The subject matter of this paper is the relationship between skills and knowledge acquired through the formal educational system versus practical experience. The primary question is to what extent and why practical experience from work at sea is valuable for land-based companies within the maritime sector in Norway. The question points to an underlying challenge in modern societies where the quest for academic knowledge might overshadow the meaning of practical skills. In 2007 Tony Blair formulated the much quoted: "Ask me my three main priorities for government and I tell you education, education, and education." A statement which is consistent with established political rhetoric in all European countries. Presumably, the future of modern societies and individual mobility appears to be inextricably linked to formal education. The aim of this paper is thereby not to deny the fact that formal education represents a common good. We ask, however, whether learning through practical work represents a kind of (tacit) knowledge, which is also much needed in a modern society. More provocatively formulated, is employee-driven innovation better understood in terms of practical knowledge (Høyrup 2010), than dependent of formal education?
The Maritime sector is a major industry in Norway (Reve & Sasson 2012, Fougner 2006). Moreover, this sector represents an interesting intake to study the relationship between skills acquired through the formal educational system on the one hand and through practical experience on the other, due to the variation among the employees regarding type of work, wages and prestige. Previous research shows that employers in the maritime sector place high value on practical skills from work at sea when hiring (Jacobsen & Espelien 2011). In this paper we use their conclusion as a point of departure, when we ask why and in what sense practical experience is valued significantly higher than knowledge acquired through the formal educational system.
In order to understand in why and in what way practical work experience from sea is considered to be so valuable, we draw upon theories on situated and socio-cultural learning. A vast body of research is undertaken on learning through work experience. Especially, Lave and Wenger’s (1991) work has been influential in developing concepts of learning as participation in “communities of practice”, rather than individual acquisition. Furthermore, they offer an understanding of how learning for specific occupations occurs in the workplace itself, understanding learning as an active process of becoming, where learning is characterised more by socialisation than by qualification (Frytkholm & Nitzler 1993, Colley et al 2003).
The empirical findings are significant in relation to educational policy and more generally, the analyses we will undertake are of epistemological interest. The latter is a reflection of the link between the subject at hand and established sociological terms, like occupational socialization, identity and knowledge production. A theoretical objective in the paper is to make use of sosio-cultural learning perspectives in order to understand how formal and informal learning produce different kinds of skills. 

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