The Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM) outlines nine practice principles aimed at improving student learning and well-being in high schools. While these principles were designed for younger learners, they hold immense potential for workplace training and adult education. Adults, like high school students, thrive in learning environments that challenge, engage, and support them. Let’s take a closer look at each VTLM principle and how it can be adapted to foster a more effective, engaging and supportive workplace training environment.

1. High Expectations for Every Learner Promote Engagement and Self-Awareness

In the workplace, high expectations don’t just promote intellectual engagement — they create a culture where employees understand that their contributions matter. Setting clear, challenging expectations encourages adults to reflect on their performance and skills.

How to implement this:

• Self-awareness routines: Encourage employees to regularly reflect on their progress and areas for improvement. For example, after a training session, provide a simple framework where they assess their own learning and set personal goals for improvement. Think of it as a work-based version of the old “exit ticket” in classrooms.
• Manager-led check-ins: Structured reflection tools, like weekly goal reviews,scaffold self-monitoring behavior, helping employees gauge their performance and stay aligned with broader company objectives.

Setting high expectations while fostering a supportive environment ensures that adult learners feel valued and motivated, improving both job performance and personal growth.

2. A Supportive Learning Environment Promotes Inclusion and Collaboration

Collaboration in the workplace is a necessity — yet it often lacks the structure that leads to productive outcomes. Creating a supportive learning environment means actively promoting inclusive, structured collaboration.

How to implement this:

• Collaborative problem-solving tasks: Use training activities that require employees to work together on real-world challenges. Think of a customer service team, for instance, collectively brainstorming solutions for common client complaints. Structure these discussions with clear roles, so each participant contributes equally.
• Diverse perspectives: Encourage employees to share their unique backgrounds and experiences. This can be as simple as facilitating discussions where team members highlight how their previous roles or personal experiences shape their approach to current tasks.

By fostering collaboration and inclusion, you build a more cohesive workforce where every team member feels empowered to contribute. The result? A better workplace culture and, of course, a more dynamic problem-solving capacity.

3. Voice, Agency and Leadership Empower Learners

Adults are not passive learners — they thrive when given autonomy over their learning. In the workplace, empowering employees to take control of their learning journey is essential for both their development and the organization’s success.

How to implement this:

• Employee-driven learning goals: Allow employees to shape their learning based on their interests or career goals. For example, let’s say you’re rolling out training on a new software tool. Give employees the opportunity to identify specific areas they want to master, such as automation or data reporting, and shape their training accordingly.
• Leadership opportunities: Encourage employees to lead “mini-projects” or mentor others in areas where they excel. This not only reinforces their knowledge but also builds confidence in their leadership abilities.

When employees have agency in their learning, they take ownership of their development, which leads to increased engagement, satisfaction, and retention.

4. Curriculum Planning Engages and Challenges All Learners

For adults in the workplace, training needs to be relevant, engaging and appropriately challenging. Like students, they disengage when they feel the content is either too easy or too hard.

How to implement this:

• Differentiated training paths: Adapt training to suit the learner’s level. For example, a software training session can be broken into beginner, intermediate, and advanced groups, each with its own pace and objectives. This prevents more experienced employees from feeling bored while giving less-experienced workers the time they need to grasp key concepts.
• Real-world application: The best workplace training doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Make sure that training sessions are directly linked to the employees’ day-to-day work, ensuring that learners see the value in what they’re learning.

Curriculum planning in the workplace is all about making learning relevant and tailored to the individual, which ensures greater engagement and a better return on investment for the organization

5. Deep Learning Challenges Learners to Apply Knowledge

To encourage deep learning, training must go beyond surface-level memorization. Adults, like students, need to be challenged to apply new knowledge in meaningful ways.

How to implement this:

• Scenario-based learning: Use real-world case studies or hypothetical scenarios that mirror the challenges employees face on the job. This allows them to apply new concepts in a controlled environment, which helps deepen their understanding. For instance, a sales team could analyze a challenging client scenario and brainstorm strategies for turning it into a win.
• Progressive learning: Just as students move from lower- to higher-order thinking, workplace learners should start with foundational knowledge and gradually tackle more complex challenges. This can be facilitated through the use of SOLO taxonomy, where learners progress from understanding basic facts to applying those facts to new situations.

By focusing on deep learning, organizations ensure that employees don’t just learn — they grow and innovate.

6. Rigorous Assessment and Feedback Informs Learning

In the workplace, feedback is critical. Yet many organizations still approach it haphazardly, delivering it too late or without actionable insights.

How to implement this:

• Ongoing formative assessments: Incorporate regular check-ins during training to gauge progress. This can be as simple as a quick online quiz after a session or asking employees to complete a short reflective exercise. These assessments ensure that any learning gaps are identified early, not when it’s too late.
• Actionable feedback: Feedback should always include specific suggestions for improvement. In a training context, this might involve providing employees with examples of how they could apply new knowledge or offering a step-by-step plan for improvement.

Rigorous, timely feedback is key to creating a culture of continuous learning, where employees are always improving and refining their skills.

7. Evidence-Based Strategies Drive Practice Improvement

Just as teachers use research-backed methods, trainers and managers should apply evidence-based practices in workplace training.

How to implement this:

• High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS): Incorporate proven teaching techniques, such as using clear learning intentions and success criteria, into workplace training.
• Professional development for trainers: Just like teachers, workplace trainers need to stay up to date with the latest educational research. This means investing in ongoing training for trainers, ensuring they understand and apply best practices.

By applying evidence-based strategies, organizations can ensure that their training programs are not only effective but also efficient.

8. Global Citizenship Through Real-World Contexts

Workplace learning should be grounded in real-world challenges, with an emphasis on global perspectives, especially in today’s interconnected world.

How to implement this:

• Contextual learning: Align training with broader global trends and challenges. For example, sustainability training can be linked to current environmental issues, showing employees how their actions contribute to a larger goal.
• Cross-cultural training: In a globalized workplace, training should include cross-cultural communication skills, helping employees work more effectively with international teams or clients.

By incorporating real-world contexts into training, you help employees see the broader impact of their work and how it fits into global challenges.

9. Partnerships Enhance Learning

Learning doesn’t just happen at work — it extends to every part of an employee’s life. Just as schools engage parents, workplaces can engage employees’ support networks.

How to implement this:

• Family-friendly policies: Encourage employees to share their learning and career development goals with their families. For example, offering flexible hours for training can allow employees to better balance work and personal commitments.
• Peer networks: Foster partnerships among employees themselves. Mentorship programs, for example, can provide valuable learning support and career development opportunities.

Building a culture of learning that extends beyond the workplace creates a more engaged and supportive environment for all employees.

Final Thoughts

The principles from the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model can be directly translated into the workplace, fostering a more effective, engaging and supportive learning environment for adults. Whether it’s setting high expectations, providing real-world learning opportunities or creating collaborative environments, each principle offers practical strategies that elevate workplace training to the next level. And who knows? With a bit of intentionality and creativity, we might just make learning at work as exciting as a high school science project — minus the awkward group work.