INSIGHTS TO INFORM YOUR LEARNING JOURNEY

Pharmaceutical organisations invest heavily in developing their people. From scientific and technical training to leadership development and regulatory compliance, there is no shortage of subjects that employees need to understand. However, bringing these different learning requirements together into a coherent development offering can be challenging. This is where a learning academy can provide real value. Rather than treating each training requirement as a separate project,

Designing learning for scientific audiences presents an interesting challenge. The subject matter is often complex, the learners are highly knowledgeable and accuracy is essential. Yet the learning still needs to be accessible, engaging and effective. This can create tension between scientific subject matter experts and learning designers. Scientists understandably want to preserve the detail and nuance of their discipline, while instructional designers are looking for ways t

Pharmaceutical organisations face an unusual learning challenge. Their employees are often highly educated, technically accomplished and accustomed to working with complex information. Yet developing the capabilities needed to succeed in the industry involves much more than acquiring scientific knowledge. Drug discovery and development depend on collaboration across disciplines, effective decision-making and the ability to balance scientific ambition with operational, regulat

Not every learning challenge needs a comprehensive training programme. Sometimes a well-designed eLearning course, workshop or video is exactly what's required. If the objective is to introduce a new process, explain a policy or develop a clearly defined skill, a single intervention can be both efficient and effective. However, some learning challenges are considerably more complex. Developing leadership skills, improving decision-making or preparing employees for broader res

Organisations invest considerable time and money in developing their people. Yet one of the biggest challenges for L&D is demonstrating whether that investment has made a meaningful difference to performance. It's an important consideration when designing a capability programme. While the programme itself might involve eLearning, workshops, coaching and assessment, these are simply the methods used to achieve a wider objective. The real measure of success is whether participa

Capability programmes are becoming an increasingly important part of workplace learning, particularly when organisations need to develop complex skills that can't realistically be addressed through a single course. At its simplest, a capability programme is a structured learning journey designed to improve what people can do in their roles. It usually combines different types of learning and development over time, with opportunities to practise, apply and refine new skills in

Training and capability building are terms that are often used interchangeably. On the surface, that's understandable. Both might involve eLearning, workshops, video, assessment or time with an expert, and both ultimately involve helping people to learn something new. There is, however, an important distinction. Training is generally concerned with developing specific knowledge or skills. Capability building goes further, focusing on whether people can apply that knowledge an

Did Your Learning Actually Make a Difference? 1,247 people completed the course. 96% passed. The average satisfaction score was 4.6 out of 5. Excellent. But did anything actually change? That's a much harder question. And it's one L&D needs to get better at answering. The importance of measuring learning impact We have access to more learning data than ever. An LMS can tell us who started a course, who completed it, how long they spent there and what they scored in the assess

If Nobody Wants to Take Your Course, Does It Matter How Good It Is? You've spent months creating a brilliant learning experience. There's just one problem. Nobody seems particularly interested in taking it. It happens more often than you might think. Organisations invest considerable time and money designing courses, programmes and workshops, then leave their launch to a company-wide email and a link to the LMS. We wouldn't launch a new product like that. So why do we launch

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to listen to a 30-minute podcast, but how difficult it can feel to find 30 minutes for learning? That presents an interesting opportunity for L&D. Most employees aren't short of things they could learn. They're short of uninterrupted time in which to learn them. Podcasts can help. They give organisations another way to bring learning into the working day, without asking people to sit in front of another screen. The importance of podcasts i

How did you feel the last time someone told you that you were about to be assessed? Probably not thrilled. The word assessment tends to bring to mind exams, pass marks and the uncomfortable feeling of being judged. But workplace assessment can play a much more useful role. Done well, it doesn't simply tell us whether somebody has learned something. It can actually help them learn. The importance of assessment in learning Imagine you've just completed a beautifully designed di

Have you ever opened an eLearning course and, within seconds, wanted it to be over? You haven't read anything yet. You haven't learnt anything. But already you're searching for the Next button. The screen is crowded. The instructions are longer than they need to be. Something looks clickable but isn't. Something else is clickable, although you're not sure why. And somewhere behind all that friction is the learning. This is why user experience (UX) matters in digital learning.

Have you ever completed a training course and wondered what the point of it was? Most people have. Often, the problem isn't the topic or the platform. It's the design. This is why Instructional Design is one of the most important, and often overlooked, elements of Learning and Development. Good Instructional Design ensures learning is built around what people need to do differently as a result of the training, rather than simply what information needs to be shared. What Is In

When people talk about workplace learning today, eLearning is usually one of the first things that comes to mind. And for good reason. eLearning has transformed how organisations deliver learning. It allows employees to access training wherever they are, whenever they need it, and at a scale that would be impossible through traditional classroom delivery alone. But despite its popularity, eLearning is often misunderstood. The most effective eLearning isn't simply about puttin

How often do people remember everything they learned during training? The honest answer is: not very often. Even the best training programmes can't eliminate forgetting. That's why some of the most valuable learning resources aren't courses at all. They're quick guides. Whether they're one-pagers, checklists, quick start guides, decision trees, or short PDF resources, quick guides help people access the information they need at the moment they need it. What Do We Mean by Quic

Have you ever tried to explain something complex and found yourself reaching for a diagram? There's a good reason for that. Some concepts are simply easier to understand when we can see them. That's why animation has become such an important tool within modern Learning and Development solutions. For organisations operating in complex environments, from pharma and healthcare through to retail, manufacturing, and financial services, animation can help transform complicated subj

Have you ever sat through a training course and forgotten most of it a week later? Most of us have. One reason is that people tend to remember information more effectively when they both see and hear it. That's why video has become such an important part of modern Learning and Development solutions. For pharmaceutical organisations, video can help explain complex topics, engage busy learners, and deliver consistent messages across global teams. What Do We Mean by Video Learni

How did you learn the unwritten rules of your industry? For most people, it wasn't through a training course. It was through conversations with someone who had been there before. That's the value of mentoring. As organisations invest heavily in Learning and Development solutions, mentoring remains one of the most effective ways to transfer knowledge, build confidence, and prepare employees for future roles. In organisations from finance to pharma, where specialist expertise a

Over the last few years, many organisations have focused heavily on digital learning. Online platforms, interactive eLearning, and AI-powered tools have made training faster and easier to scale. But something interesting is happening. Many Learning and Development leaders are starting to realise that some skills still need people in the room together. That’s why instructor-led training continues to play an important role in learning strategies for all types of industries, fro

Have you ever noticed that some people can complete every training course available, yet still struggle when they need to apply that learning in real life? That’s one of the biggest challenges facing Learning and Development leaders in all industries from retail to pharma. Knowledge is important, but knowledge alone rarely changes behaviour. This is where coaching matters. At Popcorn, we see coaching as the bridge between learning and performance. It helps employees think thr