The Importance Of Workplace Learning

Introduction

Workplace learning is the process (Rowden, 2007) of knowledge and skills acquisition, through both formal training programs and informal social interactions among employees and it occurs (Bound & Lin, 2011a) through the engagement of daily work, knowledge and experience are developed by the individuals and teams. Hicks et al (2007) (Hicks, Bagg, Doyle, & Young, 2007) added Workplace when learners complete their tasks and roles, acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes within their organisation, it will enhance both individual and organizational performance.

Workplace learning (Park & Jacobs, 2011) is best describes as the comprehensive ways that employees acquire new job-related information and it is that learning which derives

Business continuity management (Goh, 2008) is a holistically approach of planning, preparing and implementing business continuity plan in anticipating of a disaster that could drastically disrupt the organisation.

Nature and purpose of the roles and tasks

This BCM function can be a full-time or part-time position and it has a generic designation as “organisational BCM coordinator.” This person could report to the Chief Operating Officer, Chief Risk Officer or Chief Financial Officer and in smaller organisation to the Managing Director of the company, as it differs from industry to industry.

Organisational BCM coordinator has indirect reporting by part-time representatives from each business unit who is designated as the “business unit BCM coordinators.” These business unit level BCM representatives are appointed by the head of business unit to develop and implement their own business continuity plan within their respective business unit or as a sub-unit within the organisation.

The role of organisational BCM coordinators includes the

The roles of a organisation BCM coordinator is defined but the formal and informal training and the workplace learning for BCM is lacking (Anonymous, 2013). It is opportune that this BCM industry re-looks at the learning especially at the workplace of a BCM professional.

Learning required to carried out tasks

For simplicity in explaining the learning requirement for a BCM professional, it would be useful to divide the professionals into three specific areas: Novice, Practitioner and Expert. It is an adaptation of the skill acquisition work of Dreyfus and Dreyfus (Benner, 1982). It is usually easier to differentiate these three levels of knowledge, skill and abilities by the number of years that they are involved in this profession and the level of proficiency in BCM.

Knowledge, skills and abilities of worker Number of years of experience/ practice Levels of BCM proficiency

Novice Less than one year No experience to marginally acceptable performance

Practitioner One to five years Moderate with specific