A fresh perspective

After reviewing their learning against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the team discovered their existing eLearning scored just 16% in a self-assessment.

Rather than seeing this as a setback, they used it as a catalyst for change. Accessibility became more than a compliance requirement; it became the foundation of every new learning design.

Small changes, big impact

The team focused on practical improvements that would make learning easier for everyone to access, including:

• Reviewing colour contrast to ensure text is clear and readable.
• Using plain, inclusive language instead of jargon or device-specific instructions like “click here”.
• Adding meaningful alternative text to images and removing unnecessary decorative graphics.
• Simplifying navigation so courses can be completed using a keyboard as well as a mouse.
• Including captions on videos and giving learners control over playback.
• Redesigning assessments to remove unnecessary barriers, such as drag-and-drop activities and time limits.

“These changes haven’t just improved accessibility, they’ve created a better learning experience for all colleagues.”

Key takeaways

• Build accessibility into learning from the start rather than adding it later.
• Simple, clear design is often more effective than complex interactions.
• Test learning from the learner’s perspective, including without using a mouse.
• Small improvements can have a significant impact on the overall learner experience.
• Accessibility benefits everyone, not just those with additional needs.

Don’t miss these handy resources! 

Looking for more practical guidance? Explore Alan’s curated collection of tools, resources and further reading to help you create more accessible and inclusive experiences.

Download the useful accessibility links PDF here

Andy Lancaster recently led a session for Charity Learning Consortium members that challenged a common assumption: that defining future skills is the hardest part of change. Drawing on insights from Building Tomorrow’s Skills in Today’s Charities, he made the case that the real challenge isn’t identifying the right skills, but creating the conditions for them to grow.

The session sparked practical, honest conversations about embedding learning into everyday work, building resilience, and enabling meaningful change in increasingly complex environments. Here are Andy’s key takeaways from that discussion.

2. Resilience is misunderstood and underdeveloped

Resilience shows up everywhere in the actions, but almost as a question rather than an answer. People know it matters. They’re just not convinced we’ve really figured it out.

There’s a shift in thinking away from just “coping” towards something more dynamic. Growing through challenge, adapting and even thriving. But that’s not the everyday experience for many who attended. The reality, for some, is feeling very stretched in constantly managing competing demands.

And that creates a quiet contradiction. We talk about building resilient people, while operating in systems that wear them down. It’s not a criticism. It’s just where many people are.

Resilience is something we design into the way organisations work.

3. Learning is happening – but not always recognised

There’s something quite hopeful in the responses. Learning is alive and happening in conversations, shared experiences, moments of reflection, and in seeing something through someone else’s eyes. 

But it’s easy to miss because it doesn’t always look like learning in the traditional sense. So, it slips under the radar. And when that happens, organisations default back to what they can see and measure, which is understandable but limiting.

The opportunity here isn’t to create more learning. It’s to notice what’s already there and build around it. None of this happens by accident and doesn’t always sustain itself. It needs light-touch structure with tools, conversations, and collaboration that make learning easier to sustain.

Key thought:

Some of the most powerful learning is already happening, we’re just not always validating it.

4. Skills need to be embedded not added on

There’s a clear message; people don’t have space for “extra” learning. Not in the way it’s often designed. So, the ask is simple, although not necessarily easy. Make development part of the job, not something that sits alongside it or that happens when time allows. Because in reality time rarely does! 

This is about weaving skills into the fabric of work. Into roles, projects and how people operate and grow across the organisation. It sounds obvious when you say it out loud. But it asks us to rethink some pretty established habits.

There’s also a thread around progression and recognition. Development isn’t just about capability, it’s about identity. People need to see where their skills take them and feel that progression is recognised. Otherwise, development can start to feel intangible, something you’re asked to do, rather than something that moves you forward.

Key thought:

If learning feels like an add-on, it may well be the first thing to go.

5. Leadership is shifting – but unevenly

There’s a sense that the brief for leadership has changed. It’s less about having the answers and more about creating the conditions. That means listening, being open and sometimes being a bit more human than we’re used to seeing. 

For some leaders, that’s already happening, for others, it’s harder. Old habits run deep and senior teams can become echo chambers without meaning to. And not everyone has been supported to lead in this different way.

We might be assuming people know how to do this already. That’s a risky assumption. 

Key thought:

We’re asking leaders to show up differently… but we need to help them get there.

6. Connection and community are critical

One of the strongest areas of feedback is relief. That sense of  “it’s not just us.” 

There’s real value in hearing how others are navigating similar challenges. Not because it gives perfect answers, but because it opens up possibilities.

Learning at CLC is clearly social. It happens through dialogue, relationships, and networking that stretch beyond the participant’s organisations. Even the idea of bringing back former volunteers as mentors speaks to that, knowledge doesn’t disappear when someone leaves unless we let it.

