The pathway to landing a role in learning and development (L&D) is anything but linear. Learning leaders come to L&D from various backgrounds and experiences, and oftentimes, find themselves in uncharted territory with a limited network of support. Just like with any new role, becoming a training professional comes with a learning curve.

As we’ve seen over the past few years, L&D is growing in prominence as a key business driver, and the responsibilities of L&D are constantly evolving — moving far beyond delivering training programs upon request. Learning professionals now play a role in change management initiatives, internal career mobility and future organizational planning — just to name a few. The list of priorities on an L&D leader’s plate is ever-growing and expanding, which can be both frustrating and validating.

While training is certainly not always the answer, L&D holds immense value to employees and the business at large. Managing the business of learning requires a balance of the right skills and knowledge to effectively align training with the needs and goals of the business.

This issue of Training Industry Magazine focuses on the role of the learning leader and examines some of the core responsibilities of managing training and development in today’s workplace, including how to select the right learning technologies, measuring the impact of training, establishing a training budget, creating an inclusive learning environment and embracing the potential of artificial intelligence.

This edition also features a special report, “Training Industry’s L&D Career and Salary Study,” that analyzes the career needs and salary benchmarks of training professionals across various organizations and industries. Whether you’re on an L&D team of one or a part of a larger training team, this study shares the results from more than 370 learning professionals and highlights key factors to consider as you navigate your career. From the most common job titles and work arrangements to the skills and attributes of high salary learning professionals, these insights can arm you with the information you need to determine your next steps in your career journey.

Training Industry is committed to helping you grow as a learning leader and create lasting change within your organizations. As always, we love to hear from our readers, so please reach out to our team and let us know the content that you need to drive your career forward!