The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
From Senior Change Management Trainer (L3)
Roughly 3-5 years as an L3Skills to master
- Moving from designing individual programmes to architecting entire learning journeys for large transformations. Developing strong leadership skills, including managing direct reports, and demonstrating the ability to influence senior stakeholders and manage significant budgets.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully led the learning workstream for at least two medium-to-large transformation projects end-to-end.
- Consistently received feedback on strong leadership potential and mentoring abilities.
- Demonstrated ability to proactively identify and mitigate risks to learning adoption.
- Actively sought out opportunities to present to and influence senior leadership.
- 2
From Learning & Development Lead/Manager (outside Change)
Roughly 8-12 years in L&D, with 3-5 years in a lead/manager roleSkills to master
- Deepening your understanding of change management methodologies (e.g., ADKAR, Kotter) and their application in a transformation context. Adapting your L&D expertise to focus specifically on adoption and behavioural change during periods of significant organisational flux. Learning to manage a team focused on rapid, iterative content delivery.
You're ready to move on when
- Experience leading L&D teams and managing significant training budgets.
- A strong track record of designing and implementing impactful learning programmes, even if not explicitly 'change' focused.
- Demonstrated ability to work with business leaders to identify learning needs and measure outcomes.
- A clear interest and some exposure to large-scale project environments.
- 3
From Project Manager with Learning Focus
Roughly 8-12 years in Project Management, with a strong focus on people-centric projectsSkills to master
- Developing deep expertise in instructional design, adult learning principles, and change management theory. Shifting from managing project timelines and budgets to specifically focusing on the 'people side' of change and how learning drives adoption. Building a team and coaching capability.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully managed complex projects with significant user impact components.
- Demonstrated strong stakeholder management and communication skills, especially with end-users.
- A clear passion for learning and development, evidenced by personal projects or informal leadership in this area.
- Experience managing project teams and delivering against tight deadlines.