Learning Lab

Section 1 Intro Robin Poppe Good morning! Welcome to the Learning Lab on innovation, collaboration and learning which is part of the programme on learning design and technology that was initiated last year as a series of 12 different initiatives. I thank you all for being here, we had a good response to the invitation (about 50 percent of those who were invited joined) and we are pleased to have representatives from units that have an important interface role between training programmes and support services (Documentation, Evaluation, HRS, MIS, TFT). The Director will join us from tomorrow. On 15 April the programme of activities was announced and you received a Learning Log Book – those of you who did not can collect one at the entrance. We already had several activities, including an online learning needs assessments which helped us to see what should be the focus of our programme; a course for newcomers; a session on ICT for learning; a training day on the preparation of CD-ROMs for training activities; a half-day awareness session on the changing world of training; a half-day skills upgrading session on training techniques; a senior management meeting on strategic thinking on how training institutions are changing. The next step is this 2.5 days Learning Lab on innovation, collaboration and learning. We wanted this activity to be different from most of the other activities that we conduct at the Centre, from beginning to end: from the setting to the way it will be introduced, from the way the knowledge resources will be transmitted and transferred to you, to the continuity of the process – we will not go out from this room to have our lunch –, from the invitation letter to the agenda. Is there an agenda? No, there is no formal agenda but there is a lot of design. This is the way it was set up and innovation starts there. A design team has been involved over the last few months: Alessandra, Monica, Johanne, Tom and myself for the Centre and for Architects of Group Genius, Nicole Schwab and Sigrid Kroon.

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duction Let me tell you a few things about Architects of Group Genius. They are architects but they do not design houses, they design events, they design organisational change and they design new learning events, which is why we approached them for this session. They have done this for various types of institutions including academic ones (Harvard, London Business School, the University of Bocconi, the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum), and also industries. They will certainly make sure that we reach the objectives that we set for this session. You will remember that the overarching objectives of the programme are: 1.

To be recognized as a centre of excellence in learning technology, making sure that there is a match between the technical and the pedagogical expertise. The whole programme, as well as this event, focus on providing tools and practices to improve our methodological capacity.

2.

To adhere to a full leaner-centred approach in learning and training.

I would like to invite Nicole and Sigrid to present the specific objectives of the Learning Lab.

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Section 1 Introduction Nicole Schwab Welcome to the Learning Lab! Our area of work is designing spaces and processes for groups of people to come together around the issues that matter to them, to interact, innovate and collaborate. We are not trainers, nor are we experts in training. We are facilitators. You are the experts in training and for the next two and a half days, this is your space and your time. First, I would like to say a few words on the objectives of this event, which we defined together with the design team. This is a space for you to: l

Reflect, challenge and push the boundaries of your practice

l

Explore new developments in learning

l

Share experiences with each other

l

Find connections and opportunities

l

l

l

Experience other ways of learning/ training

Upgrade your competencies in terms of learning and training Redesign training activities using different perspectives

During the next days you will be confronted with many different perspectives, from different thinkers and practitioners. I would like to start by reading a quote from a British professor on complexity theory. This is one perspective among many others and it mentions some elements related to knowledge and learning that are relevant to what we will be doing here: acting, relating, and creating patterns of relationship. “Knowledge creation is understood as an active process of communication between humans. It follows that knowledge is not stored, but perpetually constructed. Knowledge is not shared as mental contents but perpetually arises in action. Knowledge is not transmitted from one mind to another but is the process of relating. Knowledge is the act of conversing, and learning occurs when ways of talking and therefore patterns of relationship, change.” - Ralph Stacey Now Sigrid will tell you more about the process we will follow.

