Jan
30
2015
Become a more effective L&D administrator: practical tips and tools
By Fiona Russell.
The challenges of staff development
For staff working in learning and development (L&D) the start of the year can be a busy time. Coordinating an organisation’s annual cycle of training, responding to individual requests for guidance whilst ensuring the skill base meets the needs of the business, inductions for new staff – this all requires planning. Making sure you are going in the right direction requires knowing where you are now, where the organisation is going and how you (and others) can plan the journey to get there. This is not as easy as it sounds and ‘getting there’ can be a long and interesting road.
Administrating learning and development involves understanding the demands of your business, the workforce experience and spotting any gaps in expertise. Whether you work for a global organisation or a start-up company, managing staff development efficiently is vital. Funding learning is a cost and how you choose to support staff has to be carefully considered.
Why personal development is so important
You not only need to manage other people’s development but L&D administrators also need support to develop their own skills.
Your role is always evolving. Keeping on top of everything can be mesmerising: understanding how best to manage your workload, juggling staff expectations whilst being realistic about what support can be offered, keeping up with the jargon, the professional qualifications and the learning theory.
Fortunately, we have a one-day course that can help. Planning, evaluating staff development, linking appraisals to personal development planning and the business vision are all aspects covered on our training course - The effective learning and development for administrator.
Having the right tools for the job
The course provides the opportunity to find out how to motivate busy colleagues to commit to development, how to introduce new ideas, how you can improve your confidence and competence and provides a chance to reflect on your own practice as well as learning from others.
We look at useful tools for L&D administrators. For example, Action Learning Sets can be an effective platform for people to maintain their motivation and commitment to learning and development. This could be something that happens informally, by actively promoting the time and space for staff to share learning objectives and encourage each other.
Another useful tool we explore is FutureMe. This is a website that allows you to set goals and monitor alerts, helping to stay focussed and achieve what you set out to do. Writing down learning commitments with achievable steps will help staff reach their goals.
Moving in the right direction
If you want to boost your understanding of learning and development theory and get practical tips on how to be more efficient then this course is for you. The training course covers:
- understanding the learning cycle and how it links with the needs of your organisation
- the role of the learning and development administrator
- organisational performance: review, define the needs and priorities and promote professional development
- planning and delivery
- reviewing learning and development costs
- recording learning and development information
- evaluating benefits
Read our full course outline, check future course dates or book your place today.
Fiona Russell is an experienced trainer working with individuals and groups to develop management skills and personal effectiveness. Her style is to facilitate the group to ensure that each participant is challenged and is given a toolkit to apply back in their workplace. She encourages individuals to identify their strengths and develop resilience in managing tough situations.
