The document discusses the role of vocational trainers and workplace learning. It reports on research into the relationship between learning, work organization, and performance using qualitative and quantitative methods. It finds that learning arises from everyday work activities and specific needs, and the workplace context shapes the learning environment. Organizations operate within broader productive systems influenced by various external factors. Workplaces can enable or restrict learning, and managers play a crucial role in supporting learning. Two case studies show software engineers mentoring newcomers and automotive plant workers developing learning materials to stimulate on-the-job learning. The implications are that the role of the "trainer" is becoming more fluid, with employees assisting each other, and pedagogical skills need to

1. Can anyone be a trainer?: towards a more embedded role for vocational trainers Professor Lorna Unwin Institute of Education University of London For more information see http:// learningaswork . cardiff.ac.uk