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
Training & Development Specialist (L2)
2-3 yearsSkills to master
- Independent development of simple eLearning and ILT, effective facilitation of established programmes, foundational needs analysis, and basic project management.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently delivers high-quality content on time for routine projects.
- Receives excellent feedback on facilitation skills and learner engagement.
- Proactively identifies opportunities for process improvement.
- Demonstrates a solid understanding of adult learning principles in practice.
- 2
HR Generalist / HR Business Partner
3-5 yearsSkills to master
- Deep understanding of business unit challenges, strong stakeholder management, performance management processes, and identifying skill gaps at a team or departmental level. You'd need to layer on instructional design skills.
You're ready to move on when
- Frequently consulted by business leaders on people-related challenges.
- Successfully identifies and articulates performance problems within their client groups.
- Demonstrates a keen interest in learning methodologies and adult education theory.
- Has informally designed or delivered small-scale training initiatives.
- 3
Experienced Educator / Teacher
3-5 yearsSkills to master
- Adapting pedagogical skills to an adult corporate learning environment, mastering corporate learning technologies (LMS, authoring tools), understanding business metrics, and stakeholder management. You'd bring strong facilitation and content creation skills.
You're ready to move on when
- Has successfully transitioned from academic to corporate training environments.
- Demonstrates a quick grasp of new technologies and business concepts.
- Has experience designing curriculum and assessing learning outcomes.
- Shows strong classroom management and engagement skills.