Association for Talent Development: Empowering Learning and Development Professionals

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) is a global organization dedicated to advancing the field of talent development. Formerly known as the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD), ATD has evolved to meet the changing needs of professionals who develop the knowledge and skills of employees around the world. With a rich history and a forward-looking approach, ATD provides resources, education, and a supportive community for individuals and organizations committed to talent development.

A Historical Overview

ATD's roots trace back to 1942, during a training committee meeting of the American Petroleum Institute in New Orleans. In 1943, the American Society for Training Directors was founded, with its governing body convening its membership in Chicago in 1945. Over time, local, regional, and industry-specific training groups aligned with ASTD. While the profession evolved and the business world changed, ASTD retained its mission. In 1964, the association changed its name to the American Society for Training & Development. To underscore its desire to broaden its scope as a professional organization, the organization chose to refer to itself just by the letters ASTD, in 2000. Finally, it became the Association for Talent Development (ATD).

ATD Today

ATD is a professional membership organization supporting those who develop the knowledge and skills of employees in organizations worldwide. ATD's members come from more than 120 countries and work in public and private organizations in every industry sector. ATD has 18 international strategic partners and global networks.

ATD publishes books and periodicals, and produces webcasts, podcasts, and videos. It also conducts several research projects each year on the workplace and investment in learning. All of this is designed to offer members and others in the global talent development community resources for their professional development.

ATD's Capability Model

ATD has a capability model as a guide for its professional constituency. The original model was published in 2004 and has been updated several times since. The current model published in 2020, includes three key domains of practice: personal capability, professional capability, and organizational capability that consist of 23 embedded capabilities, and is a framework to guide the TD profession in what practitioners need to know and do to develop themselves, others, and their organizations.

Read also: Understanding PLCs

Personal Capabilities

Personal Capabilities derive from building interpersonal skills.

Professional Capabilities

Professional Capabilities come from building professional knowledge and skill related to developing people and helping them learn.

Organizational Capabilities

Organizational Capabilities affect an entire organization’s ability to drive results and mission success.

Professional Development and Credentialing

Professional education and credentialing for individuals and teams who train and develop others in the workplace is ATD's passion. ATD offers courses to meet you at your level and help you advance, no matter your expertise or years of experience. With more than 200 courses offered face-to-face, live online, on demand, or a blend, ATD is your source for understanding talent development, building essential skills, and professionalizing yourself, your team, and your talent function.

ATD follows the American National Standards Institute/International Association for Continuing Education and Training (ANSI/IACET) standard for calculating and issuing Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Additionally, ATD courses and events are pre-approved by a number of credentialing institutions, such as the Association for Talent Development (ATD) Certification Institute for the APTD and CPTD Certification Programs, the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI), the International Coaching Federation (ICF), and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Read also: Learning Resources Near You

A comprehensive collection of the concepts, definitions, and methodologies for the profession can be found in the Talent Development Body of Knowledge (TDBoK). Current and aspiring talent development professionals can enhance their skills with the various professional education courses offered by ATD Education. Practitioners who want to validate their capability may consider a talent development credential, including the Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) or the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD).

ATD's Educational Programming and Events

ATD's also offers education programming in all modalities, face-to-face classroom instruction, virtual offerings, synchronous, asynchronous, and adaptive programs. Attendees can enroll in certificate programs or workshops. and internationally. These include:

International Conference & Exposition
ATD TechKnowledge Conference and EXPO
Core 4
TalentNext
SELL
Learn from the BEST
ATD-Yale Foundations of Management Excellence
LearnNow workshops
Summits in China, Japan, Korea, and Mexico

Additionally, each fall ATD hosts the ATD Chapter Leaders Conference (ALC) in the Washington, D.C., area. This conference is held to bring leaders of local ATD chapters together in one place and discuss how to better lead the organization on a local level.

Learning and Development

Learning and development (L&D) is a function within an organization that is responsible for empowering employees’ growth and developing their knowledge, skills, and capabilities to drive better business performance. The function may be organized centrally, either independently or sitting under human resources (HR); decentralized throughout different business units; or be a hybrid (sometimes referred to as federated) structure. The term, learning and development, encompasses any professional development a business provides to its employees. It is considered to be a core area of human resources management, and may sometimes be referred to as training and development, learning and performance, or talent development (TD). Onboarding and new hire programs, career development, ongoing training, corporate universities, leadership development programs, skills training, talent strategy and management, and required courses such as compliance training, are all initiatives a learning and development team or department might provide.

