Insights & Blog

What we're thinking about

Practical perspectives on digital learning and programme design, and what's actually working in 2026. No hype, no jargon, just honest observations from thirty years in the field.

A professional seen from behind at a navy desk looking out a window, beside a cream panel reading 'AI Act delay?' with three points: provisional not law, the AI literacy duty untouched, and assessment AI delayed to 2027 not removed
Latest

10 June 2026

The AI Act's high-risk rules just slipped sixteen months. The good certification bodies won't slow down.

The EU has provisionally delayed the AI Act's high-risk rules to December 2027. But the delay is narrower than the headline: it isn't law yet, the Article 4 literacy duty wasn't moved, and the high-risk regime covers AI used to evaluate learning outcomes. What it actually changes for certification bodies, regulated training providers, and corporate academies using AI in assessment and CPD.

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Two L&D professionals working at a whiteboard showing the sequence DESIGN, OWN, MAINTAIN above four labelled drift types — regulatory, reference, example and production drift

3 June 2026

Maintenance debt: the design failure that quietly ages a regulated credential

A regulated programme is accurate at launch and quietly wrong eighteen months later, because the budget was a build budget and nobody owns currency. The four forms ageing takes, why it happens, and a six-question maintenance diagnostic for Heads of Learning at certification bodies, regulated training providers, and corporate academies.

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Two L&D professionals working at a whiteboard showing the design sequence OUTCOME, ASSESSMENT, CONTENT with four drift types listed beneath

28 May 2026

Assessment-bolted-on: the design failure that quietly degrades digital credentials

Digital programmes drift when assessment is the last decision in the work plan, not the second. The four specific drifts, why they happen, and a six-question diagnostic for Heads of Programme at professional certification bodies, regulated training providers, and corporate academies.

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What happens after the board says yes

29 April 2026

What Happens After the Board Says Yes

The gap between board approval and a launched digital programme is where most institute projects quietly stall. Three moves that close it. Three that do not.

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EU AI Act Article 4 Deadline

22 April 2026

The AI Act Deadline Most Organisations Are Not Ready For — And Why

Article 4 of the EU AI Act requires every organisation deploying AI tools to ensure workforce literacy. The deadline is 2 August. Most have quietly missed it.

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What 'doing it properly' means for digital programmes

15 April 2026

What "Doing It Properly" Actually Means When You Digitise a Professional Programme

Six dimensions that separate the institute programmes members rave about from the ones members ask when the classroom version is coming back.

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Picking the right first programme to digitise

8 April 2026

How to Choose the First Programme to Digitise (And Why Most Institutes Pick the Wrong One)

Most professional institutes pick the wrong first programme to digitise. Four signals that identify the right one, and three categories to deliberately avoid.

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UK Employment Rights Act Compliance Training

2 April 2026

The UK's Biggest Employment Law Change in a Generation Takes Effect in October. Most Companies' Training Isn't Ready.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 raises the bar on compliance training. Tick-box eLearning won't meet the new standard. Here's what employers need now.

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Onboarding at Scaling Companies

26 March 2026

Only 12% of Employees Say Their Company Does Onboarding Well. If You're Scaling, That Number Is Probably Worse.

For fast-growing companies, the gap between hiring speed and training quality is where talent gets lost. Here's what to do about it.

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Accenture AI Adoption

19 March 2026

Accenture Trained 550,000 People on AI. Now It's Firing Those Who Won't Use It.

Accenture invested $3 billion in AI and trained 70% of its workforce. Adoption still stalled. Now promotions depend on usage. There's a lesson here for every business.

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Adaptive Learning

12 March 2026

Digital Learning Has Changed More in Two Years Than in the Previous Twenty

New research shows AI-first learning teams vastly outperform traditional approaches. Here's what's now possible — and why most organisations are still behind.

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eLearning Completion Rates

5 March 2026

The Industry Average for eLearning Completion Is 20%. That's Not a Learner Problem.

Most eLearning fails not because learners won't engage, but because the content was never designed to compete for their attention.

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Practical notes on programme design, regulated training, and digital learning. Roughly one email a month.