Neil Drury
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Dynamic Insights
Yes, you can have external L&D support without losing control
BY LARNER CALEB
For many L&D professionals, the challenge they face is no longer about strategy—it’s more to do with capacity.
You may find this too, but in our experience, internal L&D teams are often well aligned to business priorities. They understand the organisation, they have established stakeholder relationships and they know what good looks like. However, the difficulty is finding the time and resource to deliver great quality learning consistently at scale.
This creates a familiar situation: demand for learning continues to grow, while the capacity to meet it does not. Sound familiar?
As explored in our guide to when is the right time to outsource learning and development, this is often the point at which organisations begin to consider external support—not as a replacement for internal capability, but as a way of sustaining it. Here’s how to do it without feeling like you’re losing control—or the plot!
Recognising the signs of an overstretched L&D team
In stories told around our meeting rooms tables and over Teams calls, we hear that, in many cases, pressure builds gradually rather than appearing suddenly.
Typical indicators include:
- increasing backlog of learning requests
- delays in programme design or rollout
- time for strategic planning evaporates
- a shift towards reactive, rather than proactive delivery
- difficulty maintaining consistency across programmes
Perhaps you recognise some or all of these red flags. They’re certainly not unusual. And they reflect the expanding role of L&D within organisations and the expectation that learning will deliver measurable business impact.
Left unaddressed, however, they can limit your effectiveness as an L&D professional who wants to make a real difference to your organisation.
Why capacity pressure matters
When L&D teams are stretched, the impact is felt way beyond the function itself.
Programme quality may become inconsistent. Strategic initiatives may be delayed. Opportunities to introduce new approaches or improve existing ones are often put on the back burner.
Over time, this can lead to:
- reduced confidence from stakeholders
- a focus on activity rather than outcomes
- difficulty demonstrating value at senior levels.
Addressing capacity is therefore not simply about your workload. It’s about maintaining the effectiveness and credibility of your learning function.
Where external support can add value
As mentioned in our previous article on the benefits of outsourcing learning and development, external support for L&D teams is most effective when it is targeted and clearly defined.
Rather than replacing internal teams, it typically focuses on extending their capability in specific areas. And that can be a really powerful tool to have in your L&D armoury.
Providing additional delivery capacity
One of the most immediate benefits to you is your ability to support delivery during peak demand. This might include:
- rolling out your large‑scale programmes
- supporting onboarding or compliance training
- delivering workshops or virtual learning sessions.
This allows you and your internal teams to maintain momentum without being overwhelmed.
Supporting learning design and development
There’s no point putting poorly-designed learning in front of your people; you’ll have minimal uptake, even less engagement and there could even be damage to your reputation as an employer. At the very least, it’s not a great look for organisations’ L&D Departments. However, designing high‑quality learning takes time and specialist skills.
An experienced external partner can support you with not only outstanding learning content, but also:
- digital and blended learning development
- programme design for leadership or capability building
- content creation for scalable learning solutions.
This ensures your design quality is maintained even when your internal capacity is limited.
Introducing specialist expertise
You may have areas or situations where specialist expertise is required but not always needed full‑time.
These may include:
- learning evaluation and measurement
- instructional design for complex topics
- leadership development frameworks.
Good, reliable external support allows you to access these capabilities without the need to build them permanently in‑house.
Managing fluctuating demand
Many of our clients tell us their learning demand is rarely consistent throughout the year.
External support gives you flexible L&D delivery, allowing you to scale activity up or down as required. This reduces your reliance on fixed resource and supports more efficient planning.
Maintaining control while using external support
One of the common concerns we’ve encountered when holding initial chats with new clients is that they feel introducing external support may dilute their ownership or reduce their visibility of projects or the overall L&D strategy.
In each and every case we’ve alleviated those fears through clear communication and getting the right structure in place, right from the start.
