Opinion
The next five years in L&D will change everything
L&D is undergoing its biggest shift in decades. At World of Learning 2025, 17 experts shared bold, insightful answers on what’s coming next. From AI to skills strategies and culture shifts, Kirstie Greany explores what the profession must prioritise to stay human, strategic and impactful over the next five years. Learning and development as an industry is at a turning point, a tipping point, or is that an inflection point? If the conversations at this year’s World of Learning Conference…
We don’t need more learning, we need more practice
Why capability demands rehearsal, not just retention: Practice builds capability, but it’s still missing from much of workplace learning. Helen Routledge argues that L&D has become too focused on content delivery, overlooking the psychological realities of how people truly learn. Without meaningful rehearsal, learning won’t stick, and performance won’t follow. Most workplace learning still follows a simple formula: deliver content, test recall, tick the completion box. But as the demands on employees shift and the pace of change accelerates, L&D…
How AI is transforming whistleblower culture at work
Shannon Walker explores how AI-powered whistleblowing platforms can close the trust gap in traditional reporting systems. With L&D professionals playing a key role in enabling psychological safety, these digital tools offer smarter, more confidential ways to speak up—transforming how organisations address misconduct and build cultures of transparency and accountability. Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising how organisations handle whistleblowing. That’s because as businesses strive to create environments where employees feel psychologically safe, traditional reporting systems often fall short. Learning and development…
Spoiler alert: Your conference isn’t about you!
Kim Ellis reflects on the lessons learned from designing and delivering Free Spirits LIVE!, a virtual conference for independent L&D professionals. It wasn’t about flashy tech or speaker line-ups, it was about creating meaningful, human experiences. Here, she shares what made it work and why intention matters more than polish. Have you ever dreamed of putting on your own conference? Maybe seen it as a way to make a chunk of money or raise your profile in the industry? There…
Why AI can’t close the deal in sales
AI can support sales, but it can’t replace the person on the call. Danielle Foster argues that the tech is being misapplied by leaders too eager for snazzy shortcuts and that any other attitude towards emergent technology is simply the wrong one; business leaders should not be swayed so easily. As the business world evolves, much ado has been made about artificial intelligence. The marketing buzz is hot. AI is the acronym on every business owner’s lips. The world will…
Executive coaching in context: exploring intent, impact and interpretation
Shilpi Sahai examines the complex dynamics executive coaching within organisations through a theoretical lens, exploring its intended and implicit purposes within organisations. Drawing on established frameworks, she highlights the tensions between individual agency and organisational alignment, offering a nuanced perspective on how coaching contributes to leadership, culture and long-term performance. The success of an organisation is often attributed to the quality of its leadership. Coaching, as a process to improve performance, lends itself to harnessing the potential of the individuals.…
Ever wondered why your course isn’t getting the completion rates you hoped for?
Kayleigh Atherton explains why a strong course launch is only half the battle. Without intentional design and a focus on learning outcomes, even well-marketed courses can underperform. Using the IMPACT Framework, she shares how to build learner-first experiences that drive completion, transformation, and sustainable growth in the online course space. Creating and selling an online course takes time, energy, and investment. Sales funnels, advertising, and launches often take centre stage, but the real test of success comes afterwards: how many…
From soft skills to survival skills: Rethinking human capability in the age of AI
Kalindi Hawkins explores how organisations can develop human-centred capabilities to thrive in an AI-driven world. Moving beyond digital upskilling, she shares five practical strategies for building adaptability, resilience, and leadership in uncertainty. This approach turns learning into a strategic asset that fuels transformation, not just transactions, in today’s fast-changing landscape. In a workplace shaped by artificial intelligence, the skills once called “soft” are now the core human advantage. As AI automates tasks and analyses data faster than any person could,…
How to move a cost centre to a profit centre
Russell Wardrop highlights that learning and development is too often seen as a discretionary cost rather than a strategic investment with business impact. When programmes are designed to drive commercial outcomes, they don’t just inform — they transform. The ROI comes when learning delivers behaviour change and boosts the bottom line. In today’s business climate, every organisation is under pressure to do more with less. Leaders sharpen their pencils, scrutinise spreadsheets, and look for costs to cut in the name…
Can strategic growth and people-first values truly go hand in hand?
High growth can strain culture, yet scaling with intent keeps people, clients and communities front and centre. Invest in learning, wellbeing and inclusive leadership; align acquisitions to values; embed in local economies; measure performance, not just speed. Heidi Thompson argues that the real challenge is to grow while protecting values. It is well documented that a strict growth mindset can often come at the expense of a people-first culture, demonstrated in McKinsey research, which shows that many high-growth companies struggle…
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