There’s something bigger here about how capability flows; not just how it’s built.

Key thought:

We don’t build future skills alone; we build them together.

7. Tension between ambition and reality 

You can feel the stretch in the responses. On one hand, there’s energy for change and a recognition that things need to evolve. On the other, there’s the reality of limited time, competing priorities, and, in some cases, resistance. 

There’s a practical edge to this. Capacity isn’t endless. If we don’t design with that in mind, learning risks becoming part of the problem, not the solution and another demand in an already pressured system.

So, this becomes less about designing the perfect strategy and more about working with human dynamics such as motivation, energy and capacity.

It’s messier than we’d like; but more honest.

Key thought:

Change happens not just by design, but when people are ready and able to engage.

8. Future skills are not new – just more urgent

When you strip it back, the skills people are pointing to are familiar; resilience, agility, leadership, communication, curiosity, reflection and building relationships. 

We’ve known about these for years, but what’s changed is the context. Things are moving faster and feel less certain. The margin for error is smaller, so these deeply human skills carry more weight than they used to.

They’re not just “nice to have” anymore; they’re what keep organisations moving and successful.

That’s the shift; not new skills but new expectations.

Key thought:

The future requires skills we’ve always needed, but at a higher level with less room to ignore them.

In conclusion, the real challenge isn’t about naming the right future skills. It’s about creating the kind of work environment where those skills can actually take root and grow. Because the future isn’t just asking more of people, it’s asking us to rethink the conditions we place around them. And until the way work is designed starts to shift, those skills will stay as good intentions rather than something people can build in the reality of their day-to-day.

NESCol is one of Scotland’s largest colleges, operating across multiple campuses in Aberdeen, Fraserburgh and Peterhead. With over 21,000 students, around 600 staff, and a significant number of agency and contract lecturers, NESCol operates in a highly complex environment.

Listening first

Rather than immediately redesigning induction, the team took time to listen. They surveyed three years’ worth of new starters, consulted subject matter experts (SMEs) and reviewed compliance requirements and risk registers.

While SMEs were passionate about their individual areas it was clear that the system as a whole was broken.

At the same time, NESCol discovered the Charity Learning Consortium (CLC) and began exploring how curated, high-quality eLearning content could support a more coherent approach.

The solution: A radical reset

In August 2024, NESCol undertook what Jill describes as an “accidental but ambitious” transformation:

1. Moved to a new virtual learning environment
2. Introduced Charity Learning Consortium content
3. Redesigned induction and compliance processes simultaneously

What induction looks like now

1. Centralised, online and asynchronous

All legal and compliance learning now sits in one place and each course includes:

• A short introduction video from the subject matter expert
• High-quality eLearning content (CLC, NESCol-created or trusted external partners)
• Links to relevant policies
• Clear contact details for support

This ensures consistency, flexibility and accessibility for all staff, including lecturers with unpredictable timetables.

2. Clear accountability through probation

Completion of core compliance courses is now embedded into the probation process.

Line managers must confirm that required learning has been completed before probation is signed off. Staff cannot be confirmed into post without completing essential training.

This simple change has significantly strengthened compliance without extending probation unnecessarily.

3. Inclusion of contractors and temporary staff

NESCol identified a major risk around contractors and agency lecturers who had never completed NESCol-specific induction.

A new fixed-term and contractor induction course was created, now used for:

• Contract lecturers
• Student interns
• Security and facilities staff
• Partner organisations

This ensures everyone teaching or working with students understands NESCol’s safeguarding, fire safety and escalation processes, regardless of who pays their wages.

4. Retaining human connection

While compliance learning moved online, NESCol recognised the importance of connection and belonging.

Two key in-person elements remain:

• Meet the Principal: new staff meet the Principal around six weeks in, creating early engagement and visibility
• Workplace connections: an end-of-term session using structured, “speed-dating style” conversations to help new starters build relationships with each other

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with new staff reporting stronger connections and a greater sense of belonging.

Find out more from the Charity Learning Consortium

As well as the potential cost savings, CLC membership also provided a range of other benefits beyond the platform including community support, feedback loops and events.

Barnardo’s decided that the potential savings and added benefits combined with the CLC’s collaborative and supportive approach would help the organisation deliver on its goals.

Focus on value

From prior experience and her own research of the learning technology market, Jodie could see that investing in a premium learning management system with extensive features would come at a significant cost. “It was a two-salary difference,” says Jodie Pritchard, director of learning and development. “Or a couple of practitioners working in one of our community hubs, rather than spending it on a platform.”

Using CLC’s Moodle-based platform created space for reinvestment in L&D initiatives, particularly extending learning to Barnardo’s 18,000 volunteers.

The platform now underpins compliance training – from safeguarding to health and safety – and allows Barnardo’s to track completions and meet regulatory requirements. “We describe Moodle as ‘Ronseal’ – it does what it says on the tin,” Jodie adds. “It delivers what we need from a compliance and reporting perspective.”

