About
Stuck in delivery mode? How Government L&D leads are reclaiming their influence
L&D professionals in government are under real pressure right now. Shifting priorities, contract changes, the push to demonstrate impact — and somewhere underneath all of that, the question that never quite goes away: are we actually making a difference?
This session brings together two researchers who have been studying that question from different angles. Jo Cook’s TJ L&D Influence Report 2026 captures what the profession is grappling with right now. Laura Overton’s twenty years of benchmark data shows what the teams who’ve cracked it actually do differently.
But this isn’t a presentation. We’ll spend most of the hour in conversation with you — surfacing what’s getting in the way, what you already have that you might be underusing, and what one practical move might unlock something that’s felt stuck.
Come ready to contribute. Leave with something you can actually use.
Details
Date
May 12, 2026
Location
Microsoft Teams
This event is free to attend but registration is required
Speaker Biographies
Laura Overton
Laura Overton is a researcher, pattern-maker, and founder of Learning Changemakers. With over 35 years observing how L&D professionals drive business value through disruption Laura co-authored The L&D Leader. She was former lead of Towards Maturity, the industry’s longest-running global benchmark programme, and helps learning leaders recognise patterns, navigate uncertainty, and discover what L&D can become. An Academic Fellow of the CIPD, Fellow of the RSA, and the first woman to receive the LPI Colin Corder Award.
Jo Cook
Jo Cook is a speaker, facilitator and learning consultant with nearly 30 years of experience, and also part-time Editor of Training Journal. Jo has specialised in virtual classrooms, webinars and hybrid events since 2013 and has a passion for supporting people to embrace the benefits of the digital learning and L&D industry professional development. Jo’s background includes further and higher education, the charity sector, and small and large organisations, including Turner Broadcasting/CNN News and Bupa International.