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Sigrid Kroon The aim of this environment is to help groups of people find solutions to complex problems. In this concept we use three pillars. One is the space. It is a visual space that stimulates you to think out of the box. It is also a flexible space, allowing everything to move and adjust to your needs in every phase of your work. You can use the walls to write on, they stimulate you to think big and share your ideas with others. The second pillar is: the people. The most important ones are you, you are here together to learn from each other and collaborate. Our team is here to support you wherever we can. We will capture your work and after the event you will receive a report with all the content that you produced. Use your personal Learning Log Book for your personal notes. Together with the design team we have been designing these days for you. The third pillar is: the process, which can be described as Scan - Focus – Act. This event will broadly follow these three phases. In the first phase, called “Scan”, the purpose is to create a common language, explore many different perspectives, build conceptual models and try to think out of the box, by looking beyond what seems to be immediately connected to your current work. The second phase, “Focus”, is about testing possible opportunities and different alternatives, in relation to your work and your practice. In the third phase, “Act”, the event becomes totally yours. As a group, you will decide what you want to work on, and you will go into more detail in the areas that you consider to be most relevant and most pressing.

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Section 2

Elements of

Powerfu

Assignment What is learning for you? This first assignment was about exploring what makes a powerful learning experience. In the invitation letter you were asked to think of a powerful learning experience and bring a representation thereof with you. Each group identified some of the core elements they believe make up such an experience. We will now put these pieces together and create a picture of the ingredients you consider necessary for a lasting and powerful learning experience. Elements of a powerful and lasting learning experience reported out in the plenary: (Clustered by themes)

Openness: l

Availability to impact and change

l

Inner openness

l

Never take anything for granted

l

Open the borders of the mind

Choice and engagement:

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l

Choice

l

Learning is about having options

l

Receptive and motivated to learn

l

We all learn differently from each other so the learner must be empowered

l

Engaged

l

Motivated

a

ul Learning Experience Environment/ space: l

The design of the space has an impact on the learning process

Multi-sensory experience: l

Learning using all your senses

l

Create opportunities and environment for learning

l

Different ways of learning

l

Multiple sources of/for learning

l

Learning through different media

l

We can learn from anything: books, courses, events; the object is just a catalyst

Continuous, dynamic: l

Learning anywhere, anytime

l

Continuous process

l

Make the learning event the start of the change process

l

Continuity

l

Leave an imprint

l

Internalised and applied

l

Impulse to move forward

l

Impact on behaviour, attitudes, ways of acting

Relevant: l

Relating to people’s values

l

Relevant information based on personal needs

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Section 2 Elements of a Powerful Learning Expe

Emotional: l

With a strong emotional impact

l

Empathy

l

Trust, confidence, charisma, pleasure

l

Based on emotions and mental interaction

l

Surprising

Hands-on experience: l

Practical

l

Experience-centred learning and sharing

l

Learning by doing

l

Practical and applied

l

Learner has the solution

l

Learner central to learning

Interaction between the individual and the group: l

Knowledge sharing

l

Connecting with people

l

Social process with an impact on everybody

l

Individual reflection

l

Balance between individual and collective learning style

Other (non-clustered):

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l

Can resolve issues in the subconscious

l

Something bringing us closer to what we want to be

l

Tension is important and can be used positively

l

Balance accuracy of the content with the flexibility of the method

l

Simpler is better

rience

Discussion Nicole Schwab: There are a lot of common elements in what you have defined as the ingredients of a powerful learning experience. What strikes you? Participant: The fact that the word “Emotion” came up a lot, which means that there is a need to create a space for emotions. Participant: Having a lot of things in common is the sign that we have a common culture. Participant: We have different understanding of the words. I am not sure that we have a common ground and we understand the same thing about “emotions” Nicole Schwab: How close are the elements you have mentioned to your daily reality when you create learning experiences for others? Participant: I have a problem with the space. We have big tables, which is a challenge; we need concrete solutions for rearranging the space Participant: It would be good to have more tools to create a complete learning experience (including technology, the design of the space), and put this into practice. Participant: This is a very good remark. How do we move from principles to practice? Nicole Schwab: We will soon start talking about more concrete issues. First, we will look at different theories of learning, starting with your own. Step back and think about the learning theory that underlies your work. What are the assumptions that you make about learning while you are giving your courses? Pair up with one person and have a dialogue about your assumptions on learning in practice. You can choose to pair up with somebody that does the same type of work as you, or someone from a completely different unit. Help each other go deep in the conversation. Use your log book to capture your thoughts.

