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Why Is Consideration of the Social and Economic Context Necessary for Understanding Work and Learning in Canada

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There are many factors impacting work and learning specifically in Canada. How workers are involved or participate can affect outcomes for the employee and employer. Social and economic are two factors that influence education, learning, training and work. In this essay, I will provide examples of why social and economic context must be considered when understanding work and learning. I will also examine assumptions frequently made by Human Resources Management (HRM) and their perspective on the purpose and outcomes of learning and the critiques that challenge these perspectives.
Understanding the social context for work and learning contains many variables. Life experiences, level of education, age, ethnicity and language, gender and social class are social factors to consider when understanding work and learning. As an example, “women are less likely to be offered workplace training as part of their jobs. There is an under-investment in training of female employees; factors influencing female participation include family obligations and the concentration of women in low-wage jobs that are least likely to offer training” (Pocock et al, 2011b; Roberts and Gowan, 2007; Livingstone and Sawchuk, 2004 as quoted in Canadian Labour and Business Centre, 2005, p. 11). It’s clear that gender affects how women consider work and learning and the impact on the organization’s output and profits. Canada consists of diverse cultures and ethnicities. New immigrants face language and ethnicity barriers resulting in increased low paying jobs with few learning opportunities. To create working groups of various cultures, belief’s, backgrounds, perspectives and values and not expect to experience conflict would be unrealistic. Men and women also face barriers such as child care, transportation and hours of work (shift work). Motivation for men and women for learning in the

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