skills. More than 80 percent of employees feel they have a responsibility to improve those skills, yet about one-third of employees said their employers have failed to offer or pay for them to do so … Given these trends, other survey findings become more intriguing. Global freelancing platform Upwork commissioned “Freelancing in America: 2017,” a study that revealed 65 percent of freelancers are updating their skills, yet only 45 percent of full-time employees are doing the same.”


Would a BYO (Digital Tools) Approach Work for Your Company?  Laurence Lock Lee, CMS Wire, 20 November 2017
“The “bring your own device” (BYOD) movement may offer a solution to the problem. As recently as a decade ago, the idea of bringing your own device to work was unthinkable. Today it’s commonplace for people to use personal devices on the job — especially mobile phones. So, using the same logic as BYOD, why not allow people to collaborate with their own digital tools of choice?”


My Professional Learner’s Toolkit Clark Quinn, 22 November 2017

“My colleague, Harold Jarche, recently posted about his professional learning toolkit, reflecting our colleague Jane Hart’s post about a Modern Learner’s Toolkit. It’s a different cut through the top 10 tools.  So I thought I’d share mine, and my reflections.”


My Modern Professional Learner Toolkit Mike Taylor,  24 November 2017

Jane Hart has derived a framework for the Modern Professional Learner’s Toolkit, based on the results of her Top 100 Tools for Learning survey results. After reading Harold Jarche and Clark Quinn’s personal toolkits, I was inspired to share my own.


From Jane Hart’s Blog

In this new world of work it’s up to everyone to develop themselves  Jane Hart, 21 November 2017

“There is no longer such a thing as a job for a life – only a life of jobs –  and as most organisations only train their people to do their current job – not prepare them for a future job – it’ll be up to everyone to take control of their own career as well as their own professional growth and development.”


MWL Workshop

Supporting Continous Independent Learning in the Workplace

Next public workshop runs: 15 January – 2 March 2018

In the modern workplace it is no longer enough for L&D to just organise and manage modern learning experiences, they also need to enable and support continuous independent learning. In this 7-week online workshop we look at how to help managers and individuals adopt a modern professional learning mindset as well as empower individuals to take responsibility for their own continuous self-improvement (in their existing job) and self-development (to prepare for the future).


How to become a Modern Professional Learner

In the modern workplace there is no longer such a thing as a job for a life – only a life of jobs – so it’s up to everyone to continuously update their knowledge, skills and productivity and become an independent modern professional learner. This e-book (by Jane Hart) contains 100 short Tasks (based around the 10 Principles of Modern Professional Learning) to help you get the most out of your work life and take control of your career (see Table of Contents below).

Get your copy here


Jane Hart
Centre for Modern Workplace Learning

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