Workplace learning in the green transition: competence development in the Swedish mining industry

Purpose This study aims to examine workplace learning and competence development in the Swedish mining industry amid the green transition and ongoing technical development, the dual transition. It explores how miners’ learning expectations are experienced, negotiated and enacted in everyday work. Design/methodology/approach Two qualitative studies were conducted at three mines operated by two companies, involving 14 interviews, six workshops and two focus group discussions with mining personnel. Findings Miners demonstrate a strong willingness to learn, driven by professional pride and a desire to contribute to both the collective and the green transition. Collective workplace learning enables adaptation, yet may also normalize uneven organizational conditions and mask structural limits to competence development. While collective workplace learning remains vital, emerging competence demands under the dual transition may exceed what informal, peer-based learning alone can sustain. Practical implications Clearer alignment between competence demands and organizational arrangements is essential to support miners’ long-term learning and competence development as mining work evolves under the dual transition. Originality/value This study empirically shows how macro-level transformations, meso-level organizational arrangements and micro-level collective practices interact to shape workplace learning under the dual transition. Furthermore, by engaging sociocultural perspectives, this study examines how collective participation and shared norms mediate the dual transition, illustrating how continuity and transformation coexist and are negotiated in everyday work practices.