Episode description

Starting your career in L&D can be exciting and daunting. Where do you start? Which skills are important? What pitfalls must you avoid? Especially in these times when the whole profession has shifted and digital approaches are transforming the practice. In this episode, Lexie Hockaday (Junior L&D Product Manager) explores her own journey and development, alongside her line manager, Anne-Marie Burbidge (Head of Learning & Development).

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• There are many ways into L&D. Not everyone has to do a learning apprenticeship.
• Spend time out in the business building up your understanding of how things actually work.
• Focus on what the business is trying to achieve so that you can deliver effective training.
• Follow up on your trainees to ensure that what you offer is delivering results.
• Digital resources enable you to curate content, constantly update it and deliver training fast.
• Learn to utilise the data you can extract from the tech systems you use.
• In many cases, light solutions e.g. a short how-to video is the answer, rather than a full-blown course.

BEST MOMENTS

'One of the beauties of learning and development is you can come in from any number of routes.'

'I always start with what´s the why, what are people and the business trying to do? '

'Keep the end-user, the human, the person at the heart of everything you do. '

'I see learning and development as part of the overall employee experience. '

 VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Anne-Marie Burbidge Bio

Anne-Marie is Head of Learning & Development at Utility Warehouse, a UK-based multiservice utility provider, and draws on 15 years experience of running L&D teams. Anne-Marie is keenly interested in Agile principles and understanding how data can help us, using a range of tools and approaches to understand what's really going in order to grow capability and confidence effectively.

Lexie Hockaday Bio

Lexie is Junior L&D Product Manager at Utility Warehouse and - at the point of recording - is studying on the CIPD Level 5 Qualification in Learning & Development.

ABOUT THE HOST

David James

David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.

As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.

CONTACT METHOD

• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/
• Website: https://www.looop.co/