Category Education and skills

Beyond the management ladder: Why Gen Z is redefining career success

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Rethink training, leadership and career progression to retain Gen Z talent. Tara Ceranic Salinas explains why younger workers value time, flexibility, mastery and meaningful impact over traditional management titles, and how organisations can create learning cultures that build skills, recognise…

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Reviewers don’t become advocates, co-designers do

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Ben Satchwell argues that review rounds create judges, not champions. Sending a near-final capability framework for comment builds critique, not ownership. Co-design brings influential practitioners into the room early, at key moments: framing the problem, shaping the structure, and testing…

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Your capability framework’s completion rate is a vanity metric

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Ben Satchwell warns that completion rates make capability framework rollouts look healthy while masking failure. Logging in and self-assessing proves compliance, not impact. Instead, measure one behavioural signal that completion can’t fake, e.g. development conversations, hiring decisions, plans that reference…

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What TikTok can teach L&D about the changing expectations of learners

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As TikTok reshapes how younger workers discover ideas, Karie Willyerd argues that L&D teams should pair short-form, curiosity-led content with hands-on practice. She explores what Gen Z and Millennials want from development, why purpose matters more than hierarchy, and how…

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Your capability framework didn’t fail. Your rollout did.

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Ben Satchwell challenges the default diagnosis when capability frameworks sit unused after twelve months. Low usage often signals a failed launch, not flawed content. Before expensive redesigns, audit sponsorship, manager understanding, communication and reinforcement. Distinguish neglect from design issues, fix…

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A capability framework is a change programme, not a document

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Ben Satchwell argues that capability frameworks fail when treated as a design deliverable instead of a change programme. The document is only the opening move. Prioritise sponsorship, manager enablement, behaviour change and reinforcement before taxonomy perfection. Budget for adoption first,…

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The generation we can’t afford to lose

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With youth unemployment at its highest since 2014 and junior roles drawing 100+ applicants, employers can’t afford to pass on. Giles Smith argues we’re debating costs while the education-to-work system fails a generation. The answer is redesigning organisations for an…

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From learning to earning: A practical framework for skills-based compensation and workforce agility

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Skills-based pay is gaining traction as organisations seek clearer returns from workplace learning and really embedding this in culture. By linking skill development, assessment and reward, companies can boost motivation, target critical capabilities and strengthen agility. Johnson Wong outlines a…

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Smarter skills for a messy world: Why middle managers are the real organisational stabilisers

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Middle managers hold organisations together by translating strategy into everyday decisions, absorbing emotional tension and making meaning when work is messy. These capabilities are too often mislabelled as “soft skills”, leading to underinvestment and burnout. Gary Cookson argues that they…

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The apprenticeship metric L&D teams can’t afford to ignore

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Qualification Achievement Rates are one of the most practical indicators of whether apprentices reach the finish line, yet many employers overlook them when selecting providers. Harry Hobbs argues that completion is where training becomes productive capability, calling for clearer, comparable…

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