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Section 3 Persp Participants immersed themselves in the thinking and writing of different authors who have been looking at learning from the following four perspectives: (i) learning and the brain; (ii) learning as a social process; (iii) learning, the senses and the environment; and (iv) learning styles, diversity and multiple intelligences. In teams, participants then designed short learning experiences for each other to transmit the key messages according to each one of these perspectives.

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ectives

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Section 4

(re)desi

Assigment You have applied this morning's exploration on learning perspectives to redesign a specific training activity, or an element / challenge related to a training activity. I would like to invite each group to share with others the key elements of your new design and what elements thereof are relevant for other activities at the Centre. What can be extrapolated across all training activities and what are the implications? Group Report Outs:

Group 1 (Wonder) Our design l Use country presentations instead of individual presentations l Use different media (photos, articles) l Use new technologies (blog, web-platform) l Use thematic presentations with a common template Implications For the methodology: l Encourage participation l Make a better use of time l Generate ideas for discussion l Create a database of pictures from around the world For the Centre l Create more possibilities for a flexible use of the space l Use adequate materials, including campus-wide web platform l Make the filing system more efficient

Group 2 (Transform) Implications l Reinforce networking with relevant institutions and alumni l Measures to ensure standards & quality l Continuously update tools and methodology; keeping ourselves updated on how others do business

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ign A Training Activity Group 3 (Feel) Our design Course on promoting equal opportunity in employment: l Have plenary discussions on barriers and ways of overcoming them l Create a safe place l Use a participatory method Implications l Get-ins n Change the classroom setting to give the trainer the possibility to move around n Limit content to key concepts n Focus on case studies n Use multimedia material at different stages of the workshop n Use web-based platforms and blogs n Get-outs n Place cards n Opening ceremony n Conventional room setting n Paper n Lecturing Participant: I keep hearing that the current setting is too traditional and needs to be changed. I agree but we have to change the old setting for a better and more effective one. Participant: The problem of the current setting is that it is too fixed and does not encourage discussions and exchanges. Participant: The main message for me on this topic is that we should use the setting that best suits our needs in any given situation.

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Section 4 (re)design A Training Activity Group 4 (Share) Our design l Groups based on topics of interest l World café l The participants actively contribute to the activity in presenting case studies, best and worst practices. l More pre-work on presentations l Harmonized format Implications l More resources (more time, more people, more money) l Effective and productive distribution of roles and tasks l Adopt a more participatory method

Group 5 (Play): Our design Session on social dialogue in the public service: l Learning objectives: n Participants will be able to describe the ILO legal framework of SD in PS n Improve the understanding of the role of trade unions in labour relations in the PS l Methodology: n Presentation followed by “question and answer” session n Role-play: how to reconcile work with family responsibilities Implications l Deal with the fact that participants have different backgrounds and expectations and feel that their particular issues are not addressed by the course l Avoid spending too much time addressing the requests of a small group of participants l Manage the different backgrounds and expectations l Make people responsible

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Group 6 (Imagine) Our design l Acquire a good knowledge of the national context and find a harmonious interaction with trainer's own cultural context l Accept that we can challenge the old styles l Be innovative, using more visuals like videos and cartoons l Use testimonials and invite leading personalities to talk about their experiences relating to the topic that the course is dealing with Implications l Commitment and ownership at the political level l Increased visibility l Relevance to people's problems and lives Discussion Nicole Schwab: What insights did you get from working together on (re)designing a training activity? Participant: I felt we needed more time and more structure because designing a learning activity is our most important problem. Participant: In the redesign part I felt we kept coming back to old ideas and concepts. It was good to have “Challengers” from outside to look at the methodologies. Participant: For me it was frustrating to do two rounds on the same training activity. Nicole Schwab: There is some research stemming from the work of artists and designers that suggests that you need to go through seven iterations of design before getting to a good final product. Participant: I have a specific reflection on the collaborative work: it would be very useful to exchange more often with other programmes and units within the Centre.

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Section 5

Trends

Assignment Participants explored selected trends that are shaping the world, which have implications for learning and training, including: technology, connectivism, social networks and collaborative minds. After sharing views on how these developments might impact their work, teams captured their insights by building three dimensional models of how they envisioned the organization, the participants and the Center’s learning approach 5 years from now.

