Perform work without a couple of learners helping (6)
I believe the answer is:
dollop
'helping' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'perform work without a couple of learners' is the wordplay.
'a couple of learners' means two substitutions for 'learner'.
'perform' becomes 'do' (both can mean complete an action).
'work' becomes 'op' (abbreviation for opus).
'without' indicates putting letters inside ('without' can be similar in meaning to 'outside').
'learner' becomes 'l' (as in a learner driver with L-plates on their car).
'learner' becomes 'l' (as in a learner driver with L-plates on their car).
'do'+'op'='doop'
'l'+'l'='ll'
'doop' placed around 'll' is 'DOLLOP'.
(Other definitions for dollop that I've seen before include "serving food, perhaps" , "Small shapeless mass" , "Inelegant helping (of)" , "Large shapeless lump" , "Semisolid lump" .)