AECOM

Luana Bannister

Luana Bannister is the Global Director of Learning and Development at AECOM, where she leads initiatives that span leadership development, technical academies, and digital academies worldwide. With over two decades of experience in learning and development across multiple industries, Luana has developed programs that enhance skills and align employees with career opportunities and organizational needs. Her journey at AECOM began with a focus on leadership development and has since expanded into guiding the company's global learning strategy.

Recognizing Luana Bannister's leadership, this feature offers an inside view of her journey in advancing workforce-oriented learning and development programs across organizations.

A Journey into Learning Leadership

My professional career in learning spans over 20 years, across a wide range of industries and organizational needs. When I joined AECOM, I focused on leadership development across all levels of the organization. Over time, that scope expanded. Today, I lead our global learning strategy, which includes leadership programs, technical academies and digital academies. I think about development in this broader sense, ensuring employees are supported holistically throughout their careers.

Addressing the Dual Challenge of Upskilling

Two significant challenges persist in upskilling talent within the engineering and construction industry. The first is the rapid evolution of tools. For years, we were focused on bringing people into a 3D world of engineering and architectural design. Now, those tools are advancing further with the integration of AI.

“By staying learner-focused and designing programs that truly add value, leaders can create scalable, impactful, human-centered strategies for skill development and professional growth”

The second challenge is alignment. It's not just about advancing our engineers but also about moving at the same pace as our clients. Our clients span various regions, cultures, and organizational maturity levels, making it complex to keep everyone aligned. Adding AI into the mix makes the challenge even greater, but it also makes the opportunities far more exciting. For me, the key question is always: how do we use these advancements to become more efficient, effective and impactful?

Personalizing Learning through Innovation

Through emerging technologies like AI, digital trends and immersive learning platforms, the way we design and deliver learning is shifting. It's becoming less about standardized programs and more about meeting employees where they are. By leveraging metadata and insights accumulated over time, we can expedite the process of providing individuals with precisely what they need to advance their careers.

One initiative I'm particularly proud of is our partnership with one vendor partner to personalize digital upskilling for AECOM employees. We begin with an initial assessment that identifies each employee's skill gaps. Based on these results, the tool automatically assigns training targeted to those gaps, and employees are reassessed afterward to measure their growth.

The impact has been significant. Previously, a digital upskilling program might deliver 12 hours of the same training to every participant. With this new approach, employees only receive the training they actually need. In one initiative involving 200 learners, this process saved nearly 2,500 hours of learning time. Translating that into costs, the savings were substantial, with an estimated $50 per hour per employee.

The approach also allowed us to accelerate our upskilling process while providing a personalized experience for each individual. Employees become disengaged when they have to relearn something they already know, so this method keeps them engaged. They can see their growth, demonstrate it to their leaders and have discussions about taking on more responsibilities or different roles within their teams. It's been motivating both for the employees and for us.

Envisioning a Global Learning Ecosystem

Looking to the future, I envision learning and development becoming more closely connected to talent management and recruitment. I envision an ecosystem where employees can easily identify their skills, recognize their gaps, and access training that closes those gaps. This information will flow back into the organization, feeding internal mobility and project opportunities worldwide.

I imagine a world where someone in Asia can be instantly matched to a project in Europe, because the system recognizes their skills and makes the connection in real-time. That's the kind of global collaboration and visibility I believe we're moving toward, and I'm excited to help build it.

Cultivating the Next Generation of Learning Leaders

My piece of advice for future leaders is simple: always start with the learner. Consider their experience first and build upon it. The value lies not only in the skills and behaviors you help them develop, but also in the connections and networks they establish along the way.

Equally important is ensuring that the data from learning feeds back into the organization. When employees invest in themselves, that growth should be visible, recognized and tied to career opportunities, whether that means advancement or lateral moves.

By staying learner-focused and designing programs that truly add value, leaders can create scalable, impactful, human-centered strategies for skill development and professional growth.