Through SharePoint integration and blended use of CLC content with internal resources, Barnardo’s has also built a learning ecosystem that supports wider development needs across departments and roles.

Cost-saving with impact

Achieving approximately 80% savings on platform spend allowed Barnardo’s to redirect funds toward extending development work across the organisation. “It allows us to do other things with our learning budget that we wouldn’t be able to do if we had to invest, for example, in a really expensive commercial platform,” says Jodie.

More than a platform – the community benefits

For Barnardo’s, the true value of CLC lies beyond the technology. “It really does feel like a community. We know that because we are helping each other we are going to get something out of it.”

That includes:

• Member events that showcase peer-led case studies and external speakers
• A vibrant WhatsApp group for daily knowledge-sharing
• Participation in the Charity Mentoring Network
• Responsive support and regular contact with a dedicated membership manager

“Martin Baker, the CEO of CLC, is really future focused in what he does, and he is receptive to feedback. And the team act on it and that makes a big difference.”

Key results:

Significant cost savings
An estimated 80% cost saving created room for reinvestment in strategic learning areas.

Compliance confidence
The platform provides secure, auditable training records for safeguarding, health and safety, and regulatory requirements.

Flexibility and integration
Moodle integrates with SharePoint and supports both custom and off-the-shelf content in a way that suits Barnardo’s scale and complexity.

Sector-relevant support and networking
The wider CLC network, including member events and the WhatsApp group, offers practical, sector-specific insight and problem-solving.

Responsiveness and collaboration
CLC actively responds to feedback and co-develops solutions – from new content themes to support for learning pathways.

Cultural fit
CLC understands the needs of third-sector organisations, making it a better cultural and operational fit than commercial vendors.

Find out more from the Charity Learning Consortium

Our 2025 winners:

Congratulations to all our 2025 winners!

These remarkable individuals and teams represent the best of what our community can achieve when we learn, share, and grow together. We’re incredibly proud to celebrate their achievements and look forward to seeing the impact they continue to make.

Click on the session titles below or scroll down to review them all

You may not have been able to attend CIPD ACE, so in this article I aim to provide a snippet of what you might have missed and, more importantly, what you might be able to learn from.

Before I start, a quick word of warning. This conference featured three amazing keynote sessions from speakers who have had truly remarkable life experiences. If you’re lucky, you get one great keynote, so three was amazing. All shared personal stories with the humility and honesty that left the room so quiet, I wondered at one point if anyone was breathing. I’ve included links for each one so you can learn more about their life and work. It’s honestly worth it.

Keynote: The Future of Work – How to Lead, Adapt and Innovate for What’s Next
Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE

Traffic meant I only managed to catch the last twenty minutes of Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon’s keynote, but it was enough to make a lasting impression. Her session struck a balance between realism and optimism, exploring how we can lead through the uncertainty of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Before I discuss her session, I’d like to provide a brief bio for Anne-Marie. At 11, she was the youngest girl ever to pass A-level computing, and at 20 years old, she received her Masters in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Oxford. Since then, she has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from five UK universities. If that is her education, just imagine what she has done since then…. Oh, and her MBE was for services to young women and STEM sectors.

Back to the session… Anne-Marie urged us to stay curious (a theme repeated during the conference). She stresses the need to keep learning a little more each week, and to embrace ‘quality mistakes’. The idea is to allow us to view mistakes as opportunities for insight and progress, rather than creating fear. She spoke about the need to build, measure, and iterate our ideas with agility, reminding us that the future of work is still being written and belongs to everyone, not just technologists.

Key takeaways for L&D in charities:

• Be endlessly curious. Growth comes from small, continuous learning.
• Encourage experimentation. Reward ‘quality mistakes’ and shared learning.
• Celebrate difference. Diverse thinking drives innovation and inclusion.
• Keep humans at the centre. Technology should serve people, not replace them.
• Recognise your influence. L&D professionals help shape what the future of work looks like.

Masterclass: Building an L&D Strategy for Stronger Line Management
Matthew Meynell, Deputy Director of Leadership, Cabinet Office

This masterclass presented a unified approach to improving line management across the Civil Service, developed by the Cabinet Office. With more than 100,000 managers in a workforce of half a million, the goal was to bring consistency, clarity, and higher standards to one of the most complex people systems in the UK.

Matthew Meynell outlined how his team utilised research from universities, industry bodies, and consultancy partners to define what “good line management” entails, focusing on empathy, trust, active listening, and self-awareness. The new standards are now embedded into recruitment, performance management, and training pathways, supported by a structured curriculum aligned to the Civil Service Code.

While the approach is outside the ability of most charities, the session provided an interesting look at how a large, distributed organisation can tackle inconsistency in management capability. The emphasis is on setting expectations, defining standards, and building a shared learning framework.

