The training event model is deeply ingrained: identify a learning need, design a workshop, deliver it, move on. Yet research consistently shows single events rarely produce lasting behaviour change.

Real capability development happens over time, through multiple touchpoints, with practice and reinforcement. That requires designing learning journeys, not isolated events.

Why Events Fail

Let’s be clear about the problem:

The forgetting curve is real. Without reinforcement, people forget 70% of training content within 24 hours and 90% within a week.

Transfer is the exception. Research suggests only 10-20% of training transfers to on-the-job behaviour.

Context matters. Learning divorced from application context often doesn’t connect to real work situations.

Practice is essential. Complex skills require practice to develop. A single event provides minimal practice opportunity.

Support is needed. Behaviour change requires environmental support that single events can’t provide.

Single events can create awareness and introduce concepts. But alone, they rarely build lasting capability.

What Learning Journeys Look Like

A learning journey is a designed sequence of experiences that develops capability over time. Elements include:

Pre-work: Preparation before formal learning that establishes foundations and creates readiness.

Core learning experiences: The workshops, courses, or modules that introduce key content and skills.

Practice opportunities: Structured chances to apply learning in realistic contexts.

Reinforcement: Spaced repetition that combats forgetting and deepens understanding.

Application support: Resources and support for applying learning to real work.

Social learning: Peer interaction that enables learning from others’ experiences.

Reflection: Structured opportunities to consider what’s being learned and how it applies.

Coaching and feedback: Input from others about application quality.

Assessment: Evaluation of capability development and identification of gaps.

These elements combine into journeys that extend over weeks or months, not hours or days.

Journey Architecture

How you structure journey elements matters:

Phase 1: Preparation (Before Core Learning)

Build readiness before formal learning:

• Context setting about why this matters
• Pre-assessment to identify starting points
• Foundational content to establish baseline knowledge
• Engagement building to create motivation

Duration: 1-2 weeks before core learning

Phase 2: Core Learning (Intensive Experience)

The workshop, course, or primary learning experience:

• Concept introduction
• Initial skill building
• Guided practice
• Feedback and adjustment
• Planning for application

Duration: Hours to days depending on content

Phase 3: Practice and Application (Weeks Following)

Extended practice with support:

• Workplace application assignments
• Practice scenarios and simulations
• Peer learning groups
• Coaching check-ins
• Resource access for support

Duration: 4-8 weeks after core learning

Phase 4: Integration (Ongoing)

Embedding learning into ongoing practice:

• Continued reinforcement
• Advanced application challenges
• Peer support communities
• Performance monitoring
• Refresher opportunities

Duration: Ongoing, diminishing intensity

Design Principles for Journeys

Effective learning journeys follow principles:

Spacing Over Massing

Distribute learning over time rather than concentrating in single events. Spaced practice produces better retention than massed practice—this is one of the most robust findings in learning research.

Retrieval Practice

Include activities that require recalling and using learned content. Active retrieval strengthens memory more than passive review.

Interleaving

Mix different but related topics rather than completing one before starting another. This feels harder but produces better long-term learning.

Desirable Difficulty

Learning should be challenging but achievable. Too easy produces no learning; too hard produces frustration.

Feedback Loops

Learners need information about how they’re doing. Build feedback into the journey structure.

Variation

Practice in varied contexts to build transfer capability. Same skill, different situations.

Accountability

Create structures that encourage completion and application. Left entirely to individual motivation, most people won’t complete extended journeys.

Journey Design Process

How to design a learning journey:

1. Define the outcome. What capability should people have at journey end? Be specific and measurable.

2. Assess starting points. What do learners already know? What gaps exist?

3. Map the journey. What experiences in what sequence will build the capability?

4. Design each element. What should pre-work include? What happens in core learning? What practice is needed?

5. Build in reinforcement. How will learning be spaced and retrieved over time?

6. Plan support structures. What coaching, resources, and peer support will be available?

7. Create accountability. What mechanisms ensure people complete the journey?

8. Design measurement. How will you know if the journey is working?

For organisations looking to build sophisticated learning journey capability, AI consultants Melbourne demonstrate effective journey architecture that L&D teams can learn from.

Technology Enablement

Technology supports learning journeys:

Learning platforms: Systems that deliver and track multi-phase learning experiences.

Mobile apps: Enabling learning anywhere, especially for reinforcement and micro-learning.

Communication tools: Channels for peer interaction and coaching.

Practice environments: Simulations and scenarios for skill application.

Analytics: Data to understand journey progress and effectiveness.

Technology isn’t required—you can design effective journeys without sophisticated platforms. But technology makes complex journeys more manageable at scale.

Common Journey Pitfalls

Avoid these mistakes:

Overloading the journey. More isn’t always better. Focus on what matters most.

Neglecting accountability. Without accountability structures, completion rates plummet.

Frontloading content. Avoid dumping everything in core learning. Spread it appropriately.

Ignoring context. Journey elements should connect to learners’ real work.

Forgetting managers. Managers can enable or undermine journeys. Engage them.

Measuring only completion. Track capability development, not just journey completion.

Making the Shift

For L&D teams used to event-based training:

Start with high-impact programs. Pick programs where journey approach will make the biggest difference.

Extend existing programs. Add pre-work, practice phases, and reinforcement to current workshops.

Build incrementally. You don’t need full journey architecture immediately. Add elements progressively.

Demonstrate results. Show that journey approaches produce better outcomes than events alone.

Develop journey design skills. This is different from event design. Build or acquire the capability.

Advocate for time and resources. Journeys take longer and may cost more. Make the case for investment.

The Bottom Line

Single training events are convenient. They’re easy to schedule, deliver, and track. But they often don’t produce lasting capability.

Learning journeys are more complex. They require more design effort, more time, and more coordination. But they actually work.

The choice isn’t between easy and hard. It’s between convenient-but-ineffective and effortful-but-effective.

If capability development matters—and it does—invest in designing learning journeys.

Your learners will actually learn. Your organisation will actually develop the capabilities it needs.

That’s worth the additional effort.