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