Resisting Time Pressure – Work-Integrated Learning Facing Individual Challenges in Knowledge-Based Economies

The contemporary economic and working environment is more complex and turbulent than ever before. On the one hand, enterprises must succeed in turbulent and fast changing global markets. On the other hand, traditional models of the regular employee have been substituted by dynamic biographies. Nowadays, individuals are required to refresh their knowledge and modify their skills constantly and for a long working life while organizations have to use efficient instruments for the flexible transfer of work-related knowledge. These enhanced requirements of individual qualification and competency development conflict with the increasing time pressure of the economic and everyday life. This paper firstly analyzes lifelong learning and continuous competency development as essential requirements in a modern working environment. The socioeconomic dilemma, Time for Learning Processes vs. Time Pressure, however, shows that in the tightened conditions of today's economy the fulfilment of these requirements can only be obtained by innovative forms of work-integrated learning. Based on these results the paper finally describes the concept of Microtraning as one example of an efficient method of work-integrated learning and powerful measures to face the dilemma described.