Validation of prior learning is increasingly important in higher education particularly in professional programs. This study explores students’ experiences of validation of prior learning during an eight-week workplace change in a preschool education program for active child minders. The research questions are: (1) What positionings do students describe they take in relation to academia and professional practice during a workplace change? (2) How is knowledge acquired in a professional internship transformed in relation to the knowledge culture of academia? The study draws on interviews with three students in the program. The interviews were conducted before, during and after the change of workplace. The analysis is based on Wenger’s concept of communities of practice and Carlgren’s notion of cultures of knowledge. Findings show how students often act as intermediaries between academic and professional contexts, assuming significant responsibility for practical arrangements. Validation processes tend to highlight tensions and polarization between academic and practical cultures of knowledge rather than integration. The study concludes that clearer structures, improved collaboration between higher education and professional practice and explicit support for interpreting academic expectations are needed to strengthen validation practices
