Learning and development practitioners in industry: What are their development needs?

1. Learning and development practitioners in industry: What are their development needs? Steven Hodge

2. The project • Funded by the Australian Institute of Training and Development (AITD) • Research to model learning and development (L&D) practitioner needs • Conducted by Steven Hodge (UB), Erica Smith (UB) and Llandis Barratt-Pugh (ECU)

3. AITD • Professional Development activities • AITD magazine and monthly newsletter • Networking events • Database of trainers which can be publicly accessed • Access to member-only information, including articles, discussion forum, job listings • Eligibility for national Training Excellence awards • Professional recognition process • Discounts on professional products and services

4. Challenges of modelling L&D work • Diversity of L&D work • Diversity of organisational settings • Diversity of roles • Diversity of techniques, knowledge & skills deployed in L&D • Quantity, variable quality and complexity of available knowledge

5. Research methods Senior L&D practitioner interviews (N=16) • To inform model-building Literature review • To inform model-building L&D practitioner survey (N=796) • To validate model and indicate needs

6. The model Premise • Understanding L&D practitioners needs requires an understanding of skills used by practitioners as well as contexts in which these skills are deployed

7. The model Contexts Skills  ‘Practice Domain’ •  • ‘Individual Domain’ •  • Roles • + • Settings •  • Personal Sphere • + • Craft Sphere • + • Allied skills

8. L&D practitioners: Who are they? • Most were female (62%) and from NSW (35%) • Average years in L&D: 14.8 • Age profile: • 20-29: 2.5% • 30-39: 17.2% • 40-49: 34.2% • 50-59: 34.7% • 60-69: 10.4%

9. L&D practitioners: Their work • 32.5% worked in smaller organisations (<500) • 61.9% worked in a single organisation • 7.3% reported strategic L&D approach across organisation • 50.8% reported that nationally recognised training is used in their organisation(s) • 85.3% reported high level of customised L&D

10. L&D practitioners: Their work • 60% work in teams • 17% described their work as ‘strategic’ • 61.2% dedicated L&D role • 91% planned to stay in L&D • 80% affirmed the importance of networks to their L&D work

11. L&D practitioners: Their needs • Developing networks (61.5%) • Understanding the industry/ies of the organisations in which L&D work takes place (59.8%) • Understanding different organisational approaches to L&D (e.g. traditional vs. strategic) (59.3%)

12. L&D practitioners: Their needs • Understanding the business and commercial aspects of organisations (58.2%) • Developing confidence in dealing with senior staff (52.4%) • Understanding different types of L&D work (e.g. consultancy, operational, strategic, supervision) (51.8%)

13. L&D practitioners: Learning preferences • Personal networks (90.3%) • Reading L&D literature (85.4%) • Formal face-to-face learning (73.3%) • Conferences (69%) • Networking events (67.6%) • Formal higher education (58%) • Online learning programs (53.5%) • Live online learning (53.2%) • Formal vocational education and training (51.3%)

14. Reflections on modelling L&D work • ‘Archaeological’ aspect of L&D • The place of face-to-face L&D in a high-tech environment • Question of the unity of L&D practice

15. Questions?