Top 5 Skills To Future Proofing Your Learning & Development Career

7th April 2022

The number of individuals employed as Training & Development Managers has been rising at a rate of 5.93%, from 56,203 people in 2018 to 59,538 people in 2019.

Training & Development Manager is a role demanding vast accountability, motivated and skilful individuals for handling it. They are the ones who know the significance of being in the correct company and the right position to flourish.

But…what crucial skills are companies targeting for top learning and development (L&D) professionals?

Important L&D Manager Roles

Well, the major role revolves around the following tasks:

• Ensuring everyone is well-trained and can do their job efficiently
• Helping employees learn new skills and develop existing ones
• Working closely with the proprietors to establish the company’s requirements
• Drawing up a training plan
• Budget Management
• Identifying the training objects of employees
• Collaborating with the numerous business leaders to fill the skill gaps
• Evaluating the success of development plans to keep optimizing
• Hiring and managing L&D Specialists

Usually, large companies have an L&D department, while small companies assign these duties to a human resources (HR) manager.

Skills To Become An L&D Manager

Here are important skills that you can need to become an L&D manager:

Project Management

The most sought-after skills for L&D professionals are - planning, establishing, and controlling your training space by managing several projects. Numerous colleges and universities also offer courses on this topic. If you search for advancement to demonstrate mastery of your skill set on your profile, consider getting one.

Ground-breaking Thinking

The forecasts of a training session can be anyone from corporate administrators to fresher workforces. We all have experienced several meetings and uninteresting presentations. Therefore, a learning and development manager must be innovative to safeguard that learning creativities are interesting enough for all kinds of audiences.

Data-Driven Approach

An L&D manager must be equipped with collecting, handling, and managing data effectively. From categorizing the requirement from training to analyzing the results, the need for data has radically increased in the current L&D process. You need to master the art and science of data. You need to acquire expertise in using MS office, data visualization tools, and other analytics and statistical tools.

Get Licenses and Certifications

An internationally recognized certificate can show potential employers your credibility and expertise. You can join MA in Education with Learning & Development program to future proof your L&D career. Also, while creating your resume, focus on demonstrating the qualifications as well as skills that can make you a positive L&D manager.

People Management

As an L&D professional, you need to understand your organization and its people. The more you understand about the people you plan to prepare, the greater you will be able to limit the skill gap.

The highest paying industries for Training & development managers, by average wage, are Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, Medical equipment & supplies manufacturing, and Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments.

Conclusion

If you know how to network and build and keep relationships, you can go far in this field. Also, along with good communication, problem-solving skills are required and should also be trained by a good manager. MA in Education with Learning & Development is something that you should consider.

Be prepared for that next step well before you start your job search.

Written By : Victoria Lewis