What is Learning and development?
Also called: L&D · Training and development · T&D · Talent developmentDefinition
Learning and development, usually shortened to L&D, is the function within an organisation responsible for building the knowledge, skills and capabilities employees need to meet business goals. L&D teams identify skill gaps, design or buy training, run onboarding, leadership, compliance and technical programmes, manage learning technology such as an LMS, and measure whether learning changed performance. In many companies L&D sits within HR, though larger organisations often run it as a separate academy or centre of excellence.
Day to day, L&D works on four things: understanding needs through skills data and conversations with leaders, providing learning through workshops, digital courses, coaching and on-the-job programmes, running the infrastructure that delivers and tracks it, and evaluating impact. Strong teams link every major programme to a business metric and a competency framework.
L&D matters because skills change faster than hiring can keep up. A capable L&D function lets a company adopt new tools, promote from within, keep regulatory training current and develop managers deliberately. It also shapes culture, since how a company teaches signals what it values.
Common weaknesses are acting as an order-taker for course requests, measuring only attendance and satisfaction, and running too many disconnected programmes. Moving towards measured outcomes, such as competency movement before and after training, helps L&D show its contribution in terms the business recognises.
Key points
- Builds employee capability to meet business goals.
- Covers needs analysis, design, delivery, technology and evaluation.
- Often part of HR; sometimes a separate academy.
- Best measured on behaviour and competency change, not attendance.
An example at work
The two-person L&D team at a 400-employee Jaipur e-commerce company runs onboarding, a first-time manager pathway and an AI skills programme from one LMS, reporting quarterly on competency movement to the leadership team.
Where this is used at Bodhih
Related terms
Training needs analysis
Training needs analysis (TNA) is the process of identifying the gap between the skills people have and the skills they need, and whether training can close it.
Learning management system
A learning management system (LMS) is software that delivers, assigns, tracks and reports on training, from e-learning courses to classroom sessions and certifications.
Kirkpatrick model
The Kirkpatrick model is a four-level framework for evaluating training: reaction, learning, behaviour and results.
Training ROI
Training ROI is the net monetary benefit of a training programme divided by its total cost, expressed as a percentage.
Upskilling and reskilling
Upskilling and reskilling are two kinds of workforce development: upskilling deepens skills for a current role, reskilling prepares people for a different role.
Instructional design
Instructional design is the systematic practice of creating learning experiences that reliably help people gain specific knowledge and skills.
More about Learning and development
What does an L&D team do?
An L&D team identifies the skills the organisation needs, designs or sources training, runs programmes such as onboarding, leadership and compliance, manages the LMS and other learning tools, and evaluates whether learning improved performance. Larger teams include instructional designers, trainers, programme managers and learning technologists.
How is L&D different from HR?
HR covers the whole employee lifecycle: hiring, pay, policies, employee relations and performance management. L&D focuses specifically on building skills and capability. In most companies L&D is part of HR, but it works closely with business leaders because its programmes need to support their goals.