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

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)

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

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

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

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

The model ContextsSkills  ‘Practice Domain’  ‘Individual Domain’  Roles + Settings  Personal Sphere + Craft Sphere + Allied skills

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%

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

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

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%)

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%)

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%)

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

Questions?