The Fractional L&D Partnership
Expert Learning Strategy Without the Full-Time Hire
Fast growing businesses know that training matters. But without a proper system, most internal training is inconsistent, poorly retained, and disconnected from business goals.
Dendrite Learning is your plug in L&D system architect. We do not build content or deliver workshops. We help you build a scalable, science backed learning system that actually works, and we do it without adding headcount.
This is fractional L&D, reimagined.
✔ Neuroscience based training system design
✔ Flexible monthly support with no long term lock in
✔ Tailored to your scale, structure, and goals
Why This, Why Now?
Most businesses spend thousands per employee on training each year. But without a proper learning infrastructure, much of that investment is lost.
Retention failure: Employees forget up to 90% of what they learn within a week
No transfer: Training fails to translate into real world behaviour
Lost productivity: Poor onboarding and underdeveloped managers slow your growth
HR burnout: Training is cobbled together reactively by overstretched people teams
You do not need more content.
You need a system that makes the content stick.
That is where we come in.
The Real Cost of Wasted Training
Even small improvements in retention rates can deliver massive value.
Let’s say your business trains 100 employees per year, spending the Australian average of $2,500 per employee. That’s a $250,000 annual investment.
Now imagine you improve knowledge retention by just 10% across the board. That’s the equivalent of reclaiming:
$25,000 worth of training that’s no longer lost
Content being remembered, applied, and turned into real performance outcomes
Fewer retraining hours, better productivity, and greater confidence on the job
At 20% retention gain, you’ve recaptured $50,000 in value - without increasing your training budget by a cent.
Not more training - better return on the training you're already doing.
What Is the Fractional L&D Partnership?
An embedded, subscription based partnership that helps you build or optimise your internal training structure. We work alongside you to map, design, and refine your internal learning systems, without creating content or delivering workshops.
This is the internal L&D function, fractionalised.
Not a vendor. A strategic learning partner.
Who This Is For
We typically work with:
Founders and COOs building operational maturity
HR leaders without internal L&D support
Enablement or training owners who know their current systems are not working
If your team is spending time and money on training but still dealing with inconsistency, low retention, or rework, this offer is built for you.
Who This Is Not For
This subscription is not designed for companies looking for one-off training delivery, content creation, or LMS implementation.
If you're after a content vendor or want someone to run staff workshops, the subscriptions are not the right fit.
But if you want to build a smarter internal training system that sticks, we can help.
The Dendrite Subscription Model
Your Learning System. Smarter, Faster, Stickier.
Most internal training fails not because the content is bad, but because the structure behind it is broken. Our subscription tiers give you strategic, neuroscience-informed support that grows with your business. Whether you're just starting to build structure or need executive-level L&D partnership, there’s a tier for you.
Tier 1: Dendrite Base
Clarity and structure for lean teams building a stronger learning foundation.
Best for:
Startups or small teams experiencing rapid growth and inconsistent onboarding
Businesses with no in-house L&D and limited structure for training delivery or retention
Leaders who know their training isn’t sticking and want expert support to fix the system
What’s Included:
Monthly 60-Minute Strategic Consultation — Tackle priority learning system questions, design challenges, or onboarding issues.
Training Asset Review — Expert feedback on one existing training, onboarding flow, or enablement resource (limit: one per quarter).
Quarterly Capability Snapshot — A light diagnostic to uncover friction points in delivery, retention, or application.
The Dendrite Toolkit (Lite Edition) — Practical, neuroscience-based templates for improving memory, motivation, and engagement.
Asynchronous Support — Email or Slack replies within 48 business hours (limit: one active thread per week).
Starting From AUD $799/month + GST
Tier 2: Dendrite Build
A hands-on partner to design smarter learning systems and drive real business outcomes.
Best for:
Mid-sized teams managing growth, team turnover, or department-level capability gaps
Companies without dedicated L&D staff who need execution support as well as strategy
Organisations ready to align learning with retention, performance, and scale
Includes Everything in Dendrite Base, plus:
Two Monthly Strategic Design & Planning Sessions — Build or improve systems across onboarding, enablement, or skills development.
Quarterly Signature Redesign — We revamp one major learning initiative per quarter (e.g. onboarding experience, manager development, or role-specific enablement). Additional redesigns scoped separately.
The Dendrite Toolkit (Pro Edition) — Enhanced neuroscience-driven tools to strengthen design, delivery, and impact measurement.
Train-the-Trainer Coaching (up to 2 per quarter) — Equip your internal trainers or managers with design and delivery best practices.
Quarterly Capability Scorecard — A light diagnostic showing system progress and performance risk areas.
Priority Asynchronous Support — Email or Slack replies within 48 business hours (up to three support threads per week).
Starting From AUD $1750/month + GST
Tier 3: Dendrite Lead
Your part-time Head of L&D — strategy, design, diagnostics, and impact, end to end.
Best for:
Companies that need L&D leadership but don’t want to hire full-time
Organisations with complex or regulated learning needs (e.g. compliance, multi-team onboarding)
Businesses seeking measurable training ROI across capability, retention, and time-to-proficiency
Includes Everything in Dendrite Build, plus:
Weekly Strategic Planning & Design Sessions — Ongoing development and optimisation of your training systems.
