Learning and Development Manager - Watford

Learning and Development Manager Jobs

All good companies base their HR strategy around retaining and attracting the best talent, and a big part of this goal is their commitment to learning and development throughout the business. The best employees demand it, but there are sound business reasons for keeping L&D up to date. To prevent grand L&D strategies from fizzling out once they leave the board room, however, it’s essential that learning and development managers are appointed to ensure the strategies are put into action, hence the need for good learning and development managers.

Depending on the size of the company, the learning and development manager either reports to a director of L&D or the board in general and may have a degree of autonomy when it comes to designing and implementing strategies. The L&D manager is judged on how well she or he delivers the KPIs laid down by the organization, which usually revolve around talent retention and performance of the department they oversee. Learning and development management is a great step in the ladder towards directorship, as it can shine a light on the manager’s ability to interpret strategies and put them into action.

The skills required

While previous experience of learning and development management is often preferred, many companies consider experienced HR professionals who have dealt with all aspects of L&D, such as appraisals, examinations, assessments and personal development programmes and have put these into action for a busy company.

You should have a rounded set of skills on the current best practice in the field of learning and development gained through continuous learning on the back of some appropriate qualifications. An ability to demonstrate that you can manage people in a methodical and consistent manner is also required – for example you need to keep on top of qualifications that may expire and ensure they are re-sat and renewed as appropriate. Experience of working in the same field is also advantageous.

Learning and Development Manager Jobs in Watford

A town located in Hertfordshire, Watford is just 18 miles from London and is a busy area with many opportunities for those seeking Learning and Development Manager roles.

It also boasts easy access to the capital - via overground trains or the Metropolitan underground line - making it perfect for those who want to work in London, but live away from the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Situated on the River Colne, Watford is thought to have originated during the Saxon period and was mainly an agricultural area until the Industrial Revolution. Thanks to the completion of the Grand Union Canal in 1798 and the London and Birmingham Railway in 1837, the city quickly began to expand.

During this period, manufacturing became an important part of the local economy, particularly paper-making, printing and brewing.

For most of the 20th century, a Rolls-Royce factory was located in Watford, which was responsible for manufacturing jet engines. This site was shut down in the early 1990s and re-born as the world-famous Leavesden Film Studios, which has been used for work on blockbuster franchises like James Bond, Star Wars and Harry Potter.

In line with the rest of the country, the service sector has taken over in Watford during the last 20 years and the city is now home to various multimedia companies. What's more, a number of large companies have the headquarters here - including Mothercare, Hilton and JD Wetherspoons.

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Find L&D Manager Jobs with Cast UK

Some of the UK’s most exciting companies that are growing and changing are trying to find good learning and development managers to ensure their employees are up to speed on all aspects of their business. If you have experience in this area, you could be just the person they are looking for. We have great relationships with companies up and down the country because we have the details of hundreds of excellent HR professionals, and our consultants are skilled at matching the two together.

Cast UK can help you get your foot in the door of these companies so you can demonstrate to them why you should be their next learning and development manager. Call us today on 0333 121 3345 to get started.

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