Case Studies: Right Skills at the Right Time – How to Master Strategic Workforce Planning to Meet Future Needs
Laura Wall (Lloyds Banking Group)
Natalie Dalton (Registers of Scotland)

This session explored how two large organisations are addressing the challenge of ensuring they have the right skills for the future. Both speakers emphasised that strategic workforce planning is not just about producing a plan, but about leading a long-term change programme.

Natalie Dalton from Registers of Scotland described how her team reframed workforce planning as a continuous change process rather than a one-off document. She shared that they found engaging people in honest conversations about ‘present pain points’ helped frame a conversation that had previously been ‘I’ve no idea, I don’t know the future’.

Laura Wall from Lloyds Banking Group spoke about horizon scanning, looking across technology, risk, and sustainability to anticipate future skill needs. Her team utilises scenario planning and data to inform investment in emerging skills, such as AI literacy and operational resilience. This was based on a framework that they had developed.

While some of the technical details went over my head, it was fascinating to see how both speakers combined data, foresight, and storytelling to make workforce planning more human and strategic.

Keynote: Leading Under Pressure – What HR Can Learn from Extreme Environments
Professor Kevin Fong OBE

This was one of the most memorable sessions of the event (although there were a few others). Professor Kevin Fong combined science, storytelling, and humanity to explore what leadership really means when lives are at stake. Drawing on his career in space medicine, emergency response, and intensive care, he took the audience inside moments where calm, clarity, and teamwork were the difference between success and failure.

It was his experience during the COVID-19 response that hit hardest. Until recently he held the position of National Clinical Advisor in Emergency Preparedness Resilience and Response for the Covid-19 Incident. A job title he was quick to joke about. He described through images and his personal experiences, how, in the early days of the pandemic, systems and protocols quickly became irrelevant. Leadership became about coordination and humility, listening, improvising, and making decisions with incomplete information. He reflected on the pressure of working alongside exhausted colleagues, the fear of getting things wrong, and the necessity of collective problem-solving. His point was simple but profound: in a crisis, no one leads alone. The best leaders enable others to act with confidence, even when certainty has disappeared.

Key takeaways for L&D in charities:

• Leadership and followership are equally important. Great teams share responsibility and adapt as situations evolve.
• Plan, practise, reflect. Rehearsal builds confidence; honest reflection builds learning.
• Lead through uncertainty. Trust, communication, and empathy matter more than rigid control.
• Stay humble under pressure. True leadership is about service and being calm in chaos.
• Build collective strength. Crisis leadership is a team effort, not a solo act.

Panel: Navigating the Future Skills Horizon – What Skills Are Coming Next?
Fiona Aldridge (Skills Federation)
Gemma Marsh (Skills England)

This session examined how the UK’s skills landscape is evolving, with a focus on how employers, government, and education providers can collaborate to prepare individuals for the changing world of work. While I’m not sure the discussion fully answered the question in its title, it did provide insight into the scale and complexity of national skills planning.

Gemma Marsh outlined Skills England’s mission to simplify the system, close regional gaps, and support employers to access the right training. She spoke about the need for shorter, more flexible learning options, recognising that traditional apprenticeships don’t suit every employer or sector. She also touched on digital and AI skills, noting that upskilling the existing workforce is just as important as preparing young people for new jobs.

Fiona Aldridge highlighted the growing importance of human skills, such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving, creativity, and information literacy, as technology automates more technical work. She reminded the audience that lifelong learning is about more than productivity: it strengthens wellbeing, community, and opportunity, particularly for those furthest from education and employment.

Keynote: Rising from Adversity – Resilience, Leadership and the Power to Change Your Story
Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton KSMF

Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton’s opening keynote on the second day was the third powerful conference session. Again, full of powerful moments of inspiration, she gave a deeply moving and personal account of resilience, empathy, and the science of leadership under pressure.

She began by sharing her story of homelessness as a teenager, describing how she washed in public toilets, put on her school uniform, and went to class as if everything were normal. That experience, she explained, taught her the most important lesson of her life: you never know what someone else is dealing with. It was her first lesson in empathy, and it shaped everything that followed.

After joining the fire service at 18, Sabrina found a sense of belonging and purpose in helping others on their worst days. But she also faced sexism, harassment, and doubt about her place as a woman in a male-dominated service. Her second moving story was set many years later, when she responded to a serious fire and thought her husband, also a firefighter, might have been seriously injured. She viscerally described her physical response to this terrifying experience, which made her realise how easily decision-making can be clouded by emotion and stress. Determined to understand why, she began studying psychology and went on to earn both a degree and a PhD while working full-time.