Questions:

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1.

New technology: an earthquake for your learning assumptions?

2.

Technology: knowing what to choose?

3.

How does technology change the way we learn?

4.

In the mood for Learning 2.0?

5.

How can you use 2.0 Learning tools in your various learning contexts (trainer/ learner)?

6.

Social networks: cool new thing? Learning tool?

7.

Are you a behaviourist? Cognitivist? Constructivist? Connectivist?

8.

Being open. Sharing. Peering. Acting globally. All this in a nutshell?

9.

Can Toy Story teach us something on learning and training?

Section 6

François Eyraud This is an opportunity for me to say a few words on this organisation and to give you some insights on our overall strategy. Currently, when we recruit people for our technical departments, we base our decisions first on their technical expertise in a specific field. This is why we need to train them as trainers, to strengthen their pedagogical capacities, keeping in mind that we also need to find ways to regularly update their technical knowledge. But the strength of our Centre is precisely its training capacities and we should aim at excellence in this area. Robin and his team are developing a series of training sessions on engineering training, they will soon develop techniques kits. At the same time, we are reinforcing the training department and the support services to give more training-related support to the technical programmes. Regarding the library and the documentation we will probably make some changes in this direction also. Once again, we are a training centre specialised in labour issues. We have to have excellent technical knowledge, but we also need outstanding training skills. This is our strategy for the development of the organisation. Training techniques are also about the space, about the environment and this is one of the reasons why we choose to organize this event in this kind of setting. We have recently visited the training centre of UniCredit bank in Torino, which is organized in a very similar way and I found it very interesting. Let’s organise a visit for those who want to see their space and try to take some inspiration from it.

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Section 7 Our Assignment I invite you to share with us your thoughts on the role of the trainer.

Group 1 (Transform) Role of the trainer: l Expert l Facilitator l Administrator Ideal Situation: l Function-time equilibrium (too much functions for the time available) l Share and control risk with other trainers or consultants l Finding enough time and space to develop good quality products l Optimum energy levels of the trainers l More facilities on campus to achieve better work-life balance l Targets vs. quality; we need targets but also the time to develop high quality products l Opportunities to develop technical and methodological skills l Increase responsibilities of course assistants l Gender sensitive+ respect

Group 2 (Share) Role of the trainer: l Architect of the learning process l Facilitators of learning l Captain of the learning ship able to adapt to changing conditions l Group dynamics – creator of the learning environment l Core knowledge of the subject matter l Passionate l Able to build networks l Team builder l Manager of external resources l Accountable/ quality controller l Our added value is our capacity to deliver good quality courses. If we have so many constraints on time and budget we cannot be creative

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Role Group 3 (Wonder) Our group was composed of the representatives of all the support services. Role: l Anticipate/ Assess needs l Facilitate the learning process l Suggest innovations and new solutions to the various problems l We are mainly reactive in our relationship with the technical services but we believe that we can be more proactive l Be more involved in the course design at an early stage in order to be an effective partner Functions: l Contribute to create a good learning environment l Ensure functionality/ quality of services l Promote the Centre and keep the quality of the image we give outside, ensure institutional and visual coherence Relationships: l Collaborative l Participatory l Problem solving Challenges/ opportunities l Increasing demand l Frequent interruption/ continuity of work l Lack of resources l Build very good quality network of external service providers l Review regularly the way we deliver services l Competitiveness of internal services/ challenges from the external market

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Section 7 Our Role Group 4 (Feel) Role: As trainers, we see ourselves as a combination of three Star Trek characters: l the captain who is a very good leader l the betazoid who has the capacity to empathically feel the emotions of others l the android who has unlimited knowledge They have the fantasy to explore the unexplored and the curiosity to get into contact with other species. We do not strive to be an ideal trainer who knows everything and does everything in a perfect way, but we aim to be a person that has enough capacities and skills to get things done. Most of the challenges and opportunities that we face have been already mentioned but I would like to remind you that when people come here, they appreciate their experience on the campus. In spite of our problems, we are able to do good work.

