The Use of Project Based Learning to Improve Business and Workforce Performance

Purpose: The evolving global economy in the manufacturing industry requires an educated and skillful workforce to remain current through lifelong learning and apply knowledge for their own employability and for a sustainable world. Accordingly, project-based learning (PBL) programmes have been widely applied in the industry to provide opportunities for employees to acquire knowledge directly from their jobs by using various strategies of learning that are associated with their work. This paper reviews several case studies implemented by the Institute of Productivity (IOP) and Nisai Group, which are based on PBL approaches and informed by action research. In addition, it provides insights about how these strategies have been applied and how they have prepared workers to meet competency requirements set for different industrial problem statements, including their objectives, learning activities, main outcomes, and dissemination of the results. 
Design/Methodology/Approach: The research was designed as a case study involving four PBL courses implemented by the group. The reports from each PBL were collected and analysed using qualitative content analysis. 
Findings/Results: The PBL courses implemented by the group were based on the teaching learning theory of constructivism. Here, the findings provided insight into how PBL was implemented in different sectors and how it can contribute to business improvement, lifelong learning capabilities, and professional competencies. 
Originality/Value: The integrated approach of both action research and PBL demonstrated to be beneficial for different manufacturing industries and communities in the United Kingdom and South-East Asia. The results also provide an opportunity for different stakeholders, including educators to critically reflect on how PBL can be implemented in different sectors to attain similar outcomes. 
Paper Type: Case study