01
A dual-sided mission
Helm's work spans developing persons with disabilities and supporting businesses to remove workplace, technological and social barriers. L&D must serve both audiences, not just job seekers. Helm mission ↗
L&D department · Strategic proposal
Make learning a bridge to opportunity.
A 12-month direction for an L&D function that develops job-ready talent, strengthens employer capability, and connects both sides through accessible, evidence-led learning.
“I would not treat L&D as a catalogue of courses. I would build it as a pathway from capability to meaningful work — while preparing employers to make that work genuinely inclusive.”
My proposed leadership direction for the department.
Learning
→
Opportunity
→
Opportunity
01 / Strategic context
Build on what Helm has already set in motion.
Helm's stated mission is to foster societies where persons with disabilities and businesses grow together. The L&D strategy should make that promise tangible on both sides of the employment relationship.
02
An existing learning base
Helm Academy offers accessible Arabic and English learning for persons with disabilities and employers. Its public catalogue includes employability, digital literacy, soft skills and disability-inclusion courses. Helm Academy ↗
03
A live employment ecosystem
HELM II links tailored upskilling with employer support through October 2027. Khatwa '26 connected 2,500+ job seekers with 40+ companies and institutions; Helm described it as part of its Inclusive Futures 360 recruitment project. Project overview ↗
Publicly documented initiatives also include SEED, GROW and STARS. STARS is described as a 6–12 month professional education pathway for eligible SEED and GROW graduates. These are assets to connect and strengthen, not programmes I would assume need replacing. STARS details ↗
02 / Strategic architecture
One strategy. Two learner groups. One shared outcome.
The work is strongest when talent development and employer development are designed together, then connected through real opportunities and feedback.
Talent capability
Equip people to progress.
Design relevant, accessible and progressive learning that helps persons with disabilities build the competencies needed for target roles and career growth.
- Foundational and transferable skills
- Digital and role-specific capabilities
- Portfolio, credential and work-readiness evidence
- Coaching and progression support
The connection
Translate learning into opportunity.
Use employer insight and recruitment pathways to ensure learning responds to real work — and that transition barriers are addressed.
- Employer-led skills intelligence
- Work simulations and applied projects
- Accessible recruitment and matching
- Feedback from placement and retention
Employer capability
Prepare workplaces to include.
Develop the knowledge and practical behaviours of employers so that recruitment is followed by accessible onboarding, integration and retention.
- Disability equality and awareness
- Inclusive hiring and job design
- Manager and team capability
- Reasonable accommodation practice
03 / How I would lead
Five principles for the department.
These principles would guide prioritisation, curriculum decisions, partnerships and quality assurance across the portfolio.
01 · DEMAND FIRST
Start with work.
Use employer conversations, role analysis and labour-market signals to decide which competencies deserve investment.
02 · ACCESS BY DESIGN
Design for difference.
Build accessibility, Universal Design for Learning and individual accommodations into the learning experience from the start.
03 · LEARNER AGENCY
Design with learners.
Include persons with disabilities in needs analysis, piloting, feedback and governance — not only as programme participants.
04 · PRACTICE TO PERFORM
Make learning applied.
Use authentic tasks, simulations, portfolios, work-based practice and coaching so that capability can be demonstrated.
05 · EVIDENCE TO IMPROVE
Measure progression.
Track learning, behaviour and employment-related outcomes, then use the findings to improve the next cycle.
04 / Strategic objectives
Five priorities for the first year.
Each objective is deliberately connected to Helm's mission and designed to produce evidence of progress — not simply more training activity.
01
Build market-led learning pathways
Map priority occupations and competencies with employers; translate those needs into clear pathways from foundational skills to specialist capability. Review pathways with people with disabilities and sector partners.
Evidence of progress · Priority role maps, employer-validated competency frameworks, pathway completion and demonstrated skills.
02
Make accessibility a quality standard
Apply an accessibility and UDL checklist to new and revised courses; offer appropriate formats, assistive-technology compatibility, flexible participation and reasonable accommodations.