Monthly Learning Experience Co-Design or Delivery — Collaboratively design or support delivery of one half-day workshop per month (virtual or in-person by arrangement).
Custom Dendrite Learning Blueprint — A tailored, living playbook for your organisation’s L&D strategy, governance, and delivery systems.
Internal Alignment & Leadership Engagement — We facilitate stakeholder sessions, leadership reviews, and needs-analysis workshops.
Executive-Ready Impact Reporting — Quarterly summaries of capability outcomes, retention lift, and training ROI.
Dedicated Asynchronous Support — Email or Slack responses within 1 business day (Australian business hours), with unlimited reasonable use
Starting From AUD $3500/month + GST
Delivery Options
All Dendrite Learning subscription tiers are designed for remote delivery, ensuring flexibility across time zones and team schedules. We work seamlessly with your existing systems and communication tools, delivering strategic support with minimal disruption.
For subscribers on the Dendrite Lead plan, in-person strategy or delivery sessions are available by arrangement in Sydney, the Central Coast, or Newcastle at no additional cost.
Clients located elsewhere may request in-person sessions. We’ll confirm availability and quote travel costs upfront — no surprises or markups.
Why Dendrite Learning?
Dendrite Learning applies research-backed design principles to fix the real issue: most training is forgotten, misapplied, or disengaging. We do not deliver your training, we fix the system behind it.
Founded by Daniel Smart, Dendrite Learning combines neuroscience, education theory, and business design to improve training ROI at its source: structure, not content. Daniel is the author of From Training to Transformation: How Neuroscience Can Fix Ineffective Corporate Training — a white paper that outlines the four pillars behind our approach:
Active learning
Retrieval practice and spaced repetition
Cognitive load management
Emotional and motivational triggers
These are not buzzwords. They are evidence-based design strategies used by high-performing teams around the world.
Whether you are rolling out onboarding, tackling compliance gaps, or building a leadership development pathway, our subscription model gives you an ongoing, expert partner to make your training stick.
If your business is spending time and money on training but still seeing poor retention, now is the time to fix the system, before the next onboarding cycle compounds the problem.
Next Steps
Ready to explore a fractional L&D partnership? Here's how to begin:
Email daniel.smart@dendritelearning.com with subject line: "Dendrite Subscription Inquiry"
Let us know which tier you are considering and your business location
We’ll follow up within one business day to book your discovery call
Prefer not to email? You can also use the contact form at the bottom of this page to express interest. We’ll respond within one business day.
Payment Options
We offer two simple options:
Full upfront payment (monthly recurring) — ideal for simple invoicing
Split billing — pay 50% to begin, with the remainder at mid-month
Invoices are issued monthly, and payments can be made by bank transfer or card.
Bonus
Every subscription includes a free digital copy of:
"The 7 Most Common Reasons Training Fails (and How to Fix Them with Neuroscience)"
A concise internal explainer to help you build executive buy-in and shift how your business thinks about L&D.
Daniel Smart
Founder, Dendrite Learning
FAQ’s
Is this just outsourced training?
No. We don’t deliver training to your team or create courses for you. This is a strategic partnership to help you build or fix the internal system behind your training, so that what you’re already doing actually works.
What kinds of training does this apply to?
All types. We work across onboarding, compliance, manager enablement, role-specific skills, and leadership pathways. If it’s internal and not sticking, we can help redesign the system to make it work better.
We don’t have an L&D function — is that a problem?
Not at all. This is built for teams without an internal L&D hire. We act as your part-time strategic lead, helping HR, ops, or team leads build smarter systems without needing to become L&D experts.
What if we already have training materials?
Great — we’ll build on what you have. Most clients come to us with existing content, slides, or ad hoc training. We help assess what’s working, what needs redesign, and how to structure it for better outcomes..
How much time will this take from our team?
Very little. Most of our work happens asynchronously or through short monthly planning calls. You’ll typically need 1–2 hours per month unless we’re doing deeper co-design. We keep it lean by design.
Can this help us measure impact or training ROI?
Yes. All tiers include capability diagnostics, and the Dendrite Lead tier includes executive-ready reporting. We’ll help you see where value is leaking and show progress in retention, behaviour, and business alignment.
Can we change tiers later?
Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade your subscription month to month based on your goals and level of support needed. No lock-in. Just email us and we’ll adjust for the next billing cycle.
What if we want something more hands-on, like delivery?
We’re happy to support internal delivery planning and even co-design workshops with you, especially in the Dendrite Lead tier. But we don’t run staff sessions ourselves unless arranged separately. We stay focused on the system behind the scenes.
Do you work with teams outside Australia?
Yes. While we’re based in Australia, we work remotely with clients in New Zealand and globally. Time zones are not a problem, we structure the partnership to be async-first with flexible calls as needed.
We’ve used external training consultants before. How is this different?
Most training consultants sell content or one-off sessions. We don’t. We help you build a system that lasts, using brain-based principles to improve memory, engagement, and real-world performance. We’re your training architect, not another vendor.
Prefer to Use the Form?
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