What should L&D leave behind and where must it lean in to create lasting impact? This conference debate brings lived experience to the forefront, exploring strategy, culture, and craft. Expect candid conversation, practical insight, and bold ideas to help L&D shift from delivering training activity to enabling real business value.

The TJ60 conference debate panel brings together leading voices to tackle questions at the heart of modern L&D: what do we need to let go of, what must we double down on to deliver real business value and just how do we do that?

Hosted by Andrew Jacobs, the session will move beyond reheated slides to surface lived experience: strategy you own, voices from the work you actually hear, and evaluation you trust. Andrew’s aim is “to get past theory and talk about how culture really shapes impact. The tools have changed – from photocopiers to AI – but the hard part’s the same: building systems where learning makes a difference. We’ll share what’s working, what isn’t, and what L&D can do next to make change stick.”

Working with the business

Panellist Laura Overton will challenge the “conspiracy of convenience” and make the case for co-creating outcomes with the business. Laura highlights about her part in the debate: “If L&D is to matter in 2026 and beyond, we must shift from producing ‘training things’ to co-creating business value. Expect a practical, evidence-informed conversation about impact, not activity. At the TJ conference panel debate, I want us to explore what we need to let go of, old habits, jargon, silver bullets, so we can show up as enablers, not just producers. Open hands, curious minds, shared outcomes. That’s the work.”

Human-first

Joining her, facilitator and SoF founder Kirsty Lewis will explore how we show up: the inner regulation and reflective practice that create psychologically safe, human spaces where learning sticks. Kirsty adds that, “In noisy, twitchy times, the facilitation edge isn’t a new tool; it’s the inner skill of regulating our own energy so we can create spacious, human rooms where people think clearly, feel seen, and actually learn for better outcomes.”

Expect a fast, candid conversation, testing assumptions about impact, capability, and craft. The panel will invite questions from the room, with practical takeaways you can act on immediately: sharper questions for stakeholders, smarter measures of value, and small changes that compound. Insights from the debate will feed into TJ’s 60th-anniversary reflections, capturing where L&D has come from—and where it needs to go next.

Find out more about TJ’s 60th anniversary conference and book your tickets here.