Everything is changing

Jay Cross to Give Keynote at Learning Technologies 2008

Donald Taylor: The Learning Technologies Conference sees several themes converge that have been running in the learning and development (L&D) profession for some years. This idea is summed up in Jay Cross’s opening keynote: Learning – All Change. The workplace and its learning tools are changing, Jay will say, and will ask whether the profession is smart enough to stay ahead.

The nub of this change is that workplace L&D is no longer only about efficient content delivery. It is about increasing organisational effectiveness. This is reflected in the conference theme: Driving workforce performance through learning and development. And the conference itself divides into three themes: the what, the how and the why of workplace learning and development.

Technology-supported learning and development now has the tools (the what), the experience of integrating and implementing them (the how), and a clear sense of how these learning programmes are linked to organisational objectives (the why).

Jay Cross, world-renowned commentator on learning and technology and founder of Internet Time Group, will open the Learning Technologies 2008 conference in London.

He is expected to present a view of what lies ahead for organisational learning professionals, and his keynote will look at how successful organisations are re-thinking how employees learn.

He will also discuss how organisations are benefiting from embracing new forms of collaboration and technologies, and how they can take greater control by giving more control to individuals.

Cross said he wants to highlight how organisations must evolve their learning to survive in the new global economies. “Three out of four organisations think that their current approach to learning and development is inadequate for keeping workers knowledgeable and competitive. This will not come as a surprise as a torrent of information and e-mail has impeded progress and clogged organisational arteries.

“At Learning Technologies 2008 I will talk about how the learning landscape is changing and needs to change so that organisations can solve this most critical of business problems,” he added.

Conference chair Donald Taylor, said: “Jay Cross is a world-renowned learning visionary and prolific commentator on learning in business. The conference is set for an inspirational opening presentation yet a thoroughly practical assessment of how organisations can properly prepare workers for the tremendous global challenges now facing business.”

The Learning Technologies 2008 conference takes place on 30 and 31 January 2008 at London Olympia. The complete conference programme, details of each session, booking information and details of group discounts are available at: www.learningtechnologies.co.uk/conference.