With the the emphasis of European policies on vocational education and training the question arises in how far different systems of vocational education can be assessed against common standards. This refers to outcomes as well as to contexts of vocational learning. According to theories of professional learning and results of expertise and learning research a substantial part of the learning that leads to competent behaviour at the work place happens during work practice (e.g. Schön, 1983; Eraut, 1994 ). Therefore, any comparative standardised approach to vocational education and its effects needs to take into account the settings of formalised vocational education as well as learning within the enactment of vocational practice, that is in companies and organisations in which individuals work. Hypothetically, it could be reasoned that there should be some kind of visible relationshsip between the respective educational system (e.g. strong vocational orientation/strong academic oreintation; inclusive/selective etc.) and the forms of learning and learning support that can be identified in companies' realtities starting from recruitment over induction to HRD policies and practices. Cross national survey data about recruitment, induction and HRD policies and practices therefore could enhance the Europan knowldege base about vocational education too a large extent. However, data and approaches that are existing have approached the topic from other angles of inquiry. Therefore this workshop gathers a). researchers from different conceptual backgrounds that have b) in common their interest in research into companies’ formal and informal learning support and c). that have researched this based on the application of survey methodologies. Among others research on the topic has been carried out by three different strands of research that are represented in this workshop. Contributions to his workshop will be based on concepts from the domains of organisational design (author 4), labour economics (authors 5,6) and research into the participation of lifelong learning (authors 2,3). The workshop convernor is going elaborate the arguments above and will provide a questionnaire that supports the preparation of the workshop through a set of three to five questions focussing on 1. Methodological issues (e.g. target group: individuals or companies; issues of representativity, sectoral or occupational focus tec.) 2. Instruments and items applied in prior research 3. Results of research with regard to the abovementioned question.

As diverse are the underpinning concepts and backgrounds of the mentioned research traditions as diverse are the respective findings. Whereas labour economics are inreasingly concerned with the reformulation of their concepts of skills and competences and have developed the their concept of skill progression from a one-dimensional to a multidimensional concept that is emebedded into labour market institutions and their effects (Suleiman and Paul 2008), organisational theory has increasingly taken into account the "informal" aspects of learning and performance (Leoni and Gaj 2008). Research into lifelong learning participation also tries to get a deeper insight into the siginficance of employers and company cultures in fostering development and learning (see LLL2010, subproject 4, www.lll2010.tlu.ee) Nevertheless all workshop contributors share the background in having applied large scale survey methodologies to learning, recruitment and HRD practices in companies. This constitutes the common scientific background for discussion.

The workshop session will be a moderated discussion instead of a of row individual paper contributions. A questionnaire and an outline of the arguments above will be developed by the workshop co-ordinator. Each of the contributors will be asked to give short statements on a set of three to five questions. This will provide the framework of the workshop and render this into a number of moderated targeted discussions between contributors and the audience instead of a row of individual presentations. This will support the cross-disciplinary communication between the workshop participants and the identification of common interests as well as European issues in the research on this topic. It will also be discussed in how far cross-disciplinary co-operation can provide an answer to the abovemnetioned gap of research on in-company contexts of vocational learning.