Establishing the Value of Learning & Development in your Organisation
Alan Bellinger, IITT

Now, more than ever, training has to prove its worth. But how? Simple post-course questionnaires are no longer enough - if they ever were. Establishing the value of learning - and the department that provides it - requires something more. But while precise ROI calculations may be complex, argues Alan Bellinger, it is usually enough to show a good estimate of a training programme's impact, and it needn't be that difficult.

• Why the Kirkpatrick model doesn't help
• 5 simple - but vital - questions to ask
• Understanding the key metrics to focus on
• Why delegate 'time to competency' is crucial
• Engaging confidently with management

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How to Succeed with Large Learning Programmes
Gail Sadler, Hilton & Simon Hannaford, Xerox

Sometimes the training department is asked to take on a training challenge that's large - far larger than anything it's ever dealt with before. Faced with that challenge, how would you cope? And could you handle your current training load better by listening to those who have been there? In this panel, speakers who have faced tough challenges share their tips on how they won out, and what they learnt in the process.

• Why planning is essential
• How to be deal with problems, but stay on track
• When procedures help, and when they hinder
• Getting technology to help you
• The essential piece: the training team

Become an Effective L& D Manager
Denise Hudson Lawson, Houses of Parliament

Training managers face a wide set of challenges. How do you succeed in tackling them? In this presentation Denise Hudson-Lawson of the Houses of Parliament shares some of the techniques she uses. Winner of the IITT 2009 Training Manager of the Year award, Denise will lead an interactive session based on many years of experience, and explain why the first step you take should be out of the training department door:

• Knowing your business
• Recruiting the right staff - freelance or full-time
• Developing your people
• Setting yourself up to succeed with the right reporting
• Why party-going is an essential part of the job!

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Building Your Career in a Recession with No Budget
Paul D Jagger, IBM Learning Development

For some people a recession is a time to keep your head down and be thankful that you've still got a job, but, says IBM's Paul Jagger, you should always be thinking and acting to develop your career. In this interactive session, Paul describes the practical steps that you can take to enhance your career prospects in what might seem like the most unlikely of times, and all at no cost.

• Understanding the learning landscape
• Looking internally and externally
• Top things to do - and avoid
• Identifying your networking targets
• Do qualifications and courses make a difference?

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Social Media and Training
Barry Sampson, Web Based Thinking

It's a buzz phrase right now, but does that mean that social media is actually useful for learning? In this session Barry Sampson goes beyond Facebook and LinkedIn and examines what social media really means and how it can be used for training. After a look at the wide range of social tools available and what they can do. Barry will explore:

• Trainer- vs learner-generated content
• The trainer's social media toolset
• Selling the business benefits
• Is this the end of the classroom (again) ?
• How do I stop this becoming a time sink?

Developing the e-Learning Strategy That's Right for You
Claire Line, Lovells LLP

There is no "one size fits all" solution to creating an e-learning strategy,  according to Claire Line. Guidelines and suggested content are a good start, but you need to include the key drivers within your organisation to make the strategy meaningful. It will need to target specific business needs and address practical considerations to allow your organisation to make the right decisions, implement technology successfully and encourage adoption. This interactive session takes you through the practical considerations when building your own strategy, including:

• Identifying business requirements for using e-learning
• Identifying barriers to be overcome
• Build or buy?
• Assessing and mitigating risk factors
• Identifying measures of success

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Turning Classroom Trainers into Multi-media Superstars
Julie Wedgwood, Cheshire ICT Service

How do you take a group of classroom trainers, wary of technology supported learning, and turn them into enthusiastic multi-media stars? Ask Julie Wedgwood of the Cheshire ICT Service. Winner of two IITT awards in 2009, including Public Sector Training Department of the Year, Julie inspired her team with the 21 Lessons programme which she shares in this highly interactive session, including:

• Three key elements to making the change
• Crucial technology trainers must know
• Face the fear and learn from your mistakes
• Daring to share
• The value of showing your success to the world

A Truly Integrated Training Approach
Jim Fingland, City of Edinburgh Council

Every training manager would like to link learning to strategic objectives and to key organisational competencies. Not many succeed, but Jim Fingland has done so, and done it across a population of 11,000 potential learners, ranging from dustmen to directors. Drawing on his private sector experience, Jim reconciled several, conflicting competency frameworks and ensured a coherent, organisational learning programme was put in place at City of Edinburgh Council. In this session, he examines:

• How a coherent approach to learning improves take up
• Linking learning to competencies
• Getting the backing of directors and unions
• Ensuring learner adoption
• Dealing with several existing competency frameworks

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Successful Freelancing - Exploring Reality and Exploding Myths
Julia Emelogu, Maximum Impact

In this workshop Julia Emelogu, IITT Freelance Trainer of the Year 2009, shares what she's done to be a successful freelancer. Julia will examine the risks and rewards of freelancing, and tackle some of the issues of working on your own, from the legal detail to establishing a credible online presence and considering how much you can - and should - charge.

• What are the hot technologies to concentrate on?
• Balancing chargeable and non-chargeable days
• Jack of all trades or specialist - which is better?
• Identifying and understanding your market
• The advantages and disadvantages of using agencies

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Making the Most of the National Skills Academy for IT
Genny Dixon, e-Skills UK

Next year the Sector Skills Council for IT, e-skills UK, will be launching its National Skills Academy for IT in partnership with employers in the IT sector. For the first time there will be a single national point where it will be possible not only to find out what high-quality courses are available but also how they contribute towards development and career goals for the IT professional, and much more. Join this workshop to discover how the Academy will:

• Support career pathways with training and qualifications
• Access Training Needs Analysis and other tools
• Reduce training costs and identify funding opportunities
• Access a wide range of courses for IT professional development
• Align training  to professional IT competency frameworks

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Techniques for Involving, Interactive Webinars
Donald H Taylor, IITT

Virtual classrooms continue to grow in popularity, partly because their low cost appeals in a recession and partly because they enable new, different, forms of training. Applying classroom techniques online, though, just won't work. To make your webinars sing, you'll need to learn a whole new set of skills. In this interactive workshop, veteran webinar presenter Donald Taylor will explore:

• The difference between digital skills and digital culture
• The power of the voice to enthral - and to bore
• 4 simple tips to ensure interaction
• The pros and cons of being invisible
• The 3 key roles in any webinar

Effective Live Assessment of your Training Team
Frank Porter, IITT

Assessment should be a positive act, and an essential part of the regular development of any trainers. Making assessment effective, however, requires a good understanding of how to observe behaviour, explored by IITT assessment consultant Frank Porter in this workshop. Any trainer or manager, says Frank, should be capable of good, objective, live assessment, given some key pointers, including:

• What is observable, and what is not
• Focusing on the right behaviours
• What makes good evidence, and what doesn't
• The practicalities of your role in the classroom
• Delivering feedback responsibly

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