How Does Perceived Workplace Learning Support Predict Employees’ Motivation to Transfer Learning, Utilisation of Learning and Readiness to Change?

Organisations can no longer rely solely on the employees’ initial qualifications to supply skills necessary to meet the changing business needs. Continual education and training (CET) is thus crucial to develop employees’ capability to meet organisational needs. However, successful skill transfer from training to work practice frequently depends on the dynamic interplay between individual and workplace contextual factors. As such, workplace learning support which essentially refers to workplace characteristics that are supportive towards employees’ acquisition and transfer of learning has gained increased attention by workplace learning scholars and practitioners. For instance, access to learning support in workplaces could enable employees to regularly receive feedback to improve on newly developed skills and work behaviours and also gain opportunities to put what they have learnt from the training into their daily work practices. However, workplaces might differ in terms of structured support for promoting employees’ learning and transfer of learning. Therefore, in the current study, we examined how perceived workplace learning support may affect employees’ motivation to transfer learning, utilisation of learning and readiness to change. The study used a convenience sample of 143 adult individuals who attended CET courses at various CET centres in Singapore. Participants voluntarily participated in the study by completing a set of two questionnaires which was given at the start of the course and at the end of the course. Informed consent from each participant was obtained prior to the study. Preliminary analyses of the data using path analysis revealed that perceived workplace learning support positively predicted employees’ motivation to transfer learning. However, perceived workplace learning support did not directly predict employees’ utilisation of learning and readiness to change. Instead, employees’ motivation to transfer learning mediated the predictive relationships between perceived workplace learning support and employees’ utilisation of learning as well as their readiness to change. Practical implications based on the findings of this study will be further discussed.