LEEA Learning Team Spotlight
Behind every safe lift is a team making sure the people involved know exactly what they're doing. This issue, we shine a spotlight on the Learning and Development team, whose work goes far beyond ticking compliance boxes.
Their goal is to make sure that everyone, from apprentices to seasoned professionals, has the knowledge to work safely, make informed decisions and keep raising standards across the industry.
In this feature, we speak to the team about how they design their courses, the challenges of keeping pace with an evolving industry and what goes on behind the scenes.
What drew you to learning and development, and what keeps you passionate about it?
What drew me to learning and development was a strong passion for improving safety, developing people and raising standards across the lifting equipment industry. Having served the industry for nearly 40 years, I am driven by a genuine desire to give something back by sharing knowledge, supporting the next generation and helping workers build the knowledge and proficiency they need to perform their roles safely and effectively.
Coming from a training background, I have always been interested in finding the most effective and engaging ways to communicate information. I believe people learn best when new material connects with their previous experiences and when they are actively involved in the learning process, rather than simply being given information.
The L&D team relies on collaboration with our trainers, technical experts and wider industry stakeholders to turn ideas and practical experience into courses that are well designed, technically accurate and relevant to real roles across the lifting industry.
What keeps me passionate is seeing the positive impact that high-quality learning can have on both individuals and organisations. By embracing innovative learning methodologies, we can improve performance, strengthen professional standards and ultimately help ensure that people return home safely
What does the L&D team's work look like behind the scenes?
Behind the scenes, the L&D team’s work is driven by a genuine obsession with continuous improvement. Ideas are constantly shared, challenged and developed, with the team always thinking ahead to the next project and how we can make our training even better.
We believe that a 1% improvement every day can be incredibly powerful. A small amendment, a clearer explanation, a new example or a minor change to an assessment may seem insignificant on its own, but over time those improvements compound and continually strengthen what we offer our members and learners.
The team works extremely well together, with everyone willing to contribute ideas and provide help and support where needed. Our focus is always on two key questions:
1) How can we improve the material we already have, and
2) What have we learned that should shape what we do next?
By continually reviewing feedback, performance data, delivery methods and new technologies we identify opportunities to make learning clearer, more accessible and more effective. This forward thinking and collaborative approach helps us keep raising standards and improving the training experience for every learner.
What's coming next from the L&D team that members should be excited about?
Members can be excited about the continued expansion of our Proficiency Testing as a practical route to qualification. It is now available at our Huntingdon training centre for the Lifting Accessories and Manual Lifting Machines Diplomas, with the Powered Lifting Machines Diploma due to follow soon.
This provides an alternative assessment to the online multiple choice test, giving learners the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, practical skills and professional judgement in a realistic working environment. It is an important step in making LEEA qualifications more accessible, robust and reflective of real-world industry practice.
From January 2027, we’ll be rolling out our enhanced version 4.0 suite of Foundation course and Diplomas. These will incorporate a new methodology for lifting equipment inspection, updated case studies and downloadable resources to support learning and practical application in the workplace.
We are also developing a new Lifting Equipment Procurement eLearning course. This will provide learners with essential knowledge of the safety, technical, legal and lifecycle considerations that should be understood when lifting equipment is specified, selected, acquired, received and managed throughout its working life.
Together, these developments will provide members with more flexible, practical and relevant learning pathways that reflect the needs of the modern lifting industry.
What piece of feedback from a learner or member has stayed with you?
The feedback that stays with me most is when a learner says that a course has changed the way they look at their work.
The feedback that stays with me most is when learners tell us that a course has changed the way they look at their work. They no longer see inspection or safe practice as simply following a process; they understand why each step matters and how their decisions can directly affect someone’s safety.
This is powerful because it shows that the learning has gone beyond knowledge transfer. It has influenced judgement, behaviour and professional responsibility, which is ultimately what our training courses are designed to achieve.
What do you wish more people knew about the work that goes into creating a course or qualification?
