Beyond the summer slump: Keeping learning and development front of mind

Summer has a way of quietly stalling momentum. People step back from courses, coaching sessions get postponed, and by the time September rolls around, learning and development is often the thing that's slipped furthest down the list.

But September also brings its own energy: a return to routine, a natural appetite for something new. The question for HR and People teams is which way that energy goes. Do you capture it and turn it into renewed momentum, or does the summer slump simply carry on?

In this webinar, we’ll discuss how learning and development fits into a wider benefits strategy, and why the businesses getting it right treat learning as something broader than a course catalogue. People are at different stages of their career, with different needs, different access, and different ways of taking in new skills. A strategy that only offers one format for everyone will always leave people behind.

We'll explore what a genuinely wide-ranging approach to learning looks like in practice, from structured courses through to coaching and the everyday, on-the-job learning that often gets overlooked. And we'll look at practical ways to use the back-to-school moment to re-engage people before the slump has a chance to set in.

What you'll learn

• Why learning and development engagement typically dips over summer, and how to reduce its impact
• How to use the September return to work to build momentum that lasts, not just a short-term spike
• Why prescriptive L&D options aren't enough, and what a genuinely flexible learning offering looks like
• How coaching, on-the-job learning, and structured courses can work together across different career stages
• Practical ways to keep learning front of mind for every employee, whatever their role or level