What is it?
Learning at Work Week is an annual event, co-ordinated by Campaign for Learning to help build learning cultures in the workplace. The organisation coordinates the event nationally and offers resources and ideas for learning and development (L&D) colleagues to run a range of activities as part of their own campaigns.
This year’s theme is ‘Learning Uncovered’ and will run from the 16th May – 22nd May. The Learning at Work Week website has a range of planning ideas, news and activities. You can also sign up for updates from the LAWW newsletter there.
Why take part in Learning at Work Week?
Organisations take part for a variety of reasons – they depend on your particular context and goals. Previously stated reasons include;
- Changing attitudes to learning and work
- Greater awareness of opportunities to learn
- Greater employee engagement with learning
- Stimulating and collating feedback, ideas and perspectives that inform future planning
- Opportunities to discover and recognise internal talent
- Encouraging a broader perspective on how learning and development happens and how employees can take advantage of new ways to learn – from traditional class-room based training through social media to team meets for generating and sharing learning
- Addressing workplace silos and bridging information gaps
- Bringing employees from different parts of the business together or partner organisations in to learn from each other
What do companies use Learning at Work Week for?
Some companies use it as a rebrand/refresh opportunity for their learning and development programmes. They run a range of activities throughout the week, such as non-work related and interest-led activities through to award ceremonies and business-focused sessions. Some organisations use LAWW and similar events to contribute to their company culture and help develop their Employer Brand. To find out more about Employer Brand and also see how we can help you develop yours, please visit the Talent Works website.
Learning Uncovered – the theme
The LAWW 2022 theme – Learning Uncovered focuses on deepening our understanding, knowledge and engagement in lifelong and continual learning. It looks at the following:
- Why it’s important to be lifelong learners and support lifelong learning
- How we can initiate and support lifelong learning as individuals and in our work communities
- The opportunities and benefits that lifelong learning offers for work and life
One of the approaches to Learning at Work Week 2022 is to be more inclusive and consequently, celebrate the importance and value of all different types of learning and show how your organisation supports this. Another aspect of LAWW is to uncover hidden skills, experience or knowledge that your colleagues may have. These skills may include languages, creative arts, science, history, management, technology and more. Consequently, sharing these with your colleagues can foster a stronger work environment, help promote ideas, conversations and innovation.
What do I need to do?
If your organisation wants to take part in Learning at Work Week, you should visit the ‘Get Started‘ page. There are a number of guides there and links to sign up to the newsletter and their Twitter account. In addition to the guides, you’ll receive all of the latest updates from Learning for Work Week. There are sections to help you plan your event and, additionally, share the news about your plans. Sharing the news about your event will of course, help raise awareness of what you’re doing and may encourage others to get involved too.
The event and access to the online resources are all free, however, the Campaign for Learning website states that most organisers spend around £100 on arranging their event.
Every year, seminars are run by Campaign for Learning to celebrate the week. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the key focuses will be on developing virtual programmes and activities.
If your organisation is interested in taking part, visit the Learning at Work Week 2022 page now and sign up.