WIREDGOV

Our Chief People Officer, Helen Ketteringham, speaks to three organisations to find out how they’re making Learning at Work Week a success for colleagues, ensuring leadership teams are bought in, and advice for those who haven’t taken part before.  

What advice would you give to an organisation running Learning at Work Week for the first time? 

Serena Jecty (SJ), Learning and Development Manager at Quantexa: “Start your planning as early as possible. This will give you the space to define the scale of the activities you want to run and align them with your available budget.” 

Katy Streets (KS), Digital Learning Manager at SIG plc: “Keep it simple and purposeful; you don’t need a packed schedule. A small number of well‑designed activities with a clear theme work far better than trying to do everything.  

“Link it to real work – focus on learning that helps people do their jobs better, feel safer, or grow their confidence. Use it to spotlight learning that will continue beyond the week itself.” 

Ashley Brown (AB), Learning and Development Specialist at Castle Trust Bank: “Start small and keep it relevant. Focus on a clear theme, a handful of high-quality sessions, and use internal expertise. Think impact over volume and treat it as a starting point, not a one-off event.” 

What’s one simple activity that works well during Learning at Work Week? 

SJ: “Leverage the wisdom within your own organisation. A panel discussion featuring your own executives is a powerful and simple activity that consistently drives high engagement.” 

KS: “Bite‑sized digital learning challenges; short, accessible activities (10-15 minutes) work brilliantly. For example, a ‘spot the hazard’ learning game or a microlearning module with a quick reflection question. 

“These are easy to join, inclusive for different roles, and create great conversation. Everyone is busy, and there are often conflicting priorities and lots of communications coming at people, so think about how you can grab attention and highlight what is in it for them.” 

AB: “Lunch and learn. Short, informal sessions that are easy to attend and deliver. They’re great for sharing knowledge and keeping engagement high without disrupting the day.” 

What’s a good way to get leadership buy‑in and visibility? 

SJ: “Ensure that the learning initiatives are directly connected to the current priorities and strategic needs of the business. When leadership can see a clear link to business outcomes, their buy-in and visibility will follow.” 

KS: “Ask leaders to sponsor, not just endorse. We’ve had great impact when leaders record a short video message, share what they’re learning themselves, and actively signpost learning during the week. When leaders show curiosity and participation, it gives everyone permission to engage. 

“Be clear and specific about how you want leaders to support. Buy‑in can be harder to achieve if the ask is vague, so it’s far more effective to be prescriptive about what good support looks like. Give leaders clear, manageable roles, provide structure and support, and start your planning early so they have time to prepare.” 

AB: “Link it to business outcomes and make it easy for leaders to get involved. Ask them to host, attend, or share a message. Visible leadership drives engagement.” 

How do you keep learning activities engaging and inclusive? 

SJ: “Focus on creating experiences that are relevant, timely, and well-designed. To ensure inclusivity and engagement, think about how your people can practically apply their new knowledge not just during the session, but in their roles long after the event is over.” 

KS: “Design for everyone, not just office‑based roles. Offer digital, on‑demand learning alongside live moments. Use plain language and practical scenarios. Make it easy to join on any device, at any time. Add a creative twist - storytelling, games, or themed activities help learning feel energising rather than another task and support different learning styles. 

“Don’t just plan for the week itself. It is a springboard for creating a strong learning culture, so think about how you will follow up and maintain momentum after the week.” 

AB: “Offer a mix of formats and keep it interactive. Make it accessible, relevant to different roles, and focused on practical takeaways people can actually use. 

“This year we are bringing back our much-loved team building day, which mixes collaboration and learning to every colleague at the bank. Our colleagues now expect something to happen as part of Learning at Work Week which is fantastic!” 

To find out more about Learning at Work Week and get involved, visit the LAWW website.