New to L&D
“Workplace learning is at its best when it sounds like real work”
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 real work: curious, human and specific. The Podcast Learning Festival brings learning and conversation craft into the same room, so we can build audio that travels, lasts, and genuinely changes what happens for people every day at work.” The Podcast…
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 expectations and increasing scrutiny. Totara share a resource to help. A new eBook from Totara, The Six Biggest Challenges Keeping L&D Professionals Up at Night, examines the forces shaping the future of workplace learning. It highlights the tensions many HR…
The Uncertainty Toolkit – book review
Cathy Hoy investigates why competency-based L&D falls short when uncertainty, not skill, blocks performance. Drawing on Sam Conniff and Katherine Templar Lewis’s new book The Uncertainty Toolkit, she highlights evidence from UCL research, practical exercises and new metrics for tolerance. The aim is to shift teams from threat to challenge. Book: The Uncertainty ToolkitAuthors: Sam Conniff and Katherine Templar Lewis For years, learning and development has been built on competency; we spot a gap, design a course, and measure if…
How coaches can use AI in practice without becoming “prompt jockeys”
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 better work, more consistently, with clearer boundaries. AI for the parts of coaching that benefit from structure and reflection, while keeping the relational, ethical, and contextual judgement firmly human In practice, that means using AI for the parts of coaching…
How AI can help save jobs, not eliminate them
Artificial intelligence is already reshaping work, but job losses aren’t inevitable. For L&D and HR leaders, the real challenge is turning disruption into capability at speed. With the right learning strategy, AI can protect roles, close skills gaps and future-proof organisations. Skills expert Robin Adda has the tips you need AI’s presence is ever-growing in the business world, and with it, the uncertainty among the professional community that their roles will become redundant. This stark fact is already becoming apparent, with new research from Adzuna suggesting that new entry-level…
The rise of reflective intelligence: The skill that will outlast AI
Artificial intelligence is accelerating learning, yet capability still depends on reflection. Dmitry Zaytsev tells us about reflective intelligence and why it matters in today’s largely AI-driven workplace. He shares how L&D teams can help build practical reflection habits that improve judgement, resilience, and performance across modern organisations and leadership contexts. Artificial intelligence is transforming how we learn, teach, and work. It can now generate content, design courses, and even simulate coaching conversations. Yet one skill remains entirely human: the ability…
Training for every brain: How inclusive learning unlocks performance
As more employees identify as neurodivergent, traditional workplace training is falling short. Eleanor Hecks explores inclusive, strengths-based learning design, mentorship and leadership behaviours that unlock talent, boost engagement and deliver measurable business impact for organisations. This is about seeking sustainable performance and genuinely inclusive cultures in modern workplaces, supporting everyone. A growing number of employees are identifying as neurodivergent, ranging from autism spectrum conditions to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia. As such, there is an increased awareness of the…
The HR & L&D trends that will define 2026
Big change is coming for HR and L&D in 2026, and standing still isn’t an option. From AI and skills gaps to retention headaches and hybrid work tensions, what should leaders focus on? Let’s break down the seven trends shaping the year ahead, with practical, no-nonsense guidance from Robin Adda 2026 is already emerging as one of the most pivotal moments for HR and L&D in modern history. Pressures across talent pipelines, ongoing debates on remote work, accelerating AI adoption, widening skills gaps and shifting employee expectations have all been building. “With thoughtful planning and a balanced approach, the pressures…
Top 5 trends shaping the future of career coaching
Jenny Booth shares insights from over two decades in careers guidance and calls for a shift toward much more inclusive, flexible, and strengths-based support for neurodivergent young people. She explores the growing role of families, digital tools, and purpose-led planning in shaping credible, compassionate career paths for the next generation. After more than two decades working in careers advice and guidance with young people, I have seen the landscape change dramatically. What once centred on information giving and career matching…
Space to think, permission to change: The TJ60 conference takeaways
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 AI, and moving beyond content creation towards real organisational capability. Training Journal’s 60th Anniversary Conference (TJ60) brought L&D people together in London for a day designed to celebrate the past, and sharpen what matters next. The video captures that energy…
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