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Group 5 (Imagine): Do we have to be more of a trainer or more of an activity manager? To answer this question we went through all the functions we have to perform as ITC-ILO trainers: l Analysis of needs of participants l Content design l Resource planning l Building partnerships and informal networks l Performing research l Ensuring a proper interaction and communication with participants Core functions l Design of the course (including resource management) l Validation l Supervision l Production l Delivery l Evaluation (maintain links, follow-up) l Functions that we have but we feel they should be delegated: l Promotion l Administrative work (translation of the courses, visa requirements, recruitment, IT support) Participant: It is excellent that the LearningLab gave us the possibility to collectively look at these common issues.

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Section 8 Emer Assignment As a group, participants identified the priority issues / themes to be addressed and formed teams to work on them, identify the core challenges in each and provide some initial recommendations / potential solutions.

Theme 1: Working together – Sharing knowledge The challenge: l To come up with better quality courses and meet participants' needs without increasing costs Barriers: l Perceptions that each one of us is highly specialised in one topic and hence co-designing courses is not possible l Time intensive l Different approaches and views l Working outside of our immediate circle of personal contacts l Not part of the organisational culture Solutions: l Modular course involving 3 or 4 different technical units in plenary and parallel sessions according to interest l Organise monthly courses for activity managers / monthly lunches l Pilot courses designed jointly e.g. on Decent Work l Implementing methodologies for continuous sharing (blog)

Theme 2: Gender The challenge: is our learning model a male learning model? YES because: l Top management: mostly male l Course assistants: mostly female l Code of conduct on culture of respect is frozen l No gender reference in the job descriptions l Lowest evaluation for the gender question l Study on gender & family responsibility l Few staff attending gender courses l Gender review of curricula NO because: l Gender issue integrated into the Introduction Training of ITCILO policy l Specific women courses (SME, ILS, ACTRAV, SD) l Visibility of the Centre (EU Project) l Wide range of tools & expertise, reporting & statistics on this topic

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rging Themes Who is accountable for implementing the ITC-ILO policy on gender? l Unit – project implementation l Weak gender focal points network l No follow-up to action (survey, core competencies) l Coherence among policy implementation and institutional organization – reflect it in the Centre's learning model

Theme 3: Personal and staff development The challenge l The financial implications of longer-term training/ placement at personal/ programme level l Integrated learning approach between HR and technical programmes l Linking the performance appraisal to individual learning goals Participant: I would like to make a suggestion. For the purpose of personal and staff development, it is very useful to make an effort to participate in the annual ILO conference. It is a really good training to work with the technical committees.

Theme 4: Structural organization and competencies / Relationship between support services and training programme needs Our reflections focused on solutions, because we all know what the problems are. The solutions we propose range from very simple, immediately implementable, to more complex ones. Solutions: l Joint design of a quality charter l Make sure we have more interdisciplinary interactions l A focal point in administration who deals with participants' problems related to logistics l An official (admin/PS/?) who welcomes the participants when they arrive on campus l Invite colleagues from the service units to come to our courses to gain knowledge of what a course implies l Avoid excessive work and repetition l Services must be provided regardless of the grade / position: “Love all, Serve all” l Training on customer service for the support services and subcontractors l Understand that a service is not a personal favour l Mechanism for creating understanding (e.g. job rotation) l Raise awareness about the new roles and functions of the Centre

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Section 8 Emerging Themes l l l l

Harmonise overtime treatment Assessment of internal services and of training subcontractors Proactive mentality of course assistants: redefine roles and responsibilities Streamline and simplify procedures

Participant: The interaction between support services and trainers is a very old story but we have to find a way to reconcile the views of both sides. We all need to have a constructive approach. Participant: Let's create a space for the people involved to exchange and share their views and their needs in an informal way, just like we did during the last 2.5 days in the Learning Lab. Participants: Indeed, as trainers we do not know their point of view and we do not understand what their problems are. We need to start from this point: understanding each other's needs. Participant: Can we agree on one concrete action on this topic? Participant: There is something going on already, a working group is dealing with the main issues addressed.