Creating a course is a complete development lifecycle, not simply a matter of writing content or producing slides.
It begins with identifying an industry need and consulting technical experts, employers, practitioners and LEEA’s committees to define the required knowledge, proficiency, behaviours and learning outcomes. From there, we design the learning journey, storyboard the content, develop practical activities and assessments, and ensure that every element is technically accurate, accessible and relevant to real workplace roles.
The course then goes through technical validation, quality assurance, testing and review before it is launched. Even after release, the work continues through learner feedback, assessment data, industry developments and regular review.
The aim is to ensure that every course is robust, credible and capable of improving workplace performance, professional judgement and safety across the industry.
How does the team's work help raise the overall level of skill and competence across the industry?
By creating structured pathways from foundation knowledge through to applied proficiency, we help establish a consistent benchmark for what good practice looks like across the industry.
The team’s work helps raise the overall level of skill and competence across the industry by empowering learners to see things differently. We encourage them not simply to follow instructions, but to understand the process, apply sound judgement and recognise the impact their decisions can have on safety.
At the same time, we ensure that technical learning is always underpinned by LEEA’s professional behaviours. Our aim is to develop people who are not only knowledgeable and capable, but who also demonstrate the right attitude, responsibility and professional standards in their work.
Ultimately, everything we do is built around three core principles: Safety, Competence and Professionalism. By embedding these consistently across our learning programmes, we help create a safer and more capable industry.
How do you design learning that works for everyone from someone new to the industry to a seasoned professional refreshing their skills?
We start by recognising that learners bring different levels of knowledge, experience and confidence.
LEEA’s courses are designed with clear learning pathways and accessible explanations, allowing those new to the industry to build strong foundations while giving experienced professionals opportunities to test, refresh and deepen their understanding. We achieve this through case studies requiring judgement, practical application, reflection, professional discussion and opportunities to connect new learning with previous experience.
We encourage learners to connect new information to their own experience, while using case studies, discussion and practical application to challenge assumptions and develop judgement.
How do you make sure what people learn in a course sticks and changes how they work, day to day?
We make learning stick by connecting it directly to the decisions and challenges people face in their everyday work. Rather than relying solely on theory, we use realistic case studies, practical activities and proficiency testing that require learners to apply the process, exercise judgement and explain their decisions.
We also reinforce LEEA’s behaviours for a safer world of work that learners can take back to their workplace. The aim is not simply to help someone pass an assessment, but to change how they think, how they approach a task and how confidently they make safety critical decisions.
When learning is relevant, repeatedly applied and connected to real consequences, it becomes part of how a person works, not just something they remember from a course.
How does the L&D team work with technical experts and industry practitioners to make sure training reflects real-world practice?
We work closely with LEEA’s technical experts, members, employers and experienced industry practitioners throughout the development and review of our training. LEEA’s Learning and Development Committee, Technical Committee and Board of Directors all contribute valuable expertise, oversight and industry perspective.
Their collective insight helps us understand how work is carried out in practice, the challenges people face and the knowledge, judgement and professional behaviours required to work safely and effectively.
We combine technical expertise and practical experience with effective learning design. This ensures that our courses are technically accurate, realistic, relevant and meaningful to learners. We translate that industry insight into authentic case studies, practical activities and assessments that reflect the decisions, pressures and responsibilities people encounter in the workplace.
Collaboration does not stop when a course is launched. We continue to review feedback, changes in industry practice and emerging needs so that our training remains current and continues to support Safety, Competence and Professionalism across the industry.
To learn more about our learning team, click here.
Want to help shape the future of LEEA?
We're always looking for members to join our subcommittees and play an active part in our ongoing commitment to keep doing right by our members. By getting involved, you'll help us deliver a leading service that's truly aligned to members' needs and keep LEEA relevant and effective in an evolving industry.
If you're interested in joining our governance team, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you. Email: Ross.Moloney@Leeaint.com
