For a long time, work-based learning has existed in practice without a dedicated place to be studied as a system in its own right. 

-It has never been informal. 
-It has never been invisible. 

Instead, work-based learning has always lived where people contribute — in homes, shops, fields, kitchens, clinics, and co-ops. However, formal research environments have rarely made space to examine, challenge, and advance it on its own terms.

That is beginning to change. 

The Council Advancing Work-Based Learning (CAWBL) is preparing to launch a new journal dedicated to work-based learning research — one grounded in practice, indexed by contribution, and designed to support a discipline that is rapidly taking shape. 

Recognizing Work-Based Learning as a Field of Research

Too often, people describe work-based learning as a method, a placement model, or an extension of institutional education. Yet this framing misses something important. Work-based learning is a system. It recognizes contribution itself as learning and, as a result, makes visible the knowledge people develop through participation in work, community life, caregiving, and civic engagement. While this understanding has always existed in practice, research and publication structures have rarely reflected it.

At the same time, across sectors, governments, employers, and practitioners are beginning to recognize the limits of instructional models alone. Interest is growing in approaches that make contribution visible, verifiable, and portable. A dedicated journal therefore creates space for this shift. It allows researchers, practitioners, and contributors to explore work-based learning not as a supplement to education systems, but as a field of knowledge production in its own right. Importantly, it also opens the door for voices that traditional publishing channels have historically excluded to participate in shaping the discipline.

This new journal represents an important step in strengthening the foundations of work-based learning as a recognized field of research, policy, and practice. More details will be shared soon. 

Connect With Us 

Interested in learning more about CAWBL’s research and field-building work?  Reach out to start a conversation!