How to make corporate training more practical and engaging
There is a familiar moment in corporate training. A participant understands the concept, contributes thoughtfully to the discussion....
3 mins read
Discover insights
Discover practical insights, trends, and strategies from MDA Training’s team of learning and development experts. Our blog explores the topics that matter most to L&D leaders, from experiential learning and skills development to industry-specific training approaches, helping you build high-performing teams.
How to design a development programme for early careers people in 2027
Designing a development programme for early careers people in 2027 starts with a deceptively simple question: what....
4 mins read
Bespoke asset management training: when does customised training make sense?
If you work in learning and development within an asset manager, the word bespoke can prompt two perfectly....
8 mins read
Business insight for leaders: making your next leadership offsite count
A leadership offsite brings leaders together with time to focus on the wider business. How well do they understand it? Can....
3 mins read
How to make asset management training more practical
Asset management is a technical industry, so technical knowledge rightly sits at the heart of most development programmes. Learners need to....
2 mins read
How to design an effective asset management graduate training programme
The UK investment management industry managed a record £11.1 trillion in assets in 2025. For graduates entering the....
2 mins read
What does “commercial awareness” actually mean for employees?
Ask a room of employees what commercial awareness means and you may hear very different answers. Some will think immediately....
3 mins read
The commercial blind spots of newly promoted leaders
Promotion often comes because someone is good at what they do. They understand their function, deliver results and have earned the confidence....
3 mins read
How to present financial analysis to non-financial stakeholders
You have completed the analysis. You understand the assumptions, the movements and the detail behind every figure.
Then you....
8 mins read
Want managers to think more commercially? How to choose the right training provider in 2026
Imagine two managers reviewing the same customer opportunity.
The first can define....
7 mins read
Why artificial intelligence will not replace leadership training, but it will change it
Leadership training has always adapted to the world leaders are working in. It has adapted to....
7 mins read
Best training providers for improving commercial awareness across your business: what to look for
Commercial awareness is no longer a niche capability for sales teams, finance specialists or....
10 mins read
Help employees understand the business and make better commercial decisions
Many employees want to make good decisions. They want to serve customers well, use resources responsibly, and....
6 mins read
Why commercial acumen matters more in 2026
Commercial acumen training is moving from a useful development option to a core business capability. In 2026, HR and L&D leaders are being asked to....
6 mins read
What makes a good commercial skills training programme?
Here is an uncomfortable truth about corporate learning: research suggests that as little as 10 to 40 per cent of the knowledge and skills....
7 mins read
How AI is evolving commercial skills training and what still needs human practice
Commercial skills training is entering a new phase. Technology can now help people prepare faster, practise more....
3 mins read
Commercial Skills Training: In-Person, Virtual or Self-Led, Which Works Best?
Commercial capability has become a strategic priority for organisations across sectors. Teams are expected to....
5 mins read
Leadership pipeline: best practices for leadership development
Many organisations do not have a leadership problem because people lack potential. More often, they have a leadership pipeline....
7 mins read
Reskilling vs upskilling: key differences and when organisations need each
Skills conversations are everywhere right now, and for good reason. The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report....
6 mins read
How leaders learn commercial acumen by doing, not listening
Commercial acumen is often spoken about as though it is a knowledge gap. Give leaders the strategy deck, explain the profit and loss....
7 mins read
Why L&D is still seen as a cost centre and how to change that
Learning and development sits at an interesting intersection in most organisations. On one hand, it is widely acknowledged as....
4 mins read
Why leadership training can provide a 10-to-20-fold ROI
It is reasonable for organisations to question whether leadership training truly delivers measurable value. Budgets are under scrutiny,....
3 mins read
The leadership skills gap: what organisations must fix in 2026
In many organisations, leadership capability has not kept pace with the complexity of modern work. Structures have evolved,....
4 mins read
Supporting a new CEO? Why L&D should be your first strategic lever
When a new chief executive steps into an organisation, the spotlight often falls on strategy, structure and stakeholder....
4 mins read
Inside a leadership simulation day: what to expect
For many HR and L&D leaders, the idea of a leadership simulation is appealing but still slightly abstract. It is easy to understand the....
4 mins read
The counterintuitive truth about learning
Why friction is a feature, not a flaw
There's a widespread assumption in the world of learning and development that the goal is to make things as....
4 mins read
Start with what the research actually says
Before the inference, the honest picture
Let us start with something the L&D profession is not always comfortable saying out loud. The ROI case....
7 mins read
First, a confession about the term 'experiential learning'
Ask ten L&D professionals what experiential learning means and you will get ten different answers. Some will say it is learning by....
6 mins read
If businesses believe in simulations, why are they not using them?Understanding the gap between intent and action
As individuals, we know that we learn best by trying something and seeing what....
8 mins read
The Commercial Instinct: Why Great Leaders Just Know
There is a moment every experienced facilitator recognises. A simulation is mid-flow, the pressure is building, and one participant, usually....
4 mins read
Why Experience Matters in Leadership Development
“Leadership capability develops most effectively when people experience complex situations, reflect on them, and apply their learning in new....
4 mins read
Why leadership learning needs practise, not just theory
Leadership development has always been a priority for organisations. Yet many corporate learning programmes still rely heavily on....
4 mins read
The shrinking attention span: what it means for how we train
We spend time thinking about what training should achieve. Lately, we have been thinking about something more fundamental: the....
4 mins read
How does training 'move the needle'?
People are your most valuable asset — right? I hear this repeatedly, but what can you do to maximise their value to you? One lever is effective, business....
3 mins read
How leadership simulations boost team performance and promote employee growth
Leadership is shaped by exercising judgement in challenging conditions. In recent....
4 mins read
Why experiential learning is the future of corporate training
The perennial problem with corporate training is that the impact can be hard to evidence. Organisations invest significant budgets....
4 mins read
How leadership simulations prepare leaders for real-world challenges
Leaders might have easy days where everything goes great, but their skill set is most tested when things go pear-shaped.....
4 mins read