Learning Paths
Dear clients,
I am sure you are all involved in the usual mad rush
towards the end of the year and that nerves are
frayed and energy levels close to empty! We cannot
offer any cure for this condition, aside from stating
our unwavering support and assistance.
Since the previous LeMaSa Chronicle landed in your
inboxes, LeMaSa has been very busy – I attended a
Learning Path certification workshop and am now
ready to assist you with this crucial aspect of your
organisation’s Learning and Development strategy.
I also assisted with the design and piloting of an
assessment centre to select candidates for a
graduate programme. We also finalised the roll-out
of an assessment centre for Sales Managers on
E-valuation, the electronic platform that LeMaSa runs
Assessments from.
In this edition of the LeMaSa Chronicle we briefly
discuss the learning path concept as well as the
structure of an effective mentoring programme.
We wish you all the best for the last bit of 2012!
Warm regards
Sandra Schlebusch

Learning Paths is a business performance improvement approach to learning, originally developed by Steve Rosenbaum and described in the book Learning Paths (authored by Steve and Jim Williams in 2004). It has been proven to reduce time to proficiency by 30 to 50 percent in more than 400 job functions, increasing business results and productivity while also increasing employee engagement.
A Learning Path is the chronological series of activities, events and experience that goes from Day 1 to Proficiency. We define proficiency as the measurable outcome and observable behaviour of doing a job or task correctly at the desired level of performance. Once we have a definition of proficiency, we can determine current time to proficiency and set a goal of reducing time to proficiency by at least 30%.
Arupa Tesolin, Managing Executive and Certification Leader at Learning Paths International, describes the Learning Path concept as follows in an art icle in Training Magazine (August 2012): “Rather than measure the effectiveness of training, Learning Paths measure actual business results. Rather than designing courses and courseware, Learning Paths design performance in a streamlined content development process. This enables training to happen at the speed of business with higher levels of productivity, performance, and revenues”. Many of the traditional elements of training that reduce time and add variability, waste, and costs to the training process, are removed. The result is a stripped-down approach that has been proven to be much more effective.
The Learning Path becomes a planned learning experience that starts on the first day an employee begins to work in a designated job. It contains an optimised sequence of all the correct formal and informal learning activities designed to create full performance on that job. This includes reviews and coaching. Everything is tracke d and mo nitored, so no one falls off the Learning Path. What’s missing is a lot of unnecessary courses, long periods of trial and error, a highly variable training experience from person-to-person, and a heap of lost time and productivity. All results and performance measures relate directly to the business results for that employee in that department. Because employees do more real work sooner, and can see the results of their learning, they experience higher levels of confidence and skill earlier and they are happier. They feel more valued when they know what their training is. Training no longer needs to be “proven” because everyone—employees, trainers and managers—can see the results directly and have the numbers to back it up”.
The first Learning Paths Certification Workshop in South Africa will be presented from 27 – 28 November in Gauteng.