At Training Journal’s 60th Anniversary Conference I decided to close the event with a series of mini awards recognising outstanding contributions across our community.

The CLO100 Award for Championing the L&D Profession was presented to Rob Clarke of Learning News. Reflecting on the win, Rob said: “TJ’s 60th anniversary celebrations really captured the heart of the learning and development industry. Congratulations TJ on your 60th birthday. I was honoured and humbled to receive the CLO100 Award for Championing the L&D Profession. Thank you to Robert Wagner, Cathy Hoy and Jo Cook for this wonderful award.”

The Dods Training 2025 Award for Excellence in Policy Development went to Emma Taylor, recognising her work at the intersection of policy and learning, and the impact of high quality policy development on better outcomes for citizens and organisations alike.

Kirsty Lewis received the Best Learning Event 2025 award for SOFest, recognised by TJ as an innovative and experimental learning experience. Kirsty said: “I really wasn’t expecting this to happen on a Monday. For Training Journal to recognise SOFest25 as their learning event of the year means a huge amount. I’ve always believed freelancers and L&D professionals need to take their own medicine and do their own learning – SOFest is that space – so to be recognised at TJ’s 60th anniversary makes it even more special.”

The final recognition of the evening was the Debbie Carter Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to Debbie Carter, who edited Training Journal for 22 years and lifted so many people with her quiet dedication. Debbie said: “Thank you for honouring me, I was very touched.”

The mini awards formed a celebratory end to a day focused on the future of work, evidence informed practice and the evolving role of L&D, marking six decades of Training Journal at the heart of the profession.