The Map of Learning & Development

one of the hardest things about having a career in Learning and Development is understanding the different roles and where you might fit in now imagine that you had a treasure map that allows you to see your future career path in L&D laid right in front of you ah wouldn't that be nice hello and welcome to the L&D Academy's Channel my name is Zina and I've had the amazing opportunity to try on almost every possible L&D role that you can think of so today I'll be drawing the map of a l and development department but first what is L&D and what exactly does it do well simply put we analyze the learning needs of the employees and the organization we design learning activities to help meet those needs think training coaching onboarding and so on we deliver those interventions and then we evaluate how successful we've been this is what's usually called the L&D cycle now you might wonder where does L&D fit in an organization and the answer is in a number of different ways most often it's part of the HR department another approach is to split L&D across HR and specific business unit or even place it entirely within one Department like customer support or it focusing solely on the needs of that team for smaller companies L&T might just be one of the many hats and HR generalist wears without forming a separate team now each setup has its unique Vibe and depends on what the company needs most at that time all right let's dive into our L&D map now you can see it's split into four cool bands kind of like levels in a video game each with its own set of rules just a very quick heads up running an L&D Department takes a village and sometimes this Village will be large and made up of five 10 maybe even 20 people and sometimes that Village will be a single person who needs to wear many different hats which is what I've been doing for majority of my professional career also remember that different or organizations might use different names for these roles so consider this as a general overview of the L&D landscape rather than a strict blueprint let's take a look at these bands and see where you might fit in first up we have the support band this is where everything gets rolling first you have the L&D administrator or coordinator they manage the team's Finance procurement budgeting and other administrative tasks as well as the learning management system to ensure smooth delivery of all L&D activities then there is the technical writer their main responsibility is to develop clear and concise technical documentation for learning purposes think manuals job AIDS self-pace guides and so on another support role is that of the video editor or producer as you might imagine they are responsible for creating and editing videos to support any learning content the learning measurement analyst analyzes data to measure the impact of L&D initiatives on its employees managers and overall the organization you might also have a community manager this role takes care of community related things focusing on engaging collaboration and knowledge sharing among employees some L&D teams enlist the help of an internal Communications manager to oversee all messaging for companywide L&D initiatives for instance let's say that you're launching a leadership development program now this role will help you promoted to the approach appropriate audience you know right place at the right time sort of situation one of my favorite roles is that of the uxui designer their responsibility is to design userfriendly interface for the learning platform and any Learning Materials the team uses think PowerPoint jats posters email banners and so on this role very closely resembles and works with the graphic designer this is the magician who can turn any boring document into a piece of art through IM and Graphics that enhance the learning transfer finally you might also have a dedicated animator or motion graphic designer they're the people who create engaging visual content or animations to enhance the learning kind of like what you see on your screen right now in the support band you'll find the people who make sure everything in L&D runs smoothly supporting the whole department like a well oil machine however they're usually not directly involved in the design or the delivery free of any learning interventions for that we need to move up to the specialist band this is where things get spicy if you're here you're deep in the action these Pros take all the plans and make them happen delivering the actual learning experiences that help everyone in the company grow so who do we have here well first of all the L&D Specialist or expert these guys are the one who roll up their sleeves and get dirty meaning if someone in the organization wants to learn or develop they analyze the root cause of their problems they design and deliver the right learning Solutions and then do a follow-up to evaluate how well they've done by the way at each of these steps the support roles are invaluable they can take care of the admin stuff so that the L&D expert can focus on the most strategically important bits and pieces so who else is in this band you have the corporate trainer who specializes in delivering training programs within that organization you also have the facilitator who helps guide any group through an effective learning process for example any sort of Team strategy meetings or problem solving sessions can use a facilitator who guides the discussion and makes sure that everyone sticks to the agenda and gets the results that they want to get another very popular role is that of the instructional designer or e-learning developer as the title suggests they design online educational modules AKA e-learning one more very interesting role to mention here is that of the L&D business partner let's say that the company wants to take a new strategic Direction maybe launch a new product or enter a new market the L&D business partner will be there to help everyone involved learn and develop the competencies needed to make that a reality in other words the BP aligns L &d strategies with the business goals some L&D department will have a role that specializes