Theme 5: Peer review We started our discussions with a fundamental question: is peer reviewing a control or a support function? We agreed that it should be a support function. We propose to start by creating a pool of peer reviewers and to create an ad-hoc panel: l Antonio/George/ Robin l Delta l Gender: Non-discrimination l Methodology advisors from other Programmes l ACTRAV, ACTEMP, SP, as appropriate The pool of peer reviewers will: Service new curriculum l Revise current curriculum l Overview learning strategy l

We propose to put in place the pool of peer reviewers in the 1st quarter of 2009. Participant: Maybe each one can propose a list of courses that should be peer reviewed. Participant: I suggest concentrating our efforts on standard, relatively young courses. Participant: I believe we need peer reviewing more on the methodology than on the content of courses. Participant: Well, it depends, in some areas we need both and we could bring in some external experts for the peer review of the content.

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Theme 6: Knowledge management In order to propose a knowledge management / sharing solution, we considered the following elements: I.

The beginning: the challenge

II.

Where we are now

III. Our assumptions IV. The process V. I.

The people The beginning: the challenge Knowledge info uploaded under TU guidance n Use Intranet/ Learning portal n Decide on index/ Classification n Codify the type of information n Knowledge generated by ITC-ILO or coming from external sources (Documentation Service) n Could the Documentation Service take a different role from the current one, e.g. proactive involvement in promotion/ presentations of new publications? n Which is/ could be the role of DELTA in internal knowledge sharing? n

II.

Where we are now… (Documentation Service) Gathering n Selection n Data entry n Indexing sector and keywords n Shelving n Briefing/ dissemination n

III. Our assumption: knowledge management/ share is a continuous and iterative process IV. The process Step 1: Analysis Analysis of the needs of the users n Brainstorming on the type of knowledge that we want to share n

Step 2: Gather the information n Scanning n Voice input (interviews) n Pulling information from various sources n Searching for information to include n Data entry n Mix virtual and physical sources Step 3: Organizing Filtering/selecting n Indexing n Cataloguing n Linking n

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Section 7 Emerging Themes Step 4: Disseminating/ using n Alert/ push n Training users V. The people Competencies: n Analytical/ synthetic skills n Instructing/ guiding n Strong IT skills n Knowledge of various info sources n Organisational capacities n Analyse and plan future needs n Coordinating skills Focal points: n Network of focal points within the technical services to help gathering the information

Theme 7: The Regional Dimension Why do we need to have a regional dimension? To understand the implications at the regional/ national level l To be close to our clients l To respond to specific needs l DWCP's are ILO priorities l To make the best use of the resources available at the national level l To ensure the relevance of the Centre's offer l

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Current situation l Under construction l Regional dimension almost absent for some regions l Collaboration between training programmes and regional desks not institutionalized l Weak coordination and communication l Distorted communication channels between ITC-ILO/ TP and ILO regional structures Improvements l Joint missions (technical + regional programmes / desks) l More balanced distribution interregional-regional-countryspecific l Better complementarities between the Centre's regional offerings and ILO sub-regional/ country activities (DWCPs+ TC) l Improve/ strengthen/ institutionalise consultation process between TP's and PROVED External challenges Increased ILO control over ITC-ILO work but no responsibility over delivery l No reciprocity in info/consultation/involvement from ILO to the Centre l ITC-ILO excluded from implementation of training activities resulting in delays, cancellations and cost issues l

Internal challenges Linguistic barriers l Heavy work plans (TP) to design tailor-made activities l

Theme 8: Environment/ Space We reflected on the practical solutions we can propose in order to make our environment/ space as friendly and accessible as possible. Our proposals: l Organise outdoor meeting places l Organise the type of environment that fits best the characteristics of each activity as well as the requirements of the activity manager l Display a tri-dimensional model of the campus at the reception l More decoration, plants in training rooms l Lighting / curtains l Projectors / screen l Remote control for PowerPoint l e-voting system for the participants l Touch screens smart board l Chairs with flip table l Buy furniture according to training need and not what the provider has in his storage Participant: It is important to understand that flexibility in the environment we create is a sign of our capacity to be more flexible in our training habits.

