SUBJECT The division of learning into the three forms - formal, non-formal and informal learning - is debated in the frame of the European Qualification Framework (EQF) and the adjacent ECVET. The appropriateness of this division, as well as its utilisation and operationalisation in EQF, is contested but it has some theoretical foundations (cf. J. Winterton et al. 2005, J. Bjørnavold 2000). This article sets out to investigate one such form of learning; namely formal education and specifically its role and importance in enterprises. We then concentrate on training offered to employees that leads to some certification recognised by the national education system. A European project assessing the weight of formal education in training practises at enterprise level is about to conclude that this is quite a rare phenomenon in small and medium sized enterprises. In the Norwegian strand of this project it was discovered that SME managers had quite an inattentive view on formal education offered to employees. Without disregarding formal education, the managers favoured a blend of learning forms. Consequently, the contributions from various training providers were not steered by which provider could deliver training engendering formal qualifications for employees. From a management perspective, the upskilling of the workforce is rarely regulated by means of distinct training strategies. The country study revealed that training strategies are very often intertwined in broader strategies for Human Resources Development forming part of the overall management strategy. From an employee perspective, previous research has concluded that learning is most efficient when deriving from practical work experiences (T. Nyen et al. 2004). This is coupled to a fear of abstraction and theorizing, particularly among those who have not attended formal education for some years. RESEARCH QUESTION We will discuss how the blend of learning forms in enterprises can be explained, particularly with regard to what constitutes the demand for formal learning activities in enterprises. The article will shed light on how the rare phenomenon of formal education is present in enterprise training by analysing the blend of formal education and in-company training as well as other forms of competence development. We will in particular look at the managers’ propensity to favour in-company training or at least consider it at a pair with formal education. This will be analysed by addressing key ingredients in HRD strategies at the level of the firm.

In addition to a European project on training in SMEs, the article will draw on data from a second project carried out at national level in Norway, thus allowing us to harvest from eight case-studies. Firstly, findings from these case studies will be contextualised by means of two surveys embracing formal, non-formal and informal learning. Secondly, the Norwegian data will be compared with data from the European (i.e. EU FP6) project referred to above. The methodology resides on putting together qualitative and quantitative data to shed light on formal learning in enterprises. Our main hypothesis will be discussed against the background of theories addressing the following interrelated topics: training cultures in enterprises, workplace learning,training in enterprises and learning theory. These topics are linked to various authors CITED in the section references, see below.

Our main hypothesis is that the blend of learning forms is linked to the way in which training practices are embedded in ad hoc operational thinking as well as strategies at enterprise level. This blend reflects characteristics of the work processes in each enterprise, of the branch to which it belongs and of the national training framework linked to the education system. In sum, the article aims to present new empirical data on the blend of learning forms in enterprises, followed by a theoretical discussion of why formal education has a rather minor role in Norwegian enterprise training.