Happy New Year and welcome to this first edition of TJ in 2015
Every year has notable anniversaries, and 2015 is no different. From those etched into a nation’s consciousness like Magna Carta (1215), Agincourt (1415) and Waterloo (1815) – to more specific anniversaries like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology holding its first classes 150 years ago this year, Margaret Thatcher being elected leader of the Conservative party forty years ago and the Kyoto Protocol marking its 10th anniversary – all have been significant in shaping the world we live in today.
Fifty years ago in 1965 Churchill died, undoubtedly one of the most important figures of the 20th century and a renowned leader often referred to in the pages TJ as a model of great leadership. In that same year, TJ first appeared. Originally Training Officer, the magazine was published by the old Institute of Training and Development (ITD). However, shortly after its publication, the magazine broke away from its association with the ITD and became independent and has remained so ever since. That independence from any specific body representing the profession gives us the ability to report on the issues that affect those in training, learning and development without any restraint or bias.
To mark the anniversary, we will be taking a look back at past issues to see what’s changed in the intervening years. We are introducing a new regular interview – Spotlight (Cover and page 10) – those of you who have been reading the magazine for some time may remember this as a shorter item in the past but now we’ve broadened it to showcase some of the most inspiring people in our profession today. This month we feature Andy Lancaster, the new head of learning and development at the CIPD – I know Andy largely as a winning entrant in the TJ Awards where I first recognised what a refreshing and innovative practitioner he was. I am delighted he will be starting this series for us and hope TJ readers will contact me to nominate future candidates who are at the top of their game right now.
There will be some celebration throughout the year, with a conference and networking event on 10th July and of course the TJ Awards’ Gala Dinner on 25th November will be as memorable as ever – take a look at the supplement in this issue to see who won the top prizes in November 2014 and why.
Until next month – happy reading!
Debbie Carter, Editor
