Skills at Scale: Building Organizations That Truly Learn | Sandra Loughlin

Sep 9, 2025

Sandra Loughlin, Chief Learning Scientist at EPAM Systems, shares her insights on transforming skills into pivotal assets for organizations. She distinguishes between learning and training, emphasizing the importance of active engagement. The conversation explores how stretch assignments catalyze real learning and how contextualizing skills can enhance their value. Loughlin also discusses leveraging data and AI to create dynamic learning environments, adapting to the evolving demands of the workforce, and fostering a true culture of learning at scale.

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ADVICE

Build Integrations Use-Case By Use-Case

When retrofitting data integration, build use-case puddles that connect needed systems and design them to interoperate.
Accumulate these purposeful integrations so they converge into a unified platform over time.

ANECDOTE

Skills Live In A Knowledge Graph

EPAM stores skills and work relationships in graph databases and knowledge graphs rather than relational tables.
Sandra describes the skills ontology as moving webs that let you drill into relationships and contexts.

ADVICE

Apply People Data Across HR Use Cases

Use integrated people and work data to inform hiring, mobility, learning, staffing, retention, and workforce planning.
Align workforce planning to business strategy and share actionable outputs with transactional services.

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For years, Dart doubted that companies could actually make skills the building blocks of work. They felt too abstract, too static, too disconnected from real daily work. But Sandra Loughlin proved that in some cases, skills can deliver real value. In this episode, Sandra explains why skills only matter in context, why stretch assignments drive real learning, and what it takes to build a true learning organization at scale.

Dr. Sandra Loughlin is Chief Learning Scientist at EPAM Systems. She holds a PhD in educational psychology from the University of Maryland and previously taught and led learning initiatives there.

In this episode, Dart and Sandra discuss:
- Why learning is different from training—and why it matters
- How EPAM connects skills to work
- Why skills only become powerful when grounded in context
- The role of stretch assignments in developing real capabilities
- How data and human agency work together at EPAM
- What it takes to keep a skills ontology fresh as work evolves
- Lessons for leaders building organizations that truly learn
- And other topics…

Dr. Sandra Loughlin is Chief Learning Scientist at EPAM Systems, a $5 billion global engineering and professional services company. At EPAM, she integrates learning science, organizational psychology, and data to help employees and clients develop the skills needed to succeed in a fast-changing world. She holds a PhD in educational psychology and learning analytics from the University of Maryland, where she also served as a faculty member and led transformational learning initiatives, and a master’s degree in education from Harvard University. Her work has been recognized for bridging cutting-edge learning research with large-scale business practice.

Resources Mentioned:
Get discounted tickets to the Responsive Conference, featuring past Work for Humans guests Bree Groff and Simone Stolzoff – September 17–18, Oakland, CA. Use code “11fold”: https://www.responsiveconference.com/tickets
Register to attend the UWEBC Conference, where Dart keynotes the HR track alongside Ethan Mollick and Nancy Giordano – September 30, University of Wisconsin: https://uwebc.wisc.edu/conference/registration/

Connect with Sandra:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandraloughlin/

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.