Key takeaways for L&D in charities:

• Empathy transforms leadership. You never know what others have faced before they walk into the room.
• Stress changes thinking. Under pressure, people need time, calm, and structure to make good decisions.
• Build psychological safety. Learning only happens when people feel safe to fail and try again.
• Science meets humanity. Understanding the brain can help us design better learning under stress.
• Keep going. Resilience is built one decision, one setback, and one success at a time.

Fishbowl: RIP Traditional Learning! What is the New Role of L&D in the Age of AI?
Steve George, Head of Learning, CIPD

What stood out for me in this session wasn’t the content but the format. It was my first experience of a fishbowl discussion, a technique that I thought was a brilliant idea in a conference setting.

A fishbowl starts with three people on a table in the centre of the room. One chairperson and two initial responders. The chairperson asks the first question, and the two people respond. After answering, they stand up and leave the table, going to sit elsewhere in the room. Anyone from the audience can step into an empty chair to join in and answer the question. This creates a constantly evolving conversation where the audience effectively becomes the panel, sharing their perspectives, questions, and experiences in real-time. Our topic was AI and the role of L&D. The central table saw a series of panellists, each giving their perspective. As the supply ran dry, a new question was posed. The session ended with the original panellist returning to answer the final question.

I was struck by how well this approach would work with L&D professionals from charities, especially in communities of practice or learning network events. It gives a great opportunity to share experiences and surface practical solutions without the hierarchy of a traditional panel.

Keynote: Speaking Truth to Power – Politics, People and the Future of Work
Nick Robinson

Nick Robinson’s keynote was entertaining and wide-ranging, filled with political anecdotes and reflections from his long career in broadcasting. I didn’t feel that the session offered much direct insight into the workplace or the future of learning, but it did provide a thoughtful examination of uncertainty, leadership, and the forces shaping modern politics.

He began with stories from his time covering figures like Sir Alex Ferguson, John Prescott, and George W. Bush, using them to illustrate the human side of leadership — from Ferguson’s habit of chatting to the laundry staff every week to remind them they mattered, to the way political figures can lose touch with reality when surrounded by power.

Much of the talk centred on how unpredictable the world has become (which he acknowledged we were all too familiar with). Drawing on decades of political reporting, Robinson argued that anyone claiming to know what happens next, in politics, economics, or society, is either “a liar or a fool.” He pointed to the rapid changes of the past decade, from Brexit and Trump to the rise of populism and cultural division, illustrating how these global forces now shape our everyday lives and workplaces.

Although the session leaned more towards political commentary than practical advice, Robinson offered a glimmer of optimism. His core message was that leadership, in government, business, or daily life, depends on clarity of story. Organisations, he said, lose direction when they forget who they are and what they stand for. Leaders who focus on values, empathy, and narrative are the ones best equipped to navigate uncertainty.

Key takeaways for L&D in charities:

• Uncertainty is the norm. Plan for change, not stability.
• Stories shape strategy. Every organisation needs a clear, unifying narrative.
• Stay connected to people. Leadership starts with listening, not broadcasting.
• Beware assumptions. The world rarely behaves as experts predict.
• Hold on to hope. Progress often feels messy, but small, consistent action still matters.

Learning that speaks the charity language

While topics like trustees & governance, fundraising, and volunteering are naturally part of everyday charity life, we’ve also reimagined subjects such as leadership, coaching, and mentoring through a not-for-profit lens. The result? Resources that are free from corporate jargon, deeply practical, and aligned with the challenges and opportunities charities face every day.

There’s a growing demand for training that feels relevant to the third sector. Too often, learning materials are designed for the corporate world — leaving charities to adapt them on their own. The Charity Essentials library fills that gap, providing accessible, engaging content that speaks directly to the heart of charity work.

Bite-sized learning that sticks

Each collection was originally developed as a series of one-minute animated videos. You’d be surprised at how much insight can be shared in just sixty seconds! Because they’re short, fun, and easy to remember, they make perfect bite-sized learning experiences, ideal for busy charity professionals and volunteers alike.

To make them even more versatile, all materials are now available in both video and more in depth SCORM formats.

• Free for everyone: The videos are open to the entire charity sector — explore them at watch.clearlessons.com
• Exclusive for members: Charity Learning Consortium members also gain access to the SCORM packages as part of their membership. To find out more about becoming a member, get in touch. 

Session: From learning to leading: Owning our professional evolution in uncertain times
Laura Overton (Analyst and Author, Learning Changemakers)
Sarah Lindsell (Learning and Development Director, Global Human Capital, PwC)

Key Insights for Charity L&D Professionals:

• Lead every day. You don’t need a title to have influence and impact.
• Make value undeniable. Show your contribution in commercial and strategic terms.
• Embrace disruption. Change creates energy and space for innovation.
• Stay curious. Ask better questions, not just for data but for understanding.
• Be brave. Courage and authenticity inspire trust and change.

