Learning always takes place in a particular context and culture, yet educators have tended to focus their attention mainly on the form of learning, its methodology, content and teaching approach. While these can and do affect learning and its results, this paper looks beyond the particulars of the program to explore how the context and culture of learning can influence its outcomes. The first section of this paper looks at how aspects of three contexts shape Workplace Literacy and Essential Skills (WLES) program delivery and results. Program participants' cultural and contextual factors affect how they participate and learn. The nature of the workplace, employers, and unions also influence learning, while the macro context of social, economic, and political factors affects both programs and workplaces. The second section reviews research on "ecologies" of learning in which participants, stakeholders, partners, and programs interrelate within complex environments. The final section discusses how WLES programs might apply the findings.