Member Article

World-renowned keynote speakers provide expert advice

Adapting learning and development (L&D) to the changing workforce and making the most of new learning technologies will be among the essential industry issues covered by keynote speakers at the highly respected World of Learning Conference taking place at the NEC in Birmingham on 2 and 3 October 2012.

Director of People and Policy at BT, Caroline Waters OBE, delivers the opening address, entitled How will L&D have to adapt to the changing workforce. This will explore the challenges of a multi-generation workforce and the role flexible working can play. Caroline will also discuss how businesses can create strong communities and how this can support staff development. Her role at BT involves developing leading-edge people strategies which empower individuals, generate revenue and contribute to the community.

Steve Wheeler, associate professor of learning technologies at the University of Plymouth, will explore some of the emerging technologies and how they can be used in L&D in Learning innovation with tomorrow’s technology tools. This will cover mobile devices and ‘on the move’ learning as well as social media and mixed reality learning. Steve has spent his entire career working in media, technology and learning, specialising in research on e-learning and distance education.

The second day of the conference will be opened by Sue Miller, Metro and Corporate L&D Manager at Hilton Worldwide. She will share with the audience How Hilton Worldwide developed into a learning organisation to drive performance and profitability. Developing a long-term strategy to change attitude and culture, inspiring an entire workforce and measuring ROI will be explored in this comprehensive presentation.

The industry-leading conference is rounded off by a closing address – with a difference! Using the presentation style, PechaKucha, three industry leading speakers will each speak for four minutes with an allocated time of just 20 seconds per slide. Laura Overton, the managing director of Towards Maturity, Richard Hyde, director of Mindclick and Martyn Stevenson-Read, L&D Manager at BT Retail, will all share their expertise in what promises to be an exciting, informative and competitive final session.

The highly regarded conference, will also feature experts from Tesco, Dixons, Barclaycard, Fujitsu, npower, Macmillan Cancer Support and many more. Chaired by Declan Curry, presenter of BBC’s On the Money business programme, the conference is designed to enable L&D specialists to develop their skills and consult with their peers and experts, to ensure they have the capabilities to implement effective L&D strategies.

The World of Learning 2012 is held in association with the British Institute for Learning & Development and The Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), a sector-led body formed to accelerate quality improvement, increase participation and raise standards and achievement in the Further Education (FE) and Skills sector in England.

The event is also supported by the following associations and industry titles: Personnel Today, HR Magazine, Training Journal, TrainingZone.co.uk, the eLearning Network, PersonnelZone.com and Learning Magazine; Government Business and Government Technology.

For more details about the World of Learning 2012 conference and to take advantage of the early booking discount of up to 40% off on bookings before 29 June, book online now at www.learnevents.com or call +44(0)20 8394 5171.

For more details about the World of Learning 2012 and to register for the event, head to www.learnevents.com. For the latest news and updates about the World of Learning 2012 follow the exhibition on Twitter at #WOL12 and www.twitter.com/Learn_EventsUK, and join the World of Learning Conference & Exhibition group on LinkedIn.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Ward .