The Changing L & D Skillset by Paul Fairhurst, Training Journal September 2009

There have been several articles on this theme in recent months and I have chosen this one because it makes some new and interesting points and is part of a research project sponsored by TJ. It also contains some convincing examples from high calibre companies including our own client Rolls Royce, and looks to the future rather than the past and present.

The article starts by confirming that two of the most well documented current trends in L & D – the move towards a more continuous learning culture and a greater emphasis on informal approaches – are likely to continue into the next decade. Even more important – not least for us as specialists in business learning – is that L & D people will need greater business acumen so that management needs can be more easily understood.

This need for greater understanding of business is confirmed by all four of the senior L & D people interviewed, including quite surprisingly the two public sector organisations – the Department of Work and Pensions and the Civil Aviation Authority.

Other suggested trends in the future are suggested as:

• Less focus on internal delivery and therefore the need to manage effective outsourcing of training services
• Increased need for facilitation skills rather than content expertise
• Greater focus on internal relationships, requiring good consultancy and business partnering skills
• All of this making L & D people effective and credible when dealing with senior managers who will increasingly question the cost/benefit of L & D investment

The most convincing example is the Rolls Royce story which talks of a transformation over the last two years, moving from internal people delivering ‘stand-up’ training to a new model where the majority of delivery is outsourced. This allows ‘the flexibility to turn delivery rapidly on and off in response to business needs’. In addition to business acumen and partnering skills, Rolls Royce also emphasise change management and the need for an international perspective.

There is a rather unconvincing attempt at the end of the article to summarise all this by introducing the need for ‘T shaped people’, with business acumen at the horizontal top of the T and in-depth HR skills as the vertical support, all surrounded by a circle of consulting skills.

Despite this stumble at the end, this article is well worth reading for the L & D professional who wishes to look ahead for the skills required into the future.

To read this article go to http://www.trainingjournal.com/tj/2391.html