6 Strategic Traps That Sabotage L&D Planning (and How to Avoid Them in 2026)
Most L&D teams enter planning season convinced that the next year will finally be different, yet familiar habits quietly undermine strategy before it even begins. Inspired by Georgiana Laudi’s research with over 200 organisations, this post explores six common traps that can derail L&D effectiveness and how to avoid repeating them in 2026.
Totara in the Field: Tracking Skills, Compliance, and Impact Across South Africa
Totara gives NGOs more than training records. It connects learning to performance, compliance, and real-world outcomes. This article explores how South African NGOs can use Totara to generate funder-ready evidence, strengthen program quality, and create measurable impact that goes beyond completion rates or box-ticking exercises.
Phillips ROI: What Counts, What Doesn’t, and What Really Measures Value
Most learning programs get measured on completion or satisfaction, but that rarely tells the full story. The Phillips ROI Model helps L&D teams connect learning to real business results, showing how skills and behaviour changes translate into measurable financial impact. Learn when and how to apply it effectively.
How Leading Hospitality Brands Strengthen Learning and Performance with Totara
Tourism and hospitality teams operate in high-pressure, high-turnover environments. This Totara Thursdays article explores how leading brands use Totara to link learning with real performance outcomes. From role-based pathways to skills tracking and manager-led coaching, it shows how modern learning design strengthens capability, consistency and retention across dispersed, customer-facing workforces.
Start Strong: How Smart Pre-boarding and Onboarding Win Talent
Onboarding isn’t an HR formality. It’s one of the strongest predictors of retention, engagement and time-to-performance. This article breaks down why onboarding matters, why it should start before day one and what an effective, learning-rich journey looks like. Practical examples and research-backed insights show how better onboarding creates confident, capable employees who contribute faster and stay longer.
From Groups to Growth: Unlocking Strategic Learning with Totara Audiences
Totara audiences go beyond simple user grouping, they’re a powerful way to deliver personalised learning at scale. This article explores how organisations like MindEd and MediaPharm use audiences to automate enrolment, target content, and align learning with performance, turning an administrative feature into a strategic driver of engagement and impact.
Learning That Moves the World: How NGOs Are Unlocking Impact with Totara
NGOs around the world are using Totara to deliver measurable learning impact — from UNICEF’s global safeguarding training to HFL’s scalable education platform. Discover how features like multi-tenancy, integrations, and reporting are transforming learning into performance and purpose.
Unlocking First-Day Impact: Onboarding with Totara for Performance & Growth
Discover how Totara transforms onboarding into a strategic engine for performance, engagement, and retention. From personalized learning paths to collaborative spaces and performance check-ins, learn how enterprises accelerate new hire impact and connect early experiences to long-term business outcomes.
Measurement Frameworks in L&D: Turning Learning into Results
Most learning teams measure activity, not impact. This article explores the frameworks that help L&D leaders move from counting completions to proving results. From Kirkpatrick and Phillips to LTEM and xAPI. Learn how each framework connects learning to measurable performance and business outcomes.
Unlocking Learning On-the-Go: How Totara Mobile Transforms Pathways to Performance
Totara Mobile brings learning into the flow of work by connecting people, performance and progress. Discover how mobile access, offline learning and real-time notifications help enterprises keep teams on their learning pathways and turn everyday moments into measurable impact.