Evidence of progress · 100% of new or revised courses reviewed against the agreed accessibility standard.
03
Connect learning to progression
Make routes between foundational, applied and advanced learning easier to understand. Align course prerequisites, assessment, recognition and next steps across SEED, GROW, STARS and other relevant offers.
Evidence of progress · Published pathway maps, progression rates, credential completion and learner next-step plans.
04
Strengthen employer learning
Extend employer-facing development beyond awareness to practical capability: inclusive job design, accessible recruitment, onboarding, line-manager practice, accommodation and retention.
Evidence of progress · Employer capability assessments, action plans completed, inclusive process changes and partner feedback.
05
Build an evidence-led L&D operation
Standardise learning briefs, trainer guidance, assessment, learner feedback and reporting. Bring programme, learner and employer evidence into one regular review cycle.
Evidence of progress · Each priority programme has a baseline, learning measures, follow-up measures and a documented improvement action.
05 / Twelve-month roadmap
Sequence the work; prove the model; then scale.
The roadmap is framed as the first 12 months after appointment so it can be aligned with project calendars, funder commitments and the organisation's planning cycle.
Months 1–3 · Listen & map
Understand the system.
Establish the baseline and agree what success should mean.
- Meet learners, alumni, trainers, project teams and employers.
- Audit courses, pathways, delivery channels and accessibility.
- Map priority roles and existing competency evidence.
- Agree core KPIs, definitions and data owners.
Months 4–6 · Design & pilot
Build what is needed.
Develop a small number of high-value, testable improvements.
- Co-design 1–2 priority role-based pathways.
- Revise selected courses and assessments.
- Prepare trainer standards and accessible materials.
- Pilot with learner and employer feedback built in.
Months 7–9 · Deliver & connect
Link learning to work.
Scale what works and strengthen the transition to employment.
- Expand successful pilots through Academy and partner delivery.
- Connect learners to projects, work trials, mentors and employers.
- Deliver employer learning alongside talent pathways.
- Track participation, learning gain and early application.
Months 10–12 · Evaluate & refine
Show the contribution.
Review outcomes and set the next year's investment priorities.
- Conduct follow-up with learners and employer partners.
- Review progression, interviews, placement and retention data where available.
- Identify what to scale, redesign, pause or stop.
- Present the year-one impact and next-year plan.
06 / Performance & governance
Measure the pathway, not just the classroom.
Attendance and satisfaction matter, but they are not sufficient. I would use a balanced scorecard that follows learners and employers beyond the training event.
What I would monitor
Reach & accessApplications, enrolment, attendance, completion, accommodation fulfilment and access issues.
LearningPre/post skill evidence, competency attainment, assessment quality and learner confidence.
TransferUse of skills, work-sample performance, manager feedback and learner-reported application.
ProgressionInterviews, work trials, job entry, role quality, retention and further learning.
Employer changeInclusive recruitment practices, accommodation processes, manager confidence and retention practices.
Targets should be set after the first 90-day baseline and agreed with leadership and project/funder requirements. Employment outcomes must be interpreted with context; training is one contributor, not the only cause.
How I would run the function
L&D ManagerStrategy, portfolio, standards, prioritisation, budget and performance review.
Programme / project leadsTranslate project outcomes into learning plans, delivery schedules and reporting.
Trainers & instructional designDevelop and deliver accessible learning, assess capability and improve materials.
Employer partnersValidate job needs, provide authentic tasks, feedback, placements and workplace context.
Learner advisory inputPersons with disabilities review relevance, access, experience and improvement priorities.
Cadence: monthly programme reviews, quarterly strategic reviews and a year-end portfolio decision meeting.
Mission alignment: this approach develops people and businesses together. It supports persons with disabilities to build the skills and evidence needed for meaningful work, while equipping employers to create environments where those skills can be used and careers can grow.
The result I would work towards
A connected learning system in which every priority course has a clear purpose, every learner can access and demonstrate learning, every employer partner helps shape relevance, and every programme generates evidence for better decisions.