Learning and Development Practice

Citation

Wilson, J.P. (2012), "Learning and Development Practice", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 44 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2012.03744aaa.001

Learning and Development Practice

Learning and Development Practice

Article Type: Bookshelf From: Industrial and Commercial Training, Volume 44, Issue 1

Kathy Beevers and Andrew ReaCIPDLondon2010264 pagesISBN: 9781843982616£39.99

The Institute of Training Officers became the Institute of Training and Development, and this then merged with the Institute of Personnel Management to form the Institute of Personnel and Development, which finally became the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Why the history? Well it is important for trainers to understand the history and the context of professional training and the certification of trainers in the UK.

Recently the CIPD has produced its HR Profession Map which describes ten professional areas: strategy insights and solutions; leading and managing the human resource function; organisation design; organisation development; resourcing and talent planning; learning and talent development; performance and reward’ employee engagement; employee relations; service delivery and information. Only one of these is involved with learning and development and it is unfortunate that the diagram (p. 4) describes the learning and talent development professional area as “leading and talent development”.

Learning and Development Practice has been designed specifically to support the CIPD’s Certificate in Training Practice and its purpose is to provide the theory and practice necessary to achieve that objective.

The book consists of nine chapters which are mapped against the specifications described in the CIPD’s Learning and Development Practice Unit. This is a useful tool, which will enable the reader and student to swiftly identify what they need to know.

The first chapter focuses on developing yourself as an effective learning and development practitioner, which provides some of the key elements for developing a personal learning strategy and also being a professional in the area. It then investigates the nature of organisations and the role of learning and development; and then considers the important area of management information systems related to: recording, analysing and using learning and development information.

The main body of the book structures itself around the systematic training cycle with chapters on identification of learning needs, design, delivery and evaluation of learning and development activities. Also, the contents and index enable the reader to identify the key terms used in the book.

At the end of the book there are a series of 12 Essential Learning Pages, which provide short descriptions of key concepts such as the training cycle, experiential learning cycle, NLP, evaluation and return on investment etc. These are helpful although, because they are succinct descriptions, they may overlook some important issues; for example, there is a considerable body of research which questions the accuracy and suitability of learning styles questionnaires and this might have been mentioned.

Overall, however, the book is a useful one for those in the early stages of a career in training and development. It is very accessible, reader friendly and contains a wealth of detail, which those involved with training and development will find very insightful and applicable. As the book cover explains, it approaches the subject “without overloading you with detail.”

John P. Wilson