Skills for L&D Professionals

In 2019, the Association for Talent Development (ATD) conducted a competency study to assess needed talent development capabilities. The research found that the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) of effective talent development professionals, at every level of their career, fell into three major domains of practice. These domains encompass ATD’s Talent Development Capability Model.

Read also: Learning Civil Procedure

Creating an L&D Strategy

Learning and development strategies will differ based on the unique needs of an organization but do share some similarities. A L&D strategy should be aligned to the organization’s business strategy and goals with the aim of developing the workforce’s capability and driving business results. The solutions a L&D team provides are driven by the goals of the business to close gaps, enhance performance, and adapt to the changing needs of the organization.

In his book, L&D’s Playbook for the Digital Age, author Brandon Carson, vice president of learning and leadership partner at Walmart, proposes several steps, or key objectives, to building an L&D strategy:

Mission: Establish a mission statement to guide decision making. This statement defines what your team does and why your L&D function exists.
Vision: This is an aspirational declaration of where you want to go. As with your mission statement, ensure your team is aligned to your organization’s vision.
Assess the Business Landscape: Conduct a strategic needs analysis in the organization to identify key focus areas, skills gaps, how digital transformation is impacting business practices, and perceived needs from senior leaders, mid level managers, and employees themselves.
Assess the Learning Team’s Capabilities: Discover what skills you have on your team and those you need to accomplish your goals.
Identify Processes to Add or Modify: Find out what you need to add or modify to existing processes (such as design standards, content strategy, development guidelines, etc.) to align with your strategy.
Inventory Your Tools and Systems: Ensure your employees have the proper technology and tools they need to deliver your learning solutions. There are many different tools to assess, including those for project management, collaboration, creation and design work, administration, quality assurance, and more.
Examine Your Employee Engagement Programs: Consider the role your L&D team plays in overall employee engagement by examining recruiting and onboarding programs, career pathing, and employee feedback and satisfaction outlets.
Employee Wellbeing: Establish health and wellness programs your company offers and/or supports.
Promote Lifelong Learning: Facilitate continuous learning for your employees. Identify opportunities for programs to develop personal skills and lifelong learning that promotes retention and promotability.
Create Short Term and Long Term Strategy: Determine how to restructure your strategy based on business needs, gain visibility with key business leaders, invest in your technology stack needs, and establish a governance process to consistently re-evaluate the strategy and stay connected to business leaders.

Jobs for L&D Professionals

There are many different roles that make up a learning and development team or fall under the umbrella of an L&D professional. For individuals in small organizations or lean teams, your role may necessitate wearing several hats and taking on the responsibilities of several different functions. In a larger organization, you will see more clearly defined roles. Some of the most typical roles include:

Trainers or facilitators are individuals who facilitate learning in a traditional or virtual classroom, one-on-one, or on-the-job in an organization. A trainer will want to develop their training delivery and facilitation skills, one of the capabilities identified in the Talent Development Capability Model.
Instructional designers are professionals who implement systematic methodologies (rooted in learning science principles) to design and develop content, experiences, and solutions to support the acquisition of new knowledge or skills. This may include presentation materials, participant guides, performance support tools, templates, or other materials. They also create mechanisms to evaluate learning and it’s impact on both individuals and the organization.
Learning and development managers play a strategic role in overseeing the learning function. They also may be referred to as talent development managers, depending on the organization. They oversee the work of a group of people and processes responsible for fostering learning and employee development to drive organizational performance, productivity, and results. This individual may serve as a department of one in small organizations.
OD/HR professionals may serve in various roles aimed at optimizing talent and organizational processes or systems toward the achievement of business goals. These might include employee development, engagement, retention, or culture intiatives. The role requires coaching skills, consultative skills, and expertise in change management, human capital, and human performance.
E-learning professionals serve in a range of roles that support the creation of structured courses or learning experiences delivered electronically, including online or computer-based learning, virtual classrooms, performance support materials, and digital collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Coaches are credentialed professionals who partner with individuals or teams to maximize their potential by establishing goals, using strengths, pursuing development, and achieving results.

tags: #learning #and #development #association #information