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Section 8 Closi Sigrid Kroon: We come to an end of these 2.5 days. Thank you very much for your work, it was very intense, you went through a lot of inputs, perspectives, identified priority themes and in the end, came up with a lot of important ideas. I would like to invite François Eyraud and Robin Poppe to say a few closing words. François Eyraud: For me, the exercise was very useful from many points of view. Indeed, many unexpected issues appeared, this event was supposed to concentrate mainly on training methodologies. However, it is absolutely clear that the issues you raised related to the organisation and administration will be considered.

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ng There is one thing I wanted to say with respect to the value-added of the Centre and our activities. It is true that our courses are given and implemented in a standardized format, but we need to integrate the courses given by the experts with a learning approach and a knowledge sharing system. We have to think of ways of integrating innovative tools into a rich methodology. Robin and his team will make a concrete proposal and we will see how we can progress on this issue. The value added of the Centre resides in its capacity to continuously offer something new, something different that changes the traditional ways of conducting training activities. It is clear that we need to find a link between the content of the courses, the way they are given and the materials and space we are using. This is something we have to do together. As far as I am concerned, I clearly see the objectives; we now need to find a way to reach them within the limits of our constraints. Robin Poppe: I would like to add that it was nice to see the use you made of the Learning Log book. Remember that it is a tool conceived to accompany us through several staff development activities and that we will use its content during an internal retreat on methodology at the beginning of next year. The style used for this event corresponds to my learning style, I benefited a lot from the event; I hope it is also your case. I would like to thank the facilitators and their team for their tremendous work.

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How you will learn Keeping organizations abreast with global changes, taking up new opportunities and addressing rapidly evolving challenges that affect organizations’ and individuals’ contexts, or finding a job that matches ones competencies, increasingly require learning in diverse circumstances and through a variety of modalities. The separation between work, life and learning moments becomes blurred. Opportunities for learning to increase well-being in life and in the workplace are plenty, the key to achieve it is sustained learning. The Turin Learning Approach will open a new learning experience, based on the following ingredients.

Learner centred l

Individual and organizational learning needs are systematically assessed, matched and aligned.

Flexible design l

Design is of primary importance, it is flexible and tailored to participants’ needs, where possible it is based on their context.

Contextual l

Training is job-related, implemented in eight languages and comprises three phases: n e-learning: on-line information, resources and knowledge sharing n face-to-face: sharing practices, upgrading knowledge, skills and attitudes and exposure to international expertise n e-learning: on-line resources + forum & blog; application of learning.

Delivers global values l

The Centre’s goal is primarily to develop institutional capacity in ILO member countries. Themes and content are built on ILO global values, knowledge and expertise, in support of decent work and development.

Complete learning resources l

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The ITC-ILO contains a repository of learning resources generated from over 40 years of experience with the ILO and its global development operations, e-learning operations, creation of multi-language learning material, access to a unique selection of learning databases, cooperation with UN agencies, linkages with universities and centres of excellence world wide.

with the ITC-ILO Experiential l

l

Learning is experiential and results-based, methods are active, participatory, practice-oriented, and make extensive use of information and communication technology (ICT). No lecturing! : at least 60% of the time is used for structured and facilitated learning through sharing experience among practitioners, practical exercises and applications (no more than 40% presentations by experts).

Embedding l

Part of the ITC-ILO workshops is devoted to how participants can concretely share or embed their learning in their organization, including by training (multiplier).

Diverse l

Diversity (in nationality, gender, background and experience) is an asset and is made use of in the design of all learning activities. Gender is mainstreamed in all activities and learning material.

Professional learning management l

All training is systematically evaluated against previously set objectives. The ways the findings are fed back into design are documented.

Fosters a network of learning associates l

Former participants can continue to benefit from the Centre’s expertise and remain connected through the alumni (‘learning associates’) network.

Competent staff/ facilitators l

The Centre’s staff responsible for training takes part in continuous development, upgrading pedagogical state-of-theart practices and subject matter expertise.

State of the art learning environment l

The campus of the ITC-ILO is equipped with training facilities allowing to maximise learning; all have workstations with free internet connection, some are equipped for video-conference or simultaneous interpretation. Several services provide support to learning: documentation, multimedia design and production, translation and interpretation, information systems. When facilitating off-campus, the venue is possibly adapted into a learning-friendly environment.

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