The Learning and Skills Group's annual summer conference contained eleven sessions over three days, hosted by some of the learning industry's most notable commentators. They included Clive Shepherd, Jane Hart, Nigel Paine, Steve Wheeler, Jane Bozarth, Karen Hyder, Laura Overton, David Wilson, Charles Jennings, Jay Cross, and Mark Oehlert.



This year for the first time, it took place entirely online, with over 950 L&D professionals from all over the world participating directly - and many more participating through social media. The event also trended on Twitter, creating a considerable social footprint.



The Learning and Skills Group Conference Chairman, Donald Taylor, commenting on the event identified a thread that ran across all eleven sessions: the need for L&D departments to engage more closely with their businesses. He admonished, -œL&D needs to get out of its comfort zone and work more closely, more of the time, with their businesses' managers. In the past, training departments would devise courses to meet perceived training needs, and much of their activity would revolve around the delivery of those 'predetermined' courses. Today, there are vastly more learning resources available and ways for people to learn that are beyond the control of the L&D department: Googling, tweeting, collaboration through social networks and forums, to name just a few.

"By being close to the constantly evolving needs of their businesses, enabling learning through these channels, and creating an environment for workers to 'discover', L&D can get to grips with what's really required and continue to create value. The alternative is that L&D becomes marginalised as workers increasingly find ways around any failures in their L&D department."

Taylor added, "Mark Oehlert, in his session, talked about the resistance in many L&D departments to introducing social learning into organisations. He succinctly summed up the challenge by calling for L&D to realise that they do have a key role to fulfil and to 'start small, think big and move fast!' Mark's comments reflect well the pioneering landscape that L&D finds itself in."