The Business of Training Conference 2024: Key Insights and Takeaways

The Business of Training Conference 2024 was a hub for Training provider leaders, focusing on the evolving landscape of AI, training impact measurement, and strategic growth in the training sector. Hosted in the beautiful Gladstone Library of the Royal Horseguards at One Whitehall Place in the heart of London, this event gathered thought leaders, innovators, and practitioners in training, all eager to explore the future of training in the face of rapid technological advancements and shifting client expectations. The packed agenda offered sessions on designing AI-driven learning strategies, measuring training outcomes, and fostering collaborations that drive value. Here's a breakdown of the main insights and learning from the conference.

To set the scene, delegates answered the question: How are you using AI in your training business?

Keynote: The Transformative Impact of AI in Training

Julian Stodd, Captain of Seasalt Learning, an esteemed author and researcher, set the stage by discussing the profound impact of AI on the training industry, organisations, and society at large. He highlighted key trends, such as AI's role in reshaping learning experiences by enabling the learning process in the form of a dialog.

Julian’s insights resonated very much with attendees and he shared several resources that will enable directors of training companies to go deeper.

A key message is to explore and make mistakes with AI-driven tools, seeing AI not merely as a content creation tool or transfer of knowledge but as a scaffold for exploration and adaptation.

Designing Personalised Training Experiences with AI

Roy de Vries, Learning Innovator at aNewSpring, led a session focused on designing personalised training content, emphasising the need for adaptive learning experiences that respond dynamically to individual learner needs.

In this highly interactive session, Roy presented six learning theories and asked the audience which ones they regularly used. Delegates were quite familiar with experiential and social learning and linking their training to prior knowledge. However, theories such as cognitive load, constructivism and spaced repetition are not widely used.

Roy noted how technology, not just AI, can facilitate to adjust content according to performance and engagement metrics and incorporate more of these learning theories, with the goal to make more impact for learners.

Measurement of Training Impact: The New Priority

Laura Overton, founder of Learning Changemakers, underscored the critical role of measuring training impact. Her talk highlighted the transition from simply assessing training completion to evaluating its tangible effects on business outcomes. She advocated for collaboration across stakeholders in the supply chain to create a more comprehensive picture of how training contributes to organisational goals, arguing that effective measurement aligns training investments with business value.

What does success look like for delegates in the conference?

The L&D Value Spectrum is a great guide for clients from focusing solely on learning value to achieving business value. Participants reflected on Laura's insights, with many expressing a newfound commitment to measure their training programs' effectiveness using both qualitative and quantitative metrics.

?

After lunch, which many people used to network with the other delegates, the topics of using AI, measurement of impact and collaboration where explored in more depth.

Scaling Impact Measurement: A Case Study from London

In the afternoon, Dr. Lubomira Anastassova-Chirmiciu, Senior Skills Funding Manager at the Greater London Authority, provided a practical perspective sharing how impact measurement is applied on a large scale in London. Her case study regarding the baseline London Learner Survey showed what quantifiable and qualitative measurement the GLA applies. More information is available here.

Reimagining the Business Model with Impact Measurement

Phil Wilcox, founder of Emotion At Work, expanded on the measurement theme, emphasising its transformative potential for business models in training. He stressed that training providers must look beyond completion rates and focus on long-term behavioural changes that align with organisational objectives. Measuring impact, he argued, can change the business model for training companies and increase revenue based on achieved improvements within the customer.

Collaboration through Partnerships: Building a Future-Ready Training Ecosystem

Khalida Suleymanova, director at ARMSA Academy was interviewed by conference chair Jan Jilis van Delsen on the partnerships that enabled ARMSA to grow into a globally operating training business. It offered attendees a fresh perspective on partnerships as a pathway to innovation. She stressed the importance of collaborating with other, even competing, training providers, technology vendors, and customers to create a synergistic ecosystem.

Practical Application: Intelligence Gathering and Reflection

To embed the learning experience, Laura Overton facilitated an interactive intelligence gathering session, where attendees worked in groups to brainstorm practical applications of the day's learning. This hands-on activity allowed participants to explore actionable steps for integrating AI into their own organisations, discuss potential barriers, and share best practices for fostering a measurement-driven culture. The session was highly entertaining as one of the groups focused on how to deal with the nay-sayers and list all the reasons why not to cooperate.

Key Takeaways and Future Directions

The closing reflection session, encouraged attendees to consolidate their learnings and share intended actions. Feedback from the attendees underscored several themes:

1. Exploring AI Beyond Efficiency: While AI is often associated with efficiency, participants came away with a more nuanced understanding of its potential. They noted that AI could support reflective practice, deepen engagement, and serve as a creative partner in the learning experience.

??????? “Creating an internal AI learning lab”

??????? “Test and apply more AI tools - beyond ChatGPT”

??????? “Encourage experimentation and use as sounding board for innovation”

?

2. Utilising AI for Adaptive Learning: AI’s ability to personalise content and evaluate skills in real-time resonated with attendees, who expressed interest in incorporating adaptive learning tools in their programs. Participants noted:

??????? “Using AI as a scaffolding tool is really interesting. Asking ‘here is my plan to solve this problem, what have I missed?’”

??????? “Create more personalised learning experiences through an AI driven adaptive approach.”

??????? “Adaptive learning - think about introducing pre-test activities to support demonstration of impact post learning”

?

3. Continuous Impact Measurement: Many participants committed to adopting measurement strategies, aiming to show how training directly affects business outcomes and deliver more value to clients. Here are some comments from the delegates.

??????? “Review Laura’s L&D spectrum and identify initiatives/enablers to move clients along the spectrum from learning value to business value”

??????? “Constant evaluation, feedback, confidence measurements etc”

??????? “Shifting from TNA to skills gap analysis”

?

?4. Strategic Partnerships: Attendees recognised the importance of partnerships in fostering innovation and expanding training impact. Many left the conference with new connections and insights into potential collaborations with other industry players,

??????? “Treat clients more like partners”

??????? “Partnerships (internal and external)”

??????? “Julian’s resources”

Final Thoughts

The Business of Training Conference 2024 highlighted a pivotal moment in the training sector. As AI continues to shape content strategy and learning experiences, training providers face the challenge of aligning with client expectations for measurable impact. The emphasis on adaptive learning, measurement-driven strategies, and collaborative partnerships offers a roadmap for providers aiming to become trusted advisors to their customers.

The insights shared at the conference reinforced that growth is possible for training businesses that embrace innovation and continuously adapt to meet client needs. By leveraging technology, measuring real-world impact, and understanding what truly adds value, training providers can elevate their offerings and ensure long-term success in a rapidly changing market.

This conference has been made possible by the thought leaders / speakers for their fantastic contributions, the expert organisation skills of Katherina Breen and the shared vision of Laura Overton and Jan Jilis van Delsen.

If you want more information about the next edition, please email: [email protected]