Abstract
Learning design is currently slanted to reflect a course‐based approach to learning. This article explores whether the concept of learning design could be applied to support the informal aspects of work‐based learning (WBL). It also discusses the characteristics of WBL and presents a WBL‐specific learning design that highlights the key features and requirements of the learning design according to a business process structure. A technical analysis of IMS Learning Design (IMS‐LD) against the identified requirements is presented, which reveals that while IMS‐LD meets most of the requirements, some changes in the specification and tools are necessary for supporting WBL‐specific learning design.