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How to get into it… In the service sector, learning and development (L&D) professionals are often promoted through an operational route. In professional services, clients typically look for generalists who are CIPD qualified and who have then specialised in L&D. Experience of organising events is very relevant. Alternatively, it is quite common for people to gain team-training experience from general management or team leader positions, and then move laterally into a specialist training role.
What you need… Acquire knowledge of modern training solutions or L&D tools, such as assessment tools and 360-degree feedback. Obtaining professional qualifications, such as a Certificate in Training Practice, will also enhance your prospects.
What is involved… Training is usually broken up into several key areas around designing, co-ordinating, and delivering training courses. As well as involvement in the delivery, it is also important that you provide training solutions relevant to both business and individual requirements. So determining the organisation’s needs through training needs analysis is very important. You or external providers will be able to design appropriate courses with this knowledge, but it is particularly important to follow that up to evaluate the effectiveness of the training programmes.
Prospects… In most instances, a scarcity of skills in the marketplace makes it even more important to retain talent and develop staff to realise their potential. As such, the prospects for L&D professionals to develop their careers are very healthy, but to realise these prospects, it is essential to be able to demonstrate the value of the service you provide in the business context. The L&D market is quite competitive, so demonstrating commercial awareness and enthusiasm for your profession will often go a long way.
