Jo Cook sits down with Frédéric Hébert, Chief Learning Officer at Rise Up, to dig into what it really takes to stay ahead of rapid skills change. He shares practical examples, fresh thinking and why investing in people, not just technology, matters most for building future-ready teams in the workplace
Training Journal: We live in a world where jobs for the youngest generations probably haven’t been thought of yet, and there’s an expiration date on many of today’s skills. How can organisations tackle this double-headed challenge?
Frédéric Hébert: What’s unique about today is the speed of change. Skills that once lasted a whole generation can become obsolete within a single career – and many of the jobs that future workers will do haven’t even been invented yet.
“Think about services like Netflix. People use it because it is relevant, personalised and makes life easier. Learning solutions must do the same”
The first step for businesses is to acknowledge this new reality and communicate it clearly. When employees understand the pace and impact of change, they’re more likely to embrace and adapt, rather than resist. Even younger generations who are digital natives will face similar challenges as they reach mid-career.
The second step is action. Companies need to strengthen their approach to learning; focusing on upskilling and, where needed, reskilling. By embedding lifelong learning into company culture, businesses can equip employees with new skills early, keeping them ahead of the curve while also preparing for future roles.
Finally, while technical expertise is essential, organisations mustn’t overlook the significance of skills such as adaptability, collaboration and curiosity. AI is impressive, but its foundations are built on human knowledge. To succeed, companies need to invest in people as much as in technology.
TJ: If reskilling and upskilling are now critical, how can organisations resource and scale them effectively?
FH: The real challenge is how to make reskilling and upskilling work at scale without it feeling generic. In an ideal world, everyone would have their own coach or tutor guiding them, and that’s the experience we’re trying to recreate.
We use Adaptive Learning to make this possible. It personalises training to a specific role with context so employees follow content that is tailored to their ability and not just another mandatory course that everyone must complete. From my experience, that’s what keeps people engaged and makes learning stick.
This way of training helps people build the skills directly linked to their role and ability much faster, reducing time-to-skill. They also stay motivated because it feels relevant to their needs. For businesses, the big advantage is that it can be delivered at scale without costs spiralling.
TJ: Which technology elements drive meaningful skill improvement – and avoid ‘lazy engagement rates’ that only measure ‘bums on seats’?
FH: For me, it is about more than just the technology. It is about how it’s used and whether learners understand “what’s in it for me”. That’s what drives adoption. Think about services like Netflix. People use it because it is relevant, personalised and makes life easier. Learning solutions must do the same by showing real value, help boost performance and adapt to their context.
That’s why I don’t think counting logins or course completions tells you the full story. Real engagement comes from someone taking what they have learnt and applying it to their role. We measure this through time-to-skill which is how quickly someone can put new knowledge into practice. Looking at improvement this way, you see the real impacts of training in faster onboarding, higher productivity and even new revenue opportunities which is a far better measure of success than ‘bums on seats’.
TJ: How can organisations encourage individuals to develop curiosity and own their self-development?
FH: Curiosity is something we’re all born with and, while as adults we sometimes lose touch with it, it’s still there. The role of learning and development is to help bring it back and show people the value of curiosity at work.
There isn’t a single formula. Some companies let employees spend part of their time on personal projects, others run missions or provide broad access to resources. The important thing is tailoring it. What sparks an IT engineer might not be the same as what motivates a salesperson or a factory worker, so it is about finding those triggers and offering options that fit.
AI also gives us new ways to unlock curiosity. A good example of this is AstraZeneca, who has publicly shared how it equips its workforce with training on the opportunities and risks of using AI. This embeds responsible practices while giving employees the confidence to innovate safely.
We’ve also seen CEOs set AI directives and give teams access to large language models so they can prompt, test and innovate. Creating these kinds of safe spaces to explore helps people take real ownership of their self-development.
TJ: How can L&D work with an organisation to future-proof both its people and the business?
FH: The first step is always to understand the business, its challenges, priorities and, of course, the people. It sounds obvious, but learning exists to support the business. If you really look at the challenges and avoid generic, one-size-fits-all solutions, the impact is so much greater because it’s tailored to what the organisation actually needs.
I also think L&D should be run with the same discipline as any other business unit: setting KPIs, measuring efficiency and even adopting some of the company’s own operational processes. That’s how you prove value and earn a seat at the table.
L&D teams are also commercialising their learning platforms beyond employees to customers, suppliers and partners. Renault, for example, created ReKnow University to support the transformation of skills for future mobility. Their programmes are not only open to Renault employees but also to industry partners and young people in education. This approach strengthens both the workforce and the wider ecosystem.
Frédéric Hébert is Chief Learning Officer of Rise Up