This is directly connected with the session I’m writing about for the Charity Learning Consortium Conference in November, so it really resonated with me. Demonstrating impact in commercial and strategic terms and asking questions to understand and gather data… all part of providing and demonstrating value.

Session: Neurodiversity at work: Creating inclusive learning environments
Emma Hutchins (Talent and Capability Lead at Aviva)
Susi Miller (Founder and Director eLaHub, Author, LPI Learning Professional of the Year 2025)

This session began with a personal exploration of how learning can better support neurodivergent colleagues, thereby creating better learning experiences for everyone. We are massive fans of the unassuming but passionate Susi Miller, so I always make sure to attend her sessions at events.

Emma Hutchins spoke candidly about life with ADHD and the burnout often experienced by neurodivergent people who mask or overcompensate. She shared how her experiences as both a mother and daughter of neurodivergent women shaped her commitment to inclusion at Aviva, where over 450 colleagues identify as neurodivergent. Susi Miller discussed her journey with dyslexia and dyscalculia and how these have shaped her work designing accessible learning. Together, they emphasised that accessibility and inclusivity are not the same thing: a course can meet compliance standards yet still make learners feel excluded.

The pair demonstrated how small design choices, such as removing time limits, adding captions and transcripts, and allowing control over pace and movement, make a big difference. Their mantra, “progress over perfection,” reminded us all that inclusive learning is a continual journey, not a one-time fix.

Exhibition Case Study: Alice in Typhoidland
Chris Hodgson, Discover eLearning

Although the conference and exhibition are well-integrated at World of Learning, I missed many of this year’s exhibition sessions. However, one session I was determined not to miss was a case study by Chris Hodgson from Discover eLearning on the Network Learning stage. Chris is one of the few elearning developers who is pushing the technical limits of Articulate’s authoring tools AND talking about how it did it.

In this session, he presented a case study on the award-winning “Alice in Typhoidland” project. This interactive, AI-powered learning experience uses agentic AI to support learning conversations. The tool uses an interface built in Articulate Storyline connected via his own eLearning Magic Toolkit to 11Labs and Gemini. Learners could talk to Alice, ask questions about typhoid, play short learning games, and even generate a personalised fact sheet based on their conversation.

Chris generously shared a glimpse into how AI can support more human-like digital learning: responsive, personal, and rooted in storytelling.

Panel: What is the role of learning leadership in developing organisational culture?
Dani Saadu (Global Head of Talent Management, Wireless Logic)
Marina Mologni (Global Talent Learning & Development Manager, Atlas Copco)
Pash Reddy (Senior Director, Global Head of Learning, S&P global Cl)
Sebastian Tindall (Strategic Enablement Director, Vitality)

This panel explored what organisational culture really means and how learning professionals can influence it. The speakers agreed that culture is not what appears in the annual report but what people actually do each day, how they think, feel and behave, especially under pressure.

Each panellist offered a slightly different take. For Sebastian Tindall, learning and culture are inseparable. He argued that every learning experience either reflects or shapes the organisation’s culture and suggested tying learning goals directly to performance frameworks. Pash Reddy described learning as both a mirror and a window; it shows who the organisation is today and reveals what it needs to become. Marina Mologni spoke about culture in global teams, highlighting how local “micro-cultures” can exist beneath the surface and the importance of curiosity, connection and role modelling to unite them. The panel cautioned against treating HR or L&D as the “custodians” of culture, reminding us that leaders set the tone and that everyone must share accountability.

Key Insights for Charity L&D Professionals:

• Culture is lived, not written. It shows in daily behaviour, not in value statements.
• Learning shapes culture. Every course and conversation reinforces that culture for good and bad.
• Stay connected. Curiosity and collaboration reveal hidden cultural barriers.
• Leaders must model it. Culture erodes fast when senior behaviour contradicts values.
• Be storytellers and challengers. L&D can amplify what works and raise awareness when it doesn’t.

Session: From Research to results: Design tactics for learning transfer
Melanie Martinelli (CEO, Institute for Transfer Effectiveness)
Fergal Connolly (Learning Transfer Expert, Mastercard)

In this session, Melanie Martinelli and Fergal Connolly tackled one of L&D’s biggest frustrations. Most learning doesn’t get applied, and only one in six people use what they learn during a training session once they return to work. Their session explored practical design choices to close that gap, focusing on the four levers within the 12 Levers of Transfer Effectiveness model. These levers, which are fully within an L&D team’s control, relate specifically to training design: clear expectations, content relevance, active practice, and transfer planning. The advice was to ensure learners understand their expectations, design activities that mirror real work, prioritise practice over theory, and always leave time during training for action planning.

The presenters challenged the audience to audit their own designs and replace “aha moments” with “apply moments”. They also reminded us that even small steps, such as clearer invitations or post-session follow-ups, can make a measurable difference.