There’s obvious flex depending on each organisation, but in essence, key elements may include:
- clear definition of roles and responsibilities
- strong governance and oversight from internal L&D
- alignment with organisational priorities and standards
- regular communication and feedback loops.
Internal teams remain responsible for strategy, stakeholder engagement and overall direction. External partners operate within that framework, supporting delivery rather than replacing it.
Protecting internal capability and morale
Another important consideration is the impact on the internal team.
External support should be positioned as:
- the way to relieve pressure
- an opportunity to focus on higher‑value work
- a means of strengthening your overall capability.
When handled well, this approach can improve morale rather than undermine it. It allows your internal professionals to focus on areas where they add the greatest value, such as strategy, stakeholder alignment and long‑term development.
The role of a learning delivery partner
Okay, the term ‘learning delivery partner’, certainly for Dynamic, which is helping more organisations to solve their operational and cultural issues, seems an oxymoron; it’s not just about delivery, it’s about helping to get the overall L&D strategy right. But to keep things simple, for many organisations, the most effective approach is to work with a learning delivery partner rather than a transactional supplier.
This type of relationship is characterised by:
- ongoing collaboration rather than one‑off activity
- shared understanding of organisational priorities
- consistent standards across delivery
- flexibility in how support is provided.
As outlined in our comparison of in‑house vs outsourced learning and development, this hybrid approach allows you to combine internal knowledge with external capability in a structured way that suits you and your teams.
Okay, so when's the right time to introduce external support?
As mentioned in our previous article, When is the right time to outsource L&D?, there is no single trigger point, but external support often lands on L&D leaders’ radars when:
- demand consistently exceeds internal capacity
- your delivery timelines begin to slip
- strategic work is being deprioritised
- you have key initiatives that need specialist expertise.
At this stage, introducing support early can prevent longer‑term challenges for your organisation.
A practical, balanced approach
Supporting an overstretched L&D team doesn’t need a fundamental change to how your learning is structured.
Indeed, in most cases, it’s about making targeted adjustments:
- introducing additional capacity where it’s needed
- accessing expertise for specific programmes
- maintaining clear ownership internally.
This balanced approach allows you to continue delivering effective learning without overextending internal teams. And if you’d like an honest, balanced view of whether outsourcing some or all of your L&D function is right for you, talk to us on 0113 323 0760 or complete the forms on our Get in touch page.
Using an external end-to-end elearning partner can give you access to all manner of skills and approaches to your learning that would otherwise be unavailable. This example is a still from a 3D animated video created in-house by Dynamic for use in a module explaining a complex heart surgery procedure.
Considering outsourcing L&D? A final thought ...
If you think your organisation is ready to outsource even just some of your L&D function, it’s worth giving some time over to understanding how that process might take shape. Obviously every organisation is different, but here’s an outline of what your outsourcing process could look like …
- Audit and scope: collate and agree upon your skills gaps, your operational or cultural challenges. Decide what your learners look like and what they need to help you overcome your challenges. Agree your budget. Decide whether your organisation needs specific project outsourcing or training process outsourcing (TPO).
- Learning partner selection: look for the best learning provider for your needs. Do they have good experience in instructional design? Do they have a proven track record in your industry? If you’re looking for new ideas, then broad sector experience might be the right fit for you. Check reviews: what are your peers in L&D saying about their products and service?
- Recommendation / RFP / trial? Make your decision a little easier. Draft a Request for Proposal detailing your desired outcomes. Discuss this with your potential partners. Consider running a small pilot programme before committing to a long-term contract. Ask trusted peers if they have experience working with the provider or ask the provider if you can speak to any of their clients directly.
- Partnership, not a transaction: treat your chosen provider as a strategic partner—an extension of your own business unit. Embed them in your culture and establish clear communication channels. A partner that’s as invested in your success as much as you are is likely to suggest these ways of working, anyway.
FAQs
How can you support an overstretched L&D team?
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How do you maintain control when outsourcing L&D support?
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