The Most In-Demand Skills for Learning Professionals in 2023
Skills. Skills. Skills. They’re top of mind for every learning and development professional right now, as companies race to upskill their workforce. But let’s pause for a moment to acknowledge that the only way L&D professionals can deliver against all the demands on them is if they have the necessary skills themselves.
Yes, we need to upskill the upskillers.
And it takes a multitude of skills to ace it as a learning professional in this ever-shifting environment.
LinkedIn has identified the 10 most in-demand skills for L&D professionals and LinkedIn Learning has recommended a relevant course to help you with each one of them.
The 10 most in-demand skills for learning professionals:
1. Human resources
HR is about helping employees succeed so that the business can succeed too. That’s why smart L&D professionals need to borrow a page from HR’s playbook. Learning leaders can become well-versed in the company’s objectives, translate those into individual game plans for workers, and help each team member reach their goals, maybe even by identifying a worker’s transferable skills. When one employee succeeds and grows, it helps the company do the same.
Recommended course: Recruiting Techniques to Reveal Transferable Skills with Barbara Bruno
2. Recruiting
Job seekers, especially the youngest professionals, want to work for organizations that will help them develop their careers. That’s why L&D professionals need to put on their recruiter hats so that candidates know about all the great growth opportunities your company has to offer. You can do this by including a description of your learning program in job ads. You can also work with the talent acquisition team to make sure that they highlight learning and development in job interviews.
Recommended course: Diversity Recruiting with Stacey Gordon
3. Training & development
Plenty of research shows that people learn best through visual imagery — which is even more true when the imagery is moving. That’s why incorporating video into your learning programs is kind of a superpower skill if you want to create compelling content. You can do this by using stock video, creating personal videos on your smartphone, and leaning into storytelling techniques to engage learners. Research shows that when people learn visually, it increases their retention, improves comprehension, and decreases learning time.
Recommended course: Turning Boring Presentations into Engaging Training with Video with Rob Glass
4. Learning
We probably don’t need to say this, but if you want to do L&D well, it helps to love learning. When you’re a passionate, lifelong learner, you inspire others to crack a book, take an online course, or master a new skill. Learning is so important that it’s one of the top six priorities for L&D pros right now, according to the LinkedIn 2023 Workplace Learning Report. It’s also the foundation for all the other skills you need to master, including inclusive leadership and performance management.
Recommended course: Creating Inclusive Learning Experiences with Naphtali Bryant
5. Analytical skills
OK, we know: Staring at Excel spreadsheets is a whole lot less fun than creating new content. But how will you know which courses to create if you haven’t analyzed your organization’s needs first? Analytical skills are now essential tools of the trade. L&D pros need to analyze skills gaps, create reports, and assess the effectiveness of the training they offer — and they need to do all of it while staying within budget. So, it helps to get comfy with Excel if you want to excel in L&D.
Recommended course: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving with Eric Zackrison
6. Education
At its core, L&D is about teaching. Like any good high school teacher or college professor, learning pros need to choose the right materials, include relevant exercises, and present information in an engaging way. Though their subjects may vary — everything from onboarding to upskilling to coaching — they also need to know how to plan lessons and design curriculum. Then (and maybe most importantly) they need ways to measure whether their lessons have sunk in.
Recommended course: Measuring Learning Effectiveness with Jeff Toister
7. E-learning
Even before the pandemic, e-learning was growing rapidly. Once COVID-19 hit, it became the norm. Now, e-learning is expected to be a $1 trillion industry by 2027 and is evolving to include everything from mobile-friendly, just-in-time training to AI to virtual reality. That’s why it’s a must-have skill for L&D pros. And to do it right, you need to make sure everyone can access digital learning, including employees who can’t hear or see.
Recommended course: Foundations of Accessible E-Learning with Oliver Schinkten
8. Talent management
The No. 1 priority for L&D this year is aligning learning programs to business goals. But learning leaders need talent management skills to do this. They need to be able to assess what skills the company is lacking, determine which employees have those skills, estimate how many new people they’ll need to hire, and create or curate the training for their workforce. It’s a lot to juggle, but it can go a long way toward showing the value of learning — especially at a time when teams are having to do more with less.
Recommended course: Talent Management with Kathrine Sharon
9. Leadership development
One of the top five skills that companies need most right now is leadership. If you can develop leaders, you’re golden. Senior executives — and employees who want to move into those ranks — often need a hand in learning how to be good communicators, when and how to be vulnerable with employees, and how to lead through change. It’s a win-win for everyone: When you have great leaders, you’re also more likely to have a great company culture where people feel empowered and can adapt to change.
Recommended course: Human Leadership with Erica Keswin
10. Performance management
Job reviews tend to be universally loathed. But when done right, performance management can be a big boost for L&D. Learning pros can train managers to conduct frequent check-ins that focus on employee development, goal aligning, and coaching, rather than the dreaded semiannual assessment. With the information gleaned from these reviews — plus results from employee engagement surveys — learning teams can then plan training that best supports their employees’ growth.
Recommended course: Foundations of Performance Management with Nigel Cumberland
Methodology: The most in-demand skills for learning and development professionals were determined by looking at skills that are most sought after based on six months of data (April to October 2022) from employers, hirers, and job posters on LinkedIn. Demand is measured by identifying skills possessed by members who were hired or InMailed, as well as the skills listed in paid job postings.
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