This research project focuses on learning opportunities provided for workers with disabilities in a form of sheltered employment known as Permanent Adapted Employment (PAE) in Norway. Previous studies have explored how disabled people can successfully transition from school to employment, how to promote their integration in competitive employment, and the importance of self-determination in their career path (E.g. Dean et al., 2017; Mazzotti et al., 2020; Trainor et al., 2020). However, there is a lack of research that acknowledges that workers with disabilities should also have the opportunity to increase their competence and career development. Without this acknowledgement, research may contribute to the perception that people with disabilities can only aim to obtain and retain employment, and that they cannot expect the same opportunities for professional and personal development as other employees (Fossan, In press). Additionally, much of the special education and VET research fails to offer insight into how learning and qualification processes are understood and facilitated for in this context. The purpose of this study is to expand the knowledgebase with respect to this issue. We developed the following overarching research question and related sub-questions to address this goal: What learning opportunities are promoted for workers in the sheltered employment solution, Permanent Adapted Employment (PAE)? 

Research Question 1: What goals and plans do social enterprises have for their workers’ learning? 

Research Question 2: What goals and ambitions do supervisors emphasize in their descriptions of PAE as a learning context for their workers? 

Each research question was addressed through a separate study, utilizing different theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches. The first study (Fossan, In press) applies (Dewey, 1916)Dewey’s (1916) perspectives on vocational education, the use of occupational activities in education, continuous educational development throughout life, and the development of habits. The purpose of the social enterprises (PAE facilities) can be understood as a context for promoting these aspects. However, the lack of work participation excludes workers with extensive support needs from these learning opportunities during adult life. Dewey’s thinking has significantly influenced modern organisational research and our understanding of knowledge and learning, making it highly relevant for the study of workplace learning (Elkjær, 2022). Through their work, social enterprises promote work experience and reflection on the task being performed. The environments created by social enterprises influence what workers learn and how this learning occurs. 

            The second study, which explores the goals and ambitions of advisors the PAE facilities, employs Wolfenberger’s (2000) Teory of Social Role Valorization (SRV). This theory has been criticized for its categorical perspective on disability, which can limit self-determination. However, Wolfensberger (2002) argues that the theory is not normative but rather aims to illustrate how the presence or absence of power, autonomy and rights affect social image, competence, roles, and how individuals are perceived and treated by others. Workers with extensive support needs are at risk of being devalued by society, lacking control over their careers, and missing out on opportunities and challenges. SRV suggests steps that professionals, such as advisors, can take to enhance the social roles of workers. For example, using language and creating environments that reflect normality, increasing their competence, and educating society to change the image and expectations held about them. These processes require learning and development from both the workers and the advisors, establishing PAE as a context for learning. 

Study 1: The data for this study consists of 10 documents (funding proposals) that describe the implementation of PAE, obtained from ten different social enterprises. These documents, written by the social enterprises, respond to the demands of the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration regarding organization, content, the workers’ tasks, measures for qualification, and the social enterprises’ competence in strengthening workers’ opportunities in work life and in their development. Participating enterprises include both companies with a large proportion of employees with intellectual disabilities and companies with a majority of workers who have substance abuse problems and/or mental health issues. However, most of the enterprises had a wide range of employees with various reasons for needing an adapted workplace. A document analysis was conducted to gain insight into the plans and goals the social enterprises have for their workers’ learning. This was done using a comparative method, inspired by (Boeije, 2002), emphasizing comparison within each document and comparison between the 10 different funding proposals. Study 2: The data consists of interviews with 10 advisors (six women and four men). The participants worked in five social enterprises in Norway and had various work tasks and roles related to the workers. Eight interviews were conducted digitally, while two were held at the supervisor’s workplace. In semi-structured interviews they were asked questions about their understanding of learning, their goals for guidance given, and their experiences in facilitating workers’ learning. The data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2022) approach to thematical analysis. The first phase of the analysis involved becoming thoroughly familiar with the data and making simple notes on the associations and themes that emerged. Each interview and the supervisor’s descriptions were then coded by theme. The codes included themes related to learning content, guidance, and working methods in the supervisors’ practice in PAE. To make the number of themes manageable and to highlight those central to the research question, the codes were reviewed again to examine nuances and commonalities among the established codes. The aim of the subsequent work was to bring out the recurring discussions that the advisors emphasized in the interviews.

Study 1: Findings indicate that employees in PAE can enhance their formal and informal qualifications, and therefore continuous education in accordance with Dewey (1916). Social enterprises use vocational education curricula to train work skills, potentially leading to formal qualification. Thus, PAE can be seen as an extension of the education system. Parts of the curricula are used to train vocational skills and key competencies for workers not seeking formal qualifications. The documents reveal that social enterprises offer learning content aligned with the demands of working life and democratic principles, providing opportunities for learning life skills. These findings differ from previous studies indicating that sheltered work may limit self-determination, career opportunities and transitions to integrated work (E.g. Cimera, 2008; Tøssebro & Olsen, 2020; Wehman et al., 2018). Stronger cooperation between the social enterprises and the educational system could further develop this work solution, which may be cost-effective. Study 2: Findings suggest that advisors perceive PAE as a context for learning which encompasses formal vocational training. However, findings add nuance to results from study 1, as the advisors state that only a few workers are likely to complete formal training. Therefore, they highlight the value of informal qualifications. They stress the importance of the workers’ self-determination in their career paths and learning processes. The advisors challenge the ideal of integrated work being the best solution for workers’ development and consider PAE to be a workplace equal to ordinary workplaces. These findings differ from previous research (E.g. Olsen, 2009), which has found that advisors interpret workers’ disability as static. Emphasizing the workplace as a context for education can also align with ambitions to impact the “feedback loop” (Wolfensberger, 2002) concerning the workers, as their qualifications can lead to them being more valued by society. Consequently, the advisors’ work could also gain greater status.

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