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
L&D Coordinator / Training Administrator
1-3 yearsSkills to master
- LMS administration, basic content updates, event coordination, stakeholder communication, understanding of company learning processes.
You're ready to move on when
- You've shown initiative by taking on basic content creation tasks, even if it wasn't your primary role.
- You've consistently managed learning logistics flawlessly and proactively identified areas for improvement.
- You've demonstrated a keen interest in instructional design and adult learning principles, perhaps by taking an online course.
- You're known for being reliable, organised, and having a good eye for detail in all your work.
- 2
HR Assistant with L&D Focus
2-4 yearsSkills to master
- Understanding of HR processes, employee onboarding, basic training delivery, data management, cross-functional collaboration with HRBPs.
You're ready to move on when
- You've been the go-to person for creating new hire training materials or updating existing ones.
- You've actively sought out opportunities to assist the L&D team on projects, even if informal.
- You have a good grasp of employee needs and how learning can address them, from a broader HR perspective.
- You're comfortable working with different internal teams and can translate business needs into potential learning solutions.
- 3
Subject Matter Expert (SME) in a specific domain
3-5 yearsSkills to master
- Deep knowledge of a specific business area, ability to articulate complex concepts, passion for teaching and mentoring others, understanding of performance gaps within their domain.
You're ready to move on when
- You're often asked to train new team members or present on your area of expertise.
- You enjoy breaking down complex topics into understandable chunks for others.
- You've identified specific skill gaps within your team and have ideas on how to address them through learning.
- You're a natural communicator and can simplify technical or complex information for a non-expert audience.