Building an L&D function from scratch

When I founded the training and development department at a university, there was no function at all. There was no training calendar, no record of who had been trained, and no shared idea of what good work looked like. More than 175 faculty and 40 support staff were waiting. This is the order I would follow again in any organisation, and the planner that goes with this article walks through each step.

1. Listen before you build

It is tempting to start by buying courses or choosing an LMS. Start with people instead. In the first month, speak with leaders about their priorities, ask managers where their teams struggle, and survey staff. Three questions are enough to begin:

• What gets in the way of doing your best work?
• What do you wish you had been taught when you started?
• Where do mistakes or delays happen most often?

You will find that some problems are not training problems at all. Unclear processes, missing tools, and workload issues cannot be fixed with a workshop. Saying so early builds trust with leadership.

2. Cover the must-haves

Make a list of mandatory training: health and safety, safeguarding, data protection, and anything your regulator or licence requires. Record who has completed it and when it expires. This work is not exciting, but it protects the organisation and gives you a reason to meet every manager.

3. Agree what good looks like

A competency framework does not need to be long. One page per role, with four to six behaviours and what they look like at each level, is enough. It gives every later decision a reference point: what to train, who needs it, and how you will know it worked.

4. Plan the year

Publish an annual training calendar. People plan around it, managers can release staff in advance, and you stop running everything as an emergency. Leave about a quarter of the calendar open for needs that appear during the year.

5. Choose tools last

Once you know what you need to deliver and track, set up the LMS. Start with three things: a course catalogue, enrolment, and completion reports. Add features only when someone needs them. A simple system that people use is better than a powerful one they avoid.

6. Show what changed

Report more than attendance. Short follow-up surveys, a manager check-in a few weeks after training, and two or three concrete examples of changed practice tell leaders far more than a count of seats filled. These reports also make the case for next year's budget.

A realistic first 90 days

• Weeks 1 to 4: interviews, staff survey, and a list of mandatory training.
• Weeks 5 to 8: draft competencies for two or three key roles, and a first training calendar.
• Weeks 9 to 12: run the first priority sessions, set up basic tracking, and share a short report with leadership.

The short version: listen, cover compliance, define good, plan the year, then add tools.

Want help with this?

This guide relates to our L&D function setup service. Contact us to talk about your organisation or school.

More guides: How to run a training needs analysis · Planning the first 90 days for new staff