Key Insights for Charity L&D Professionals:

• Set expectations early. Learners need to know what success looks like before a session starts.
• Keep content grounded. Use real examples from day-to-day work, not generic scenarios.
• Prioritise practice. Active learning is not enough; learners must try things out safely.
• Make time for transfer. Build action planning into the session rather than treating it as an afterthought.
• Start small. Even a single “next step” can help learning stick.

Session: Hearts, minds and money: Gaining buy-in for high-impact learning
Robin Hoyle (World of Learning Conference Chair & Author)

The final session from Robin Hoyle covered similar themes to Claire Kennady’s session. It explored how learning professionals can win the hearts and minds of their stakeholders, as well as their budgets. His focus was on designing high-impact learning that delivers measurable business results rather than simply completing courses.

He challenged the audience to rethink the learning process. To create meaningful change, people need shared language, opportunities to practice, and the psychological safety to make mistakes and learn from them. Learning should always connect to real work and be supported through coaching, feedback, and peer collaboration.

Robin also examined how persuasion works in L&D. He contrasted push behaviours such as pitching solutions and giving information with pull behaviours like asking questions, testing understanding, and building on others’ ideas. The latter, he argued, leads to stronger coalitions and longer-term impact. When we talk about what matters to others, not just our own learning tools, we gain influence.

The World of Learning Conference & Exhibition is one of my favourite events in the L&D calendar, obviously behind the best conference of the year run by the Charity Learning Consortium! It’s one of those rare conferences that feels genuinely welcoming, is easy to navigate and has a good connection (not separation) with the exhibition. In this blog post, I’ll summarise each of the sessions I attended and try to offer some takeaways for L&D folk working in charities.

Session: Speaking their language: Aligning learning with what matters to the C-suite
Claire Kennady (Head of Learning & Development, IMI)

The first day kicked off with a pre-conference session from Claire Kennady on engaging senior leaders. I’m currently writing a session myself on a similar topic, so even at 9am, this session had me leaning forward. Claire shared a practical and refreshingly honest case study about how she got senior leaders within her organisation to care about learning, as their general response was always, “This isn’t a priority right now.”

Claire and her colleagues started talking to operational leaders about the problems that kept them up at night. By focusing on business performance rather than learning, they discovered a shared concern around financial acumen. Managers were making day-to-day decisions that affected cash flow, inventory, and profitability, but without understanding how these connected.

Through curiosity and questioning, not selling, L&D became part of the solution. The result was a management development programme built around the real operational challenges of the business, co-created with finance leaders and managers on the ground. The programme was presented to learners using the language of the business. Engagement soared, and L&D was invited into future strategy conversations, not to talk about training, but to talk business. 

Shameless plug, but if you’re looking for more ideas on how to do this, join me at the Charity Learning Consortium Conference in November 2025 for my session ‘Clear goals to prove value’ where I’ll provide practical advice on how to do this in your charity… and reference Claire’s work at IMI.

Keynote: Learning in flux: Trust, technology and the human response to change
Thimon de Jong (Founder, Whetston)

It was then time for the opening keynote from Thimon de Jong, who was both insightful and entertaining. His session was a mix of AI music, humour, neuroscience, and cultural commentary that explored how learning happens in a world now in constant crisis and rapid change.

After a few technical issues, he managed to start his AI-generated walk-on song, which he used to make a serious point: people are tired. He told us we were in a “polycrisis”… a world where one crisis follows another, resulting in low mental energy. Which means learning requires more effort than ever. Using global data, he showed that younger generations are struggling most with mental wellbeing, while the older generation (people my age!) are avoiding the mental health dip normally associated with the midlife crisis. The issue is that it’s older people in organisations who are making the decisions, potentially unaware of the mental health issues facing the majority of the people within the organisation. This disconnect, he argued, affects motivation and engagement in the workplace.

Thimon encouraged leaders to respond with empathy rather than judgment, and to understand the “fear for the future” many young people feel. He explored the growing issues of AI anxiety (not understanding this new technology) and AI shame (fear of being judged for using it). He also highlighted the mental labour carried by younger people who worry they couldn’t complete certain tasks without the support of AI, something older workers don’t feel because they have done that type of work for years and are confident in their skills.

He then shared some simple ways to build trust and confidence across generations, including reverse mentoring and open conversations about mental health. Side note, I’ve been reflecting on a point made recently that we need to take care when placing additional mental labour and pressure on young people when using reverse mentoring. They argued that reverse mentoring should focus on sharing perspectives rather than on age. Just because someone is young doesn’t necessarily mean they’re more technically skilled than someone older. Still, his point is a useful one when it comes to generational understanding and empathy.

