Keith Heggart from the University of Technology Sydney joins Michelle Ockers to discuss the creation of the Graduate Certificate in Learning Design. He takes us behind the scenes of the design process—how he spent months consulting with industry experts, developing learner personas, and challenging traditional university structures to create a program that is fast-paced, practical, and immediately useful. Keith also shares key insights on the growing demand for learning design expertise, the critical role of communication in the field, and why the divide between corporate and higher education learning design needs to be bridged.

Host: Michelle Ockers

Transcript and related resources: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/167/

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In this episode of Learning Uncut Elevate, Michelle Ockers speaks with Catherine Lombardozzi about her latest research with the Learning Guild, which explores how leadership development strategies are evolving. Catherine set out to understand what’s changing in leadership development and how organisations are adapting to post-pandemic realities. Her findings highlight three key shifts: greater emphasis on experiential learning, more sustained and blended approaches, and an increasing focus on relational learning to strengthen leadership networks. This research provides L&D professionals with practical insights to design more relevant and effective leadership development programs.

Hosted by Michelle Ockers 

Transcript and related resources: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/elevate-43/ 

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Australia has a critical structural engineering skills shortage, yet many qualified graduates and migrant engineers struggle to find jobs. In this episode, Michelle Ockers talks to Moly Ashtari and Alex Jovanovski, co-founders of Learnpedia. Moly shares her personal challenges as a migrant engineer seeking local experience. Alex highlights difficulties small businesses face hiring skilled engineers. They discuss creating Learnpedia to provide project-based traineeships combining real-world projects, on-site training, and mentorship. Discover how their practical learning approach equips engineers with essential workplace experience and why industry collaboration is vital for solving Australia's engineering skills shortage.

Host: Michelle Ockers

Transcript and related resources: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/166/

Podcast information and more episodes: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/

Australia’s tech sector faces a critical skills gap. Women – who make up just 30% of the tech workforce – represent the largest untapped talent pool to close this gap. Michelle Ockers speaks with Kade Brown from RMIT Online and Rhiannon Yetsenga from Deloitte Access Economics about their latest research report into skills and talent diversity in Australia’s tech workforce. They explore the key findings of the report, including the scale of the skills gap, why women are the biggest untapped opportunity to close this gap, and the business case for investing in re-skilling. The conversation also highlights practical actions organisations can take to attract, retain, and develop more women in tech roles.

Hosted by Michelle Ockers 

Transcript and related resources: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/elevate-42/ 

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The 2025 Global Sentiment Report has been released, capturing the pulse of L&D professionals worldwide. In this episode, Michelle Ockers speaks with Donald H Taylor about the key findings and what they reveal about what L&D is paying attention to in 2025. AI continues to dominate conversations, but there’s also continued interest in skills and data, with the creating value on the rise again. Don shares insights on why these trends matter, how they vary across different regions, and what L&D professionals can take away from the results.

Hosted by Michelle Ockers  

Transcript and related resources: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/elevate-41/  

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Ryan Byrne, Senior Manager of Capability and Learning at Sydney Trains joins host Michelle Ockers to discusses the "First Impressions Count" performance campaign. This campaign focused on enhancing customer service through station cleanliness, uniform standards and empowering and engaging staff. Ryan shares insights on using employee feedback to identify barriers and build respectful, actionable solutions. He also highlights how Sydney Trains engaged staff via competitions, incentives, and real-time customer feedback, fostering a culture of continuous improvement across the frontline.

Host: Michelle Ockers

Transcript and related resources: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/164/

Podcast information and more episodes: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/

In this episode of Learning Uncut, Michelle Ockers and co-host Laura Overton are joined by Lisa Christensen, Director of Learning at McKinsey, to explore the organisation's innovative approach to enhancing feedback skills. Lisa introduces the Receive to Grow program, a targeted initiative designed to help employees build the skill of receiving feedback effectively - a critical competency in McKinsey's fast-paced and high-performance culture. Lisa delves into McKinsey's broader feedback surge strategy, discussing how cross-functional collaboration, data-driven insights, and behavioural science have shaped this impactful initiative. Discover how simple, actionable learning techniques and a holistic talent strategy are transforming feedback practices at scale.

Host: Michelle Ockers

Transcript and related resources: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/163/

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Michelle Ockers is joined by Dr. Cathryn Lloyd, founder of Maverick Minds, to explore how L&D professionals can shift their thinking and support others to shift their thinking. Cathryn shares how her own experiences of personal and professional transformation led to her work in helping individuals and organisations think differently. They discuss why shifting thinking is crucial for L&D professionals who are responsible for supporting learning, change, and capability-building in their organisations. Cathryn introduces practical tools and insights from her book on storytelling and creativity.

Hosted by Michelle Ockers 

Transcript and related resources: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/elevate-40/ 

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In this episode of Learning Uncut, Catherine Sharpe (Blackmores) and Mark Eggers (Yarno) join Michelle Ockers to discuss their award-winning learning solution. Recognised at the AITD 2024 Excellence Awards for both Best Use of Technology for Learning and Best Use of Gamification or Simulation, their initiative tackled the challenge of embedding financial acumen across Blackmores’ diverse, multilingual workforce. Catherine and Mark share insights on leveraging gamification, microlearning, and data-driven engagement to transform revenue management training. Learn how this innovative partnership boosted learning outcomes and engagement across 13 Asia-Pacific markets.

Host: Michelle Ockers

Transcript and related resources: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/162/ 

Podcast information and more episodes: https://learninguncut.global/podcast/