The Learn&Dev 2026 Conference
In June, Threshold attended the Learn&Dev 2026 conference, organised by Firemní vzdělávání. Representing our language school were Ladislav Blažek, Jitka Blažková and Iva Charouzková.
Since we've been active in corporate training for a long time, we didn't treat the conference merely as a chance to "see what's new." For us, it was more an opportunity to check where the field is heading and what from that is actually relevant for corporate language training.
One idea that resonated strongly throughout the conference came up in a talk by František Hroník:
"Our age is characterised by increasingly perfect means and increasingly confused goals."
Albert Einstein first expressed this idea back in 1941. Yet today it feels remarkably relevant. We now have access to ever-better platforms, more data, modern applications, AI tools and technologies that can produce a presentation, a test, a course outline or teaching material within minutes.
All of this is useful. But on its own, it doesn't answer the fundamental question:
Why are people actually learning, and what is training supposed to change?
In language teaching, we see this very concretely. It's not enough to simply book an English, German, or Czech for foreigners course. What matters more is knowing what the course should deliver for the company and the participants. Does the employee need to handle negotiations with a foreign client? Do they need to take part in meetings in English? Do they need to write more precise emails? Are they preparing for a new role? Or do they simply need to rebuild confidence in everyday communication?
Without a defined goal, training can be enjoyable, but its impact remains unclear. With a well-defined goal, on the other hand, you can set the content, pace, assessment method and expectations for everyone involved.
Guilds
Another interesting moment at the conference for us was the topic of corporate guilds, presented by Vendula Imramovská from GuideVision. Guilds build on the old idea of craft associations: people who share knowledge, pass on experience, and develop their expertise together.
In a modern company, such a community can help ensure that learning isn't an isolated HR activity, but a natural part of the work itself. After all, people don't learn only in a course. They learn from colleagues, through projects, while solving real situations, and in the moment when they can immediately try out a new skill.
This matters for language training too. A good language course shouldn't stand apart from a company's working life. It should connect to it. It should work with real situations, vocabulary, documents, meetings, presentations and the communication demands people actually face.
The Professional Training Association
That's exactly why we're also interested in the emergence and work of the Professional Training Association, APROV. It's good that a space is emerging in Czechia that connects clients, providers, trainers, L&D professionals and other players in the field. If professional training is to achieve higher quality and greater impact, it needs not only good individuals, but also industry-wide debate, shared experience, and clearer standards.
So from Learn&Dev 2026, we're not just taking away a list of new trends. More than anything, we're taking away confirmation of something we at Threshold have long considered essential:
Technology can make training faster, clearer and richer. Data can help track progress more effectively. Methodology can give training structure. But real meaning only emerges once we know what we want training to achieve — and how that shows up in practice.
