85% of Employers Prioritize Skill Development. So Why Is L&D Still the First to Get Cut?

85% of employers say upskilling is their number one priority. 71% say they expect to cut their Learning & Development budget when things get tight. I can't make those two numbers make sense. I've spent 20 years in L&D, and I've watched this contradiction play out in boardrooms and organizations again and again. The problem isn't that leadership doesn't value learning. It's that too often, we haven't made the value visible in the language the business understands. In this episode, I talk about what I've learned from building L&D functions, working through major business changes, and sitting across the table from leaders who need to know one thing: What changes because of this work? I share three stories from my own work and introduce the Five-Spoke Impact Model, which looks at how L&D contributes to: • Attracting and keeping the right people • Building capability at every level • Making high performance possible • Increasing agility and sparking innovation • Elevating the employee experience And I share four things I would do this week to start making that value visible. Because being called a priority does not protect your budget. Proof does. And if we're serious about making L&D a strategic partner, we have to get better at showing what would break if our work disappeared tomorrow. The full Five-Spoke Impact Model and companion article, 85% Say It's a Priority. So Why Is L&D Still Being Cut?, are available on The Capability Edge Substack. Substack post: https://substack.com/@candicemitchell... Cheers to the ones who are tired of defending a function that nobody else understands. You know your work matters. Now go make it impossible to overlook. __ 👥 LET'S CONNECT 📷 Instagram: https:  / candice_mitchell_msc   🔗 LinkedIn:   / candicemitchelltc   JOIN US FOR OUR LIVE EVENT: We run a career-changing live event event month. See what's on this month 🔗 Register here: https://talentcollective.org/live WHY SUBSCRIBE? 👍 In this AI-this and automation-that world, we're digging into our humanness! We give you your capability edge. Subscribe because this channel is for you. And we love hearing from you so comment: What’s one leadership move you’re making this week? 💬 JOIN THE L&D LOUNGE EVERY WEEK Looking for high-level conversations with experienced L&D professionals? The L&D Lounge is your space to connect, share ideas, and tackle challenges with a network of thoughtful, strategic practitioners. We meet every Wednesday at 12 PM EST | 9 AM PST for conversations that matter with people who get it. 👉 Click here to register to join us: https://talentcollective.org/lounge 🎓 TAKE THE FREE MINI-COURSE: INDISPENSABLE L&D PARTNER (it's on the house) Want to stand out in your role and make a real impact? My free course, Indispensable L&D Partner, is packed with practical strategies to help you build credibility, influence stakeholders, and drive meaningful results. 👉 Enroll: https://courses.talentcollective.org/... 📊 L&D ALIGNMENT ROADMAP Are you ready to align your L&D strategy with business goals and drive measurable outcomes? The L&D Alignment Roadmap course gives you a taste-tester of the tools and frameworks to showcase your value and make an impact that matters. Talent Development Academy is where the real transformation lives (TBH) 👉 Access the course: https://courses.talentcollective.org/... 👉 JOIN OUR FLAGSHIP TALENT DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY This is what will transform your L&D career. Period. https://talentcollective.org/