Digitalised work-integrated microlearning: Enabling continuous vocational education and training in highly automated work invironments

The context of operation is a highly automated work environment of an automotive supplier, which we call a learning-hostile work environment due to their restrictive work conditions (e.g. isolated subtasks, little social exchange, unclear feedback of the work–here: unclear feedback of the automated production system in the case of malfunctions).
Grounded on a design-based research approach, we investigate whether and how digitalised learning opportunities can be enabled in such work environments to promote continuous vocational education and training. In this paper, we first analyse three themes of the discourses about work and learning in Germany: humanisation, competence orientation, and digitalisation. Subsequently, we systematise forms of work-integrated learning and criteria of work environments that are conducive and hostile to learning. These forms and criteria form the basis for our didactic approach of digitalised microlearning which we have tested in a highly automated work environment. The article concludes with a reflexive analysis and outlook. On the one hand, our approach led to the desired result: work-integrated learning was made possible. On the other hand, the development and implementation of digitalised work-integrated microlearning in a highly automated working environment is very demanding and effortful.