The honest answer is that they shouldn't be separate at all. Career development and learning opportunities are consistently among the top things candidates weigh when choosing an employer, so the earlier you start building an L&D narrative, the better.
L&D is becoming ever more important to employers. AI has changed how we all work day to day, and that shift shows no sign of slowing down. Which means AI skills and literacy now need to be an integral part of anyone's learning journey, not a specialist add-on, starting with pre-boarding and onboarding, and continuing throughout.
The wider shift to a digital, knowledge-based economy has also placed a real premium on reskilling and upskilling more broadly too, with a much shorter shelf-life for both software and hardware, and for the skills built around them, making regular retraining essential.
Agile, project-based ways of working are now the norm in many organisations too, and they raise the bar further. Whilst this model offers variety, interest and challenge to employees, it also requires them to add to their skill-base regularly in order to fit into each new fluid team.
That's why beginning L&D during pre-boarding is so important. It's the ideal place to build a strong narrative about the learning journey each new starter can go on. As well as emphasising the opportunities for skill development within their individual role, you can also highlight opportunities for getting involved in agile projects, as well as more formalised training provisions such as management development programmes or technical training courses.
This allows each employee the time and space to explore content, digest your offerings and start to map out their own development journey. It's far easier to do this before joining than during the inevitably hectic first few weeks in a new role. Of course, the degree to which each person will engage in customising their own L&D plan will vary. But both L&D uptake, engagement, workforce skill levels and performance could be improved by such an approach.
iHire's 2025 Talent Retention Report found that clear advancement paths (54.8%) and the desire for professional development (57.4%) were two of the strongest drivers behind why employees choose to stay.
A great way to deliver personalised content and resources is through onboarding technology like Eli. And increasingly, AI can help build and adapt that content faster, as each person's own development journey takes shape.
This personalised approach provides many opportunities, before and after new starters join an organisation, such as having chance to get up to speed on projects or initiatives they will be involved in or accessing online training to add more strings to their bow or developing new soft-skills.
Indeed, with the help of an AI avatar, we developed a suite of 12 soft-skill learning modules that are available for use, free of charge, by our clients. Primarily aimed at eary careers and first jobbers, though the end user is entirely up to you, the training modules help build confidence, knowledge and skills before a new hire has even set foot through your door – and perform better after they do.
The ability to message their line manager and L&D team about their development is also key, allowing them to work together to develop a more tailored 30-60-90 day plan.
Use assessment results to tailor learning during onboarding
What's more, bearing in mind that each new employee will have just been rigorously assessed during the interview process against key skills and behaviours, onboarding is the perfect opportunity to signpost training programmes around important competencies, strengths and skills that they need to work on. This will not only help swiftly address key areas where development is needed, it can also help focus a longer-term development plan around key strengths.
Onboarding like this all leads to more engaged, informed and confident new starters, who arrive empowered to give their best right from day one, their learning and development journey already happily underway, and their future mapped out – which will help to reduce early attrition.
FAQs
Should L&D start during onboarding, or after?
It should start during pre-boarding and onboarding, not after. Building a clear learning and development narrative from the outset gives new starters time to explore their options before the hectic first few weeks begin, rather than adding it on top once they're already stretched.
Why does career development matter for retention?
Employees who can see a clear path forward are significantly more likely to stay. iHire's 2025 Talent Retention Report found clear advancement paths and the desire for professional development among the strongest reasons employees choose to stay put.
How can onboarding technology support L&D?
A tailored portal lets new starters explore training content and start shaping their own development plan before day one, message their line manager or L&D team directly, and get signposted towards the specific skills their interview process flagged as areas to develop.
Does agile working change L&D needs during onboarding?
Yes. Project-based, fluid teams require employees to keep adding to their skill-base more regularly, so onboarding needs to introduce not just a role, but a habit of ongoing learning. Eli can even connect those teams together during preboarding, building the right connections before people join.