His closing story about the invention of the automatic elevator in 1940’s America offered an engaging metaphor for learning innovation. People often resist change not because it’s faulty, but because it’s unfamiliar. He explained the solution used to get people into unmanned lifts was to play a bit of music and add a mirror (to distract them), to add a call and stop button (to provide a sense of control) and advertising that showed not the early adopters but the group least likely to get in the lift.

Key Insights for Charity L&D Professionals:

• Energy matters. People can’t learn if they’re mentally exhausted.
• Empathy over judgment. Younger staff face different pressures and fears.
• Talk about AI. Address both the anxiety and the excitement it creates.
• Encourage reverse mentoring. Fresh perspectives bridge generational gaps.
• Design for emotion. Build trust, provide control, introduce some distraction and ensure you show the known detractors, not the usual adopters.

Session: Measuring the value of learning innovation
Jade Mountain (Director – Strategic Digital Learning Solutions, London Business School)
Sophie Costin (Director of Learning, Make Real)

This session promised insights into measuring the value of learning innovation but focused mainly on a case study of an AI-powered storytelling practice tool developed by London Business School in partnership with Make Real. While I had previously come across this project at the Learning Network Conference in November, it was valuable to see it presented in a different context and hear additional perspectives.

The tool uses emotional recognition AI to give learners real-time feedback on their performance during networking conversations. This feedback covers their tone, energy, and engagement, helping them reflect on how they come across. The research behind the project was robust, involving control groups, expert assessment, and multiple iterations to refine both the tool and the data it produced.

Although it didn’t fully address how to measure learning innovation more broadly, the case study offered useful reminders about the value of testing, collecting both qualitative and quantitative data, and being open to uncomfortable feedback.

Session: Designing mandatory learning that works
Tori Parsons (Head of Line of Service Learning Design, PwC)
Sam Taylor (Learning Strategy Consultant)

This session focused on how to make compliance and other mandatory learning more meaningful. The presenters, both with backgrounds in regulated industries, shared examples from banking, retail, and engineering, along with a mix of familiar advice and practical reminders.

Their main argument was that mandatory training is often the only digital learning many employees experience, so it should set the tone for how learning is viewed in the organisation. Like us, they encourage tailoring learning to different audiences, keeping content performance-focused, using only tests to prove knowledge (instead of repeating information and then testing) and using quiz results to offer teams additional support based on gaps in their knowledge.

Key Insights for Charity L&D Professionals:

• Challenge the default. Not everything labelled mandatory needs to be a course.
• Tailor content. Different roles need different messages and levels of depth.
• Focus on behaviour, not facts. The aim is safer or more ethical practice, not box-ticking.
• Embed learning. Use follow-up and discussion to turn compliance into action.
• Use sponsorship. Visible leadership support adds credibility and engagement.

Member fact file:

Pharmacist Support has been a member of the Charity Learning Consortium since 2021, utilising both its content and learning management system. The organisation won the Excellence in Workforce Wellbeing at the Charity Learning Conference & Awards 2024 for its groundbreaking course helping leaders nurture a culture of wellbeing.

Watch Melissa’s interview with Learning Now TV 

The solution: Building an evidence-based well-being programme

Recognising that burnout is defined by the World Health Organisation as an occupational phenomenon, Pharmacist Support designed a programme that addressed workplace culture, not just individual resilience.

The programme focused on:

• Managers as change-makers: helping managers understand the crucial role they play in supporting staff wellbeing.

• Soft skills training: communication, active listening, and how to have “important conversations.”

• Normalising mental health discussions: encouraging leaders to integrate wellbeing into regular team meetings and to share their own challenges when appropriate.

• Destigmatising mental health: breaking down the fear and uncertainty many managers feel when discussing mental health at work.

“Many managers know there’s a problem but don’t know what to do. Our programme gives them the tools and confidence to talk about mental health without fear of making things worse.”

The role of leadership: Building an evidence-based wellbeing programme

Senior leaders were key to the programme’s success. Pharmacist Support encouraged leaders to model healthy behaviours such as taking breaks, to show staff that wellbeing is valued and supported.

“If people don’t see their leaders doing it, they won’t feel able to themselves,” says Melissa. “Leaders have to set the tone by modelling good practices and being open about their own challenges.”

This leadership approach creates psychologically healthy organisations, where people feel safe to speak up and supported when facing difficulties.

The impact: Award-winning work

The Charity Learning Consortium recognised Pharmacist Support’s innovative, evidence-based programme with an award for wellbeing. The programme stands out because it moves beyond individual responsibility to tackle the systemic, workplace factors that contribute to burnout.

By shifting the conversation to workplace culture, Pharmacist Support has provided a sustainable model for improving pharmacist wellbeing.

Conclusion

Pharmacist Support demonstrates that even a small charity can make a big difference. By grounding their approach in evidence and focusing on systemic change, they are tackling burnout where it begins in the workplace.

“We can’t just leave it up to individuals to manage their own wellbeing. Workplaces must be part of the solution.”