in a particular area like leadership development team development or onboarding these roles have extensive expertise in their area and can support or even drive L&D efforts in those areas there is also the role of a coach we have a dedicated video on the topic so make sure to check it out the link is at all the usual places another role you might find in the L&D department is that of the content strategist they plan and execute content strategy to meet learning objectives for example the content strategist will collect collaborate with instructional designers to ensure the content is engaging and educational they'll also work with the graphic designers to maintain visual consistency across all materials making sure that everything from PowerPoint slides to e-learning interfaces align with the company's branding and the program's themes additionally they will coordinate with the video production team to create impactful and cohesive training videos that reinforce key points within that program throughout any project the cont content strategist ensures that every piece of content serves the overall learning objectives and maintains a cohesive educational experience another very interesting role is the learning transfer agent which basically ensures that learning is being effectively applied back on the job in the last few years another very popular role emerged that of The Learning Experience designer this is someone who designs immersive and effective learning experiences so instead of employees attending yet another boring lecture type training they're immersed in an unforgettable experience that helps them solve real world challenges back on the job finally some teams may have a role dedicated to technology that's where the L&D technology lead shines this role as you'd imagine guides the adoption and use of learning Technologies stepping up on our L&D map we split the landscape into two strategic bands in the management band the focus is on the nitty gritty of operations and people this is where project and people managers Thrive orchestrating the day-to-day activities that keep the learning engine running they're the ones ensuring that training sessions are scheduled resources are allocated and all the gears of the learning machine mesh seamlessly together it's about making sure things happen on time and to plan the rules you will most commonly find here are those of the L&D team leader or manager who deal primarily with manager managing the people within the L&D team then there is the learning operations manager who oversees the operational aspects of the L&D function thing streamlining scheduling processes for multiple training programs to avoid conflict or negotiating with software providers for better rates on new e-learning tools or analyzing budget reports to identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising the quality of the learning offering and so on another role that resides in the management band is the learning Solutions architect and the fancy sounding title comes with fancy sounding responsibilities that usually boil down to designing comprehensive learning solutions to meet organizational needs like a multi-year learning strategy that incorporates e-learning instructor Le training and informal learning opportunities to mention just a few all of those for the purpose of supporting the company's growth objectives and adapting to Future changes in the industry another interesting role worth mentioning here is the special projects manager this would be someone who manages unique L&D projects with specific goals for example they might oversee the roll out of a new leadership program tailored for midlevel managers coordinating between content creators facilitators and external Consultants to ensure the program is aligned with the company strategic leadership competencies and also delivered within a set time frame and also evaluated for Effectiveness against predefined metrics finally an interesting role that I must include in this band is the special program manager this is very similar to the project management role but usually only focuses on a single L&D program rather than coordinating multiple projects finally Rising above the operational Fray we reach the leadership band this layer is where the Grand Vision for L&D is crafted and curated occupied by the top echelon like the chief learning officers L&D directors and heads of L &d this band is all about setting the Strategic direction for learning initiatives leaders here are not just participating in the game they are setting the rules envisioning future learning Landscapes and aligning L &d goals with the overarching Ambitions of the entire organization simply put they oversee the strategies and make sure the Department's goals align perfectly with the company's big picture I'm curious where are you on this map right now and what is the career path you think would be best for you let us know in the comments down below okay lastly let's talk about how do you level up from one band to another first things first you got to have the skills for the role you want to move to we've got a super handy competency inventory template on our website to help you figure out what you need just click the link below to grab it next up polish that personal brand of yours we dive deep into that in another another video so check it out right here now you're going to need a killer resume before you can chase after your dream roll good news we've got a resume audit checklist ready for you at the L&D Academy's website hit up the link below to download it lastly nailing the interview is key if you think a one-on-one session would help I'm here for a private consultation you can find more details in the description or maybe just chat with a buddy who will give it to you straight either way take the time to prepare to rehearse and to set yourself up for Success all right that about wraps it up on our map you can download it for free from our websites just go to the L&D academy.com slmap and if you want to stay updated with more L &d insights and tips don't forget to hit that subscribe button thank you for watching and I'll see you in the next one