Work Based Learning Community of Practice

WBLCoP (Work Based Learning Community of Practice) is a research group aimed at exploring challenges, opportunities, and tensions in and around this growing field at the intersection of higher education, workforce policy and employer development. Areas of interest include applications of macro-level policy as they impact on students and employers alongside explorations of the micro and meso spaces of daily life for apprentices engaged in learning. We also wish to contribute to disparate applications of work-based learning theories around the impact and effectiveness of this type of learning and its short- and longer-term impacts on individuals, organisations and/or society.

Journal outputs

Myers, Fran; Baxter, Jacqueline; Selby-Fell, Helen and Morales, Andrés (2025). Navigating from industry to higher education: Practitioner transitions to academic life. British Educational Research Journal (early access). https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.4109

Power-Mason, Phil; Charlton, Helen; Walker-Martin, Francesca and Bloomfield, Sarah, A Sector in Crisis? Insights from how English Higher Education Apprenticeships are Weathering the Storm (2024-11-19) Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning (In press)

Decker-Lange, C., Lange, K., and Walmsley, A., (2024) How does entrepreneurship education affect employability? Insights from UK higher education, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 30 No. 5, pp. 1249-1269. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEBR-08-2023-0856

Horáčková, Clare; Bloomfield, Sarah; Pereira, Carla Roberta and Mutwarasibo, Fidèle (2024). Delivering the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship: What are the challenges and implications for good practice? Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning (Early Access).

Reid, K., Butler, D., Comfort, C., & Potter, A. (2023). Virtual internships in open and distance learning contexts: Improving access, participation, and success for underrepresented students, Distance Education, 44(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2023.2209029

Conference papers

Bloomfield, Sarah; Mooney, Evelyn Keynote: Maximising the Effectiveness of the Tripartite Relationship in Degree Apprenticeships (2025) In : Social Work Apprenticeship Annual National Employer Network Event (26 Mar 2025, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK)

Bloomfield, Sarah; Mooney, Evelyn; Salter, Abigail; Reid, Kristen; Marshall, Helen and Smith, Maria Employing a world-café for research purposes: warts and all (2025) In : The Ninth Annual Qualitative Research Symposium 2025: Transparency, openness and rigour (28-29 Jan 2025, University of Bath, UK)

Salter, Abigail; Bloomfield, Sarah and Smith, Maria. Navigating the complexities of work-based learning among learners, employers, and educators workshop: Three’s a crowd? (2024-11-13) In:Centre for Policing Research and Learning (CPRL) 10th Anniversary Conference (13-14 Nov 2024, Milton Keynes, UK)

Pokorny, Helen; Bloomfield, Sarah; Booth, Joanna; Rosamond, Victoria and Brown, Trevor A. Recognising prior experiential learning (in degree apprenticeships): New ways of thinking - why we should, why we aren't, and how we could be doing it (2024-11-06) In:UVAC National Conference (6 Nov 2024, Birmingham, UK)

Salter, Abigail and Bloomfield, Sarah. Three’s a Crowd? Navigating the Complexities of Work-Based Learning Among Learners, Employers, and Educators: A Collaborative Approach in Higher Education (2024-10-29) In:ISSOTL (International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) 24 (28-31 Oct 2024, Indiana, USA)

Bloomfield, Sarah; Marshall, Helen; Timmins, Susan; Reid, Kristen and Myers, Fran. Tension, emotion and altruism: line managers as unsung heroes at the workforce development coalface? (2024-07-01)  In:UALL–SCUTREA Conference 2024: Thinking globally and acting locally for lifelong learning (1-3 Jul 2024, SOAS, University of London)

Myers, Fran; Reid, Kristen and Bloomfield, Sarah. Apprentice Perspectives: Agency, resilience, and withdrawal in work-based learning provision (2024-06-17). In:The 13th Researching Work and Learning conference (17-19 Jun 2024, Linköping University, Sweden)

Bloomfield, Sarah; Mooney, Evelyn; Marshall, Helen; Salter, Abigail; Reid, Kristen; Smith, Maria and Abbott, Christine. Employer supported learning in Higher Education: Maximising the opportunity provided by the ‘tripartite relationship’ in degree apprenticeships (2024). In:NEON Summer Symposium (13-14 Jun 2024, University of West London, UK)

Bloomfield, Sarah; Nottingham, Paula; Sutton, Louise; Timmins, Susan and Mao, Yan. Modelling work-based learning on degree apprenticeships as an integrated learning experience (2024). In:12th Chartered Association of Business Schools Conference on Learning, Teaching and Student Experience (14-15 May 2024, Birmingham, UK)

Bloomfield, S.,  Pereira, C.R., Horáčková, C., and Mutwarasibo, F., (2023). 'Maximising the work-based learning opportunity provided by the Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA). Global Citizenship and Lifelong Learning', 26-28 June 2023, Madingley, Cambridge, UK.

Reid, K., Bloomfield, S., and Myers, F., (2023) ‘The Straw that broke the camel’s back’ UVAC Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship Knowledge Network, 29 Nov 2023, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK.

Bloomfield, S., Horáčková, C., Pereira, C., and Mutwarasibo, F. (2023) ‘Delivering the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship: what are the challenges and implications for good practice?’ UVAC Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship Knowledge Network, 29 Nov 2023, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK.

Comfort, C., Reid, K., Butler, D., and Potter, A. (2023). 'Employability and student success: Virtual internships for underrepresented students', Through the looking glass: How Higher Education is using the lens of access, participation, and success to create equity for all students, 7th Biennial Conference on Access, Participation and Success, 26-27 April 2023, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.

