White paper: Three Major Challenges Facing Learning & Development Today

Training at work was once carried out according to a schedule of events. It was predictable, part of the calendar. Following an initial period of intensive induction training, employees received regular training that was usually measured in days or even weeks per year. Today, given the frequency at which information changes and the speed at which it flows, this method of delivery is no longer a viable way for the Learning and Development (L&D) department to support workplace learning.

The result is a challenging environment for L&D, and this CERTPOINT white paper highlights three key ways in which L&D can respond and thrive in this environment.

First, the speed of change of information means it is not possible for the L&D department to be subject matter experts in all areas that it trains in - perhaps it can only be expert in a minority of them. Instead, it must develop methods of working with subject matter experts in the business and develop content in conjunction with them.

Second, L&D must support the wide-ranging learning activities already taking place in the work place - whether they are explicit or more informal learning taking place using social networks. Such workplace activities are usually timely, focused on business need and backed by management

The third change that L&D teams must make is internal. In terms of personnel, they must dedicate themselves to specialization rather than generalization and they must follow structured career paths and explicit training and development plans. They must also find the tools to take away the routine administrative tasks that add little value to the departmental role.

These three things have always been core activities for the Learning and Development function, but today's greater speed of technological change combined with the increased importance of learning to the modern organization means that these three facets of the modern L&D department are crucial to its success.

In this respect, the L&D department is a microcosm of the modern working environment in which individuals are increasingly focused specialists in their field. In this L&D microcosm, the department is staffed by specialists in certain areas of learning practice. They add value to the enterprise in collaboration with fellow workers and use technology to ensure that they are focused on high-value work as often as possible.

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