Features
Training has 24 months to prove its worth
Brad Batesole proposes that AI gives L&D leaders a rare chance to prove learning’s impact on performance and business results. As budgets tighten and scrutiny grows, organisations that measure what matters, personalise development and act now can turn learning into a lasting strategic advantage over slower-moving competitors in the market. Something changed in the last two years that most L&D leaders don’t quite know what to do with. For the first time, the technology exists to connect training activity directly…
How to cut L&D costs without reducing headcount
If budget costs are looking imminent, rather than draw up a list of redundancies, Ryan Austin suggests looking to see where other costs can be improved. Explore three overlooked operational levers that can absorb a mandated cost-reduction target before headcount has changes, grounded in operational data from enterprise L&D functions. For three years, the L&D budget conversation has followed the same script: costs are flat or shrinking, demand is rising, and AI is supposed to close the gap. It has…
Coaching’s identity crisis
The coaching industry may look fragmented and fiercely competitive, but Angela Cox feels it is better understood as a profession still evolving. As models multiply and practitioners adapt what they were taught, the deeper shift is towards more human-centred coaching that reflects the complexity of modern leadership and organisational life. If you ask ten people to describe what coaching actually is, you will probably receive ten different answers. Some will describe structured conversations focused on goals and performance. Others will…
Why leadership development doesn’t stop at a one-off workshop
As AI reshapes work, Shannon Alter writes that L&D teams must stop treating leadership confidence, presence and emotional intelligence as optional. Future-ready organisations will be those that build adaptable, human-centred leaders through deliberate practice, feedback and support before the highest-stakes moments arrive, retention falters and top talent starts looking elsewhere. Learning and development professionals are navigating a disconnect right now: while AI adoption accelerates across organisations at unprecedented speed, Gallup reports that fewer than 50% of employees participated in professional…
Debbie Carter – friend, colleague and lasting influence
Remember Debbie Carter’s remarkable contribution to learning and development, from shaping Training Journal to championing inclusion, kindness and professional integrity. Colleagues and friends reflect on the humour, generosity, determination and human connection that defined her life, work and enduring influence across the L&D community she supported so passionately for decades. Debbie Carter might not have had journalistic experience back in 2000 when she became Training Journal Editor, but she certainly had experience of the L&D sector. Debbie’s early career included…
AI is exposing L&D’s value problem
Generative AI is accelerating content creation, but Dr Ravinder Tulsiani argues that speed and volume are not the same as value. For L&D, the real opportunity is to move beyond mere output and focus on capability, judgement and measurable performance change, especially where organisations need stronger human decision-making most. It’s a moment many of us will recognise: A well-meaning stakeholder asks for a new learning module. The problem is described vaguely, inconsistent performance, missed decisions, something “not landing”. The solution,…
Debbie Carter: A voice in learning
Debbie Carter’s editorials, research, events and leadership reveal a distinctive voice in learning and development: commercially aware, people-centred, curious and unafraid of change. Drawing on Debbie’s published writing and memories of working alongside her, Jo Cook reflects on the values, humour and insight that shaped her lasting influence across TJ. Debbie Carter was the Editor of Training Journal for a long time, then later Editor-in-Chief. After her passing this article captures some of her thoughts and approaches to her work…
Former Training Journal Editor Debbie Carter dies aged 69
Training Journal remembers Debbie Carter, whose five-decade career shaped the publication, strengthened the L&D profession and opened doors for younger talent. Forthright, principled and joyful, she was an editor, mentor, disability advocate and friend whose influence, generosity and commitment will continue to inspire the learning community for years to come. Debbie Carter, whose work made a lasting contribution to Training Journal and the wider learning and development profession, has died aged 69. During a career spanning nearly 50 years, Debbie…
Good leaders don’t avoid office politics
Leaders who want to drive effective change cannot afford to ignore office politics, much as they might want to. Far from being manipulative, political skill helps people build trust, read situations, and influence organisational outcomes constructively. Steve Macaulay and David Buchanan explain why it should be a core leadership capability. For busy people, “office politics” can often feel like a barrier to skill and culture-building and just getting things done. However, developing political skill is not about encouraging scheming, it…
AI adoption has a people problem, not a tech problem
Jennie Marshall argues that while organisations are investing heavily in AI, too few are turning pilots into meaningful impact. The real barrier is not technology but leadership, culture and capability. To close the gap, leaders must build confidence, embed AI into workflows and measure adoption, not just expenditure at scale. A while back I was heading north to visit a client, coffee in hand, when I put on the Science & Tech Daily podcast. Piers Linney was talking about AI,…
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