Category For freelancers, consultants & small businesses

Winning buy-in: Why L&D leaders need sharper communication

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L&D leaders face budgets, hybrid distraction and sceptical audiences, so influencing matters more than ever. Isobel Rimmer argues presentation and communication skills are a strategic capability for every leader, not just sales. She shares tools, from audience outcomes to an…

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From vanity metrics to business impact: How L&D can prove its value

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If you’re feeling the pressure to prove L&D’s value, you’re in good company. Synergy Learning shares a practical approach to proving impact in business terms. See just how to begin with organisational goals, baseline the right data, choose credible evaluation…

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Contribution without collapse: Unlocking unique impact beyond job titles

impact

Drawing on two Make Your Brain Work Podcast episodes, applied neuroscience expert Amy Brann and medical doctor Dr Jessie Gulsin unpack why contribution boosts motivation yet can become risky when fused with your identity. The piece offers practical tips for…

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“Workplace learning is at its best when it sounds like real work”

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TJ Editor Jo Cook comments about the new Podcast Learning Festival, hosted by Andrew Jacobs in London, February 2026: “We strive for the most efficient and realistic learning interventions, and workplace learning is at its best when it sounds like…

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2026 is the year L&D operationalises AI, without losing the human touch

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In 2026, L&D must embed AI into real workflows, redesign roles and focus on measurable outcomes, without sacrificing trust, culture and wellbeing. Drawing on views from leaders across HR, learning and analytics, TJ’s Editor Jo Cook explores three pressure points:…

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The six biggest challenges keeping L&D professionals up at night

L&D teams are operating in a climate of constant change. Economic pressure, digital acceleration and shifting workforce expectations have placed capability development at the centre of organisational strategy. Yet teams responsible for delivering this capability often face shrinking budgets, rising…

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How coaches can use AI in practice without becoming “prompt jockeys”

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AI can be genuinely useful in coaching, but only when it serves the craft, not the other way round. The goal is not to turn coaches into people who spend their days iterating prompts. It is to help them do…

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When Uber comes for L&D: Five smart moves before learning and development shifts

Traffic sign No entry and toy taxi car on wooden table. Passing driving license exam

Ricci Masero argues L&D has more warning than taxi drivers before Uber changed the travel landscape. With AI-funded edtech accelerating, professionals can choose to adapt, humanise, specialise, diversify or even compete. The message is blunt: stop defending yesterday’s methods, learn…

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Space to think, permission to change: The TJ60 conference takeaways

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Training Journal’s 60th Anniversary conference video captures the people profession at a turning point. From celebrating 60 years of workplace learning to confronting stubborn challenges around impact, evidence and credibility, contributors share what must change next. Expect practical reflections on…

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Left behind twice: What SEN inequity means for tomorrow’s workforce  

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Michelle Carson examines how early inequality and missed support for children with special educational needs shape access to learning, opportunity and progression. Drawing on findings from the Sutton Trust and Support SEND Kids, and her own experience, she explores why…

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