Learning and Development Manager - Wigan

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 Wigan

Wigan could be the archetypal northern town, fulfilling practically every stereotype people might have of the region. It was a relatively sleepy farming and market town in between the minor cities of Manchester and Liverpool and then along came the Industrial revolution and everything changed. While most northern towns had a single trade, be it coal, mills, glass or engineering, Wigan got a bit of everything, particularly the first two. The canals and railways came to town and the population exploded, and Wigan became a real powerhouse in the region, with an estimated thousand mines running simultaneously.

And then, true to the script, the town went into decline as manufacturing went abroad or the demand for its produce waned. But the population of Wigan weren’t cowed by this. They diversified and the town is still thriving to this day. The Tote, Heinz, JJB Sports and Chinamex all have a presence here, and it’s also the home of Uncle Joe’s mintballs!

The town, which is situated between the M61 and the M6, has good shopping and employment, and has a lively entertainment sector, with revellers travelling miles for its night life. It also boasts two top-flight sports clubs: Wigan Athletic Football Club and the rugby league club Wigan Warriors. Ukulele and saucy song maestro George Formby was born in Wigan, as was 80s pop sensation Limahl (he of Kajagoogoo fame, not one of the other Limahls) and the band The Verve. Much-missed actor Roy Kinnear was born there too.

With great links to the major North West cities and towns, an active population of approaching 300,000 throughout the borough and a diverse employment status, Wigan is a great place to find a Learning and Development Manager position.

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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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