Cloud 5 in the Spotlight: Workplace learning & HRD

Dear EAPRIL members,

I hope everybody is doing fine and enjoys summer! Recently Sirpa Laitinen-Väänänen announced to step down as a Cloud coordinator of Cloud 5. I would like to thank her very much for all the effort and inspiration she put into EAPRIL (first as a board member, then as chair-elect and finally as a chair) and more specifically in Cloud 5 as a cloud coordinator. It has been a real pleasure working with Sirpa who is creative, listening, and always positive and open for new ideas. I am wishing her all the best in the future!

For new members I would like to explain the focus of Cloud 5. In Cloud 5 the emphasis is on learning at workplaces, including educational institutions. HRD is not neglected, but the focus on the organizational level of workplace learning is considered more important.

In addition, within the field of workplace learning two broad areas can be discerned. First, workplace learning of employees in learning organisations, sometimes called work-related learning, or continuing professional development and second, workplace learning of students as part of the curriculum. In Cloud 5 the focus is on the first.

Topics discussed in Cloud 5 include formal, non-formal and informal learning at workplaces, professional learning at work, leadership and workplace learning, innovative work behavior as outcome of workplace learning, and online workplace learning. Remembering that schools and educational institutions at all levels of education are also workplaces. The interested settings are therefore primary, secondary, higher, and vocational education, corporations, and workplaces outside the education sector.

Methodologically, Cloud 5 applies quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods and showcases.

In addition, this Cloud is also interested to find ideas for international joint projects related to earlier mentioned fields.

I warmly welcome new members to Cloud 5. You can sign up for free, join via LinkedIn and/or or send an e-mail to arnoud.evers@ou.nl.

Finally, I wish everybody a nice summer and to see you all in November at the EAPRIL conference!

Kind regards,

Arnoud Evers