Butler, D., Potter, A., Reid, K., and Comfort, C. (2022). 'Support work experience in the new normal: Virtual internships post COVID-19, Towards smart and inclusive learning ecosystem, European Distance Education Network (EDEN) Research Workshop, 19-20 September 2022, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Other outputs

Bloomfield, Sarah Engaging with employers to enhance workplace skills development: Example from the Level 6 Management Degree Apprenticeship (2024) In : Employability Scholarship Network Event (10 Dec 2024, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK)

Bloomfield, Sarah and Mooney, Evelyn Maximising the opportunity provided by the ‘tripartite relationship’ in degree apprenticeships (2024-11-25) In: Pan University project dissemination event (25 Nov 2024, The Open University, Milton Keynes)

Myers, F., Reid, K., and Bloomfield, S., (2023) Business and Management Degree Apprenticeships – a quiet revolution, a work-in-progress, or business-as-usual? Available at: Business and Management Degree Apprenticeships – a quiet revolution, a work-in-progress, or business-as-usual? (SCiLAB) blogpost (Accessed: 1 March 2024)

Pokorny, Helen; Bloomfield, Sarah; Booth, Joanna. The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPeL) – How do we do this? (Workshop) (2023-07-02). In:Global Citizenship and Lifelong Learning (1-3 July 2024, SOAS, London)

Myers, F., Bloomfield, S., and Reid, K., (2023) What happens when apprentices are made redundant? Available at: What happens when apprentices are made redundant | Wonkhe (Accessed: 22 November 2023)

Meet the team

Dr Sarah Bloomfield (Community Organiser)

Dr Sarah Bloomfield is a Senior Lecturer in Work and Organisational Learning in the Department of People and Organisations at The Open University. Sarah works across management degree apprenticeship programs and her research and practice focus on how individual and collective managerial effectiveness can be improved in the workplace, recognising that each work situation is unique.

Dr Kristen Reid (Community Organiser)

Dr Kristen Reid is a Senior Lecturer in Work-Based Learning in the Department for Public Leadership and Social Enterprise at The Open University. She is interested in the design and delivery of work-integrated learning in distance and online contexts, and the transformative nature of work-based learning. She serves as the Academic Lead for the university’s group on work experience.

Dr Fran Myers (Community Organiser)

Dr Fran Myers is a Lecturer in Management in the Department for People and Organisations at The Open University. She is currently module chair for BXY130 on the CMDA. Her current scholarship projects are on digital enclosure and digital identity, alongside wider research interests in narrative work, organisational storytelling, and mediatisation in organisational and public life. Fran is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Jeanette Davies

Jeanette Davies is a Student Experience Manager and PhD student in The Open University's Business School, researching social mobility and work-based learning. With extensive experience in further and higher education, her expertise includes curriculum development, quality assurance and overseeing student experience in higher education. Her research explores the long-term impact of work-based learning programmes on social mobility and graduate outcomes, focusing on how these pathways support career progression and socio-economic mobility. Passionate about widening participation and inclusive education, she seeks to contribute to discussions on educational policy and work-based learning practice, aiming to bridge the gap between academic learning and professional development.

Dr Fidèle Mutwarasibo

Fidèle is a Lecturer in Work-Based Learning at The Open University and Director of the University’s Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership. Fidèle has extensive experience running mentoring, shadowing and internship programmes (for students and graduates), acquiring this expertise during decades-long engagements in the voluntary sector in Ireland and the United Kingdom. At The Open University, Fidèle has worked on the CMDA programme and the development of BXM192 and other Black Leadership and Empowerment Programme components. He is interested and passionate about researching work-based learning and firmly believes in lifelong learning.

Helen Marshall

Helen is a leadership development professional with a passion for bridging the gap between learning and application within the work environment. During her career, Helen has held a variety of positions focused on work based learning and application, including almost 20 years founding and leading a learning consultancy, senior managerial positions with responsibility for multi-million-pound contracts and 200+ staff, and an academic role in the Centre for Lifelong Learning at Newcastle University. Helen is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

Abigail Salter

Abigail is a dedicated Lecturer in the Department for Policing, serving as the Qualification Lead for the Police Constable Entry Programme. In addition, she plays a pivotal role as a Module Team Chair and Practice Tutor for the Police Constable Apprenticeship Programme. Currently, Abigail is pursuing a Doctorate of Education, focusing her research on the lived experiences of meaningful learning in the workplace of police officers. As a member of the SCiLAB Scholarship and Innovation Group, she has contributed to scholarship research in collaboration with both SciLab and Pan University working with various faculties. Abigail is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has showcased her work at the International Society of Teaching and Learning conference, reflecting her commitment to advancing education in policing.

Mary Shek

Mary is a Practice Tutor for the Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeships Programme at The Open University Business School. She also teaches on a Health and Wellbeing Module in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Languages. Mary’s research interests like in the area of Social Justice. She is interested in the subject of power, identity and voices of those who are oppressed.

Susan Timmins

Susan is a Practice Tutor for the Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeships (CMDA) and an Associate Lecturer for Shaping Business Opportunities (B207) module. Prior to working for The Open University, she gained extensive senior management experience as an assistant head at a large comprehensive school. Her areas of expertise include quality assurance and developing teaching and learning across school to raise standards and achievement. She has worked as Teacher Educator and an external assessor for Initial Teacher Education. Susan’s interests are in Degree Apprenticeships and the contribution to workforce development. Susan is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Dr Carolin Decker-Lange

Carolin is a Senior Lecturer in Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Brunel Business School having joined in February 2023. Previously, Carolin was a Senior Lecturer in Management at The Open University, where she contributed to the SLMDA/SLA programmes and engaged in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). Based on her experience as an apprentice in Germany and as an academic at The Open University, Carolin has developed an interest in educational research on work-based learning in apprenticeship degree programmes to enhance the student experience.

PhD Student

Sue Parr