If you lead your organization’s TD or L&D function, you need to know how to develop strategic plans that are aligned with business objectives and strategies.

Throughout my career in talent development (TD), I’ve seen training budgets wax and wane as business conditions change. Yet one thing hasn’t changed (in good times or bad): The need for TD and learning and development (L&D) professionals to offer services that align with business objectives and enhance the organization’s performance. Indeed, any TD or L&D function that does otherwise helps create situations that make training budgets appear expendable.

• How do TD and L&D professionals identify business objectives and what services are most important to the organization? How do they link their strategies to business needs?

• How do they learn to use resources most efficiently, and how do they measure effectiveness?

These questions and many more are explored in ATD’s Managing Learning Programs certificate program.

If you are the head of your organization’s TD or L&D function or hope to be some day, this program will help you develop strategic plans that are aligned with business objectives and strategies. Additionally, you’ll learn all aspects of managing a learning function—including essential processes, resources, and evaluation measures—and relationships with key stakeholders, such as executives, HR, and so on.

Because of the strategic view taken in the program, participants are expected to have some basic knowledge of L&D. For example, the program looks at ADDIE’s impact on the role of the learning program manager, so participants should be familiar with ADDIE. The supplemental reading provided will help familiarize you with, or refresh your knowledge of, some of the basics.

If you are excited about optimizing the impact that learning has on your organization, you’ll want to attend Managing Learning Programs.