As we drag our weary bodies to the end of 2025, it’s once again time to dust off the crystal ball and look ahead: this time to see what the next 12 months hold in store for Learning and Development (L&D).
But, first…
Did our 2025 learning predictions come true?
Back in late 2024, we peered into the future (armed with caffeine and curiosity) and made five predictions about what would shape learning in 2025. A year on, it’s time to look back and ask: did we get it right?
Trend 1: AI, but make it analytical
✅ Mostly nailed it.
We expected AI to shift from novelty to meaningful analytics and personalisation…and it did. The only problem was many organisations jumped in without solid data foundations. The real successes came from teams using AI as an assistant to enhance design, measurement, and workflow support – not as a magic solution.
Trend 2: Upskilling becomes a core strategy
✅ Absolutely — and it doubled as a retention tool.
Upskilling continued to move from buzzword to business priority. With tight talent markets, companies invested heavily in building internal capability. Skill frameworks and clearer career pathways helped employees see where they could grow next, boosting engagement and mobility. The “skills economy” didn’t just arrive; it accelerated.
Trend 3: Hybrid learning evolves
✅ Still strong — but much smarter.
Hybrid learning matured beyond a simple split between online and in-person. Organisations focused on intentional design: using face-to-face for connection and coaching, and digital for practice, reflection, and reinforcement. At Yarno, we saw microlearning and spaced learning start to become standard companions to workshops, making hybrid experiences more cohesive and effective.
Trend 4: Soft skills (or power skills) take centre stage
✅ Spot on.
World Economic Forum’s prediction in the Future of Jobs Report showed nearly 39% of core skills are expected to change by 2030, meaning that human skills will matter more than ever. This was certainly true in 2025. Power skills such as emotional intelligence, communication, adaptability, and collaboration remained essential in hybrid environments and rapid change cycles. Many organisations embedded these into leadership, sales, and service programs and began measuring behavioural outcomes alongside performance metrics.
Trend 5: Learning becomes part of the employee experience
🟡 Partially – progress, but patchy.
The mindset is shifting, with more learning hubs, career marketplaces, and bite-sized reinforcement tools appearing. But execution remains uneven. Time pressures, tech integration gaps, and cultural hurdles still make learning feel “extra” in many organisations. HR, L&D, and People teams are increasingly collaborating to build continuous learning loops aligned to onboarding, development, and recognition.
What are our predictions for 2026?
Now it’s time to dust off the crystal ball and look to the year ahead and see what’s in store for 2026. Spoiler alert: AI will become an even hotter topic (you’d better believe it), ROI is on the table, and we’ll move further away from role-based training to skills-based training and more human, whole-person thinking.
Let’s dive in!
Trend 1: Learning ROI is key
We’ve known it for a long time: training drives results. But, how exactly do we prove it? With economic uncertainty, budget constraints and shifting business priorities, organisations are being forced to make tough decisions and L&D initiatives are once again at risk of being deprioritised.
To combat this, L&D teams are being asked to demonstrate tangible value for their investment in training tools, platforms and learner time in the form of ROI. So, how exactly do we do that?
** ROI enters the group chat **
While we can easily work out the dollars and cents spent, working out gains from learning is not straightforward. Calculating how to quantify the tangible and intangible benefits of learning (we’re looking at you, AI), measuring success, and reporting on it will become increasingly important in 2026. We all know continuous learning has become a marker of strong organisational culture, but now it’s time to prove there is a return on your learning investment.
While we can easily work out the dollars and cents spent, working out gains from learning is not straightforward. Calculating how to quantify the tangible and intangible benefits of learning (we’re looking at you, AI), measuring success, and reporting on it will become increasingly important in 2026. We all know continuous learning has become a marker of strong organisational culture, but now it’s time to prove there is a return on your learning investment.
Trend 2: L&D teams join forces with AI (for real)
Like it or not, AI is here to stay. Using AI more efficiently to help shape learning content and engage learners is the next step in learning to embrace our AI overlords (kidding: we’re still in charge!).
In 2026, it’s time to really knuckle down and put AI to work for us. In terms of where to focus, consider this fundamental question: How can AI help us create better learning experiences faster?
We need to optimise our processes so we can all play to our strengths – and that means leaving space for human creativity and innovation. Also, we’ll need to be upfront about how AI works in our learning systems and establish some internal guidelines on its ethical use in learning.
Trend 3: Adaptive Learning Paths blend AI & human intelligence
Ever heard of an Adaptive Learning Path (ALP)? You’re about to. This is where AI (yes, we’re still talking about it) and human intelligence combine in ways that make learning less “one-size-fits-all” and more personalised to learners.
ALPs do things like displaying content in the learner’s preferred format, recommending specific resources, and offering individualised feedback. In 2026, we can expect to see the personalisation capabilities of ALP enhanced as AI tools continue to advance. The future of ALP in learning includes using AI to collect and analyse learner data, modify assessments based on learners’ responses to questions, and change the difficulty levels of assessments based on performance. Cool, huh?
While this once again plays to new and evolving AI functionality, adaptive learning requires human planning and interactions to be successful. You’ve probably already noticed a bit of a theme for 2026: AI working with us (and not instead of us - hooray!) for the greater good.
Trend 4: Learning strategies will be set with the business strategy
Learning strategies are often an afterthought, once the business strategy for the year has been locked down. But, as we’re increasingly being asked to prove ROI on L&D initiatives, adapt to shifting business priorities, and find space for training within tight budgets, it’s clear that the learning strategy needs to be embedded in the business strategy up front.
It’s time now to tell data-driven stories that demonstrate training drives measurable business results (because we know that it does!).
If your 2026 organisational strategy is locked down, now is an ideal time to get started on these conversations. If they’re already set, make sure you put it on the agenda for 2027.
Remember, of course, that strategic alignment isn’t a one-time thing: it’s an ongoing dialogue that keeps learning visible, relevant and indispensable to the business.
Trend 5: We’ll embrace whole-person learning cultures
As hybrid and remote workplaces grow and thrive, and the diversity of our workforce continues to evolve, organisations will begin to focus more on whole-person cultures and skills-first learning (rather than the traditional roles-based learning structures).
As the job market changes and technologies advance, it’s about allowing skills to flow to where they’re needed most (think: using AI functionality, prompt engineering etc). Learners need to be empowered to think critically, adapt to change, and grow as technology evolves. Not to mention maintain their wellbeing, embrace creativity, and be effective at conflict resolution. It’s a lot, right?
With this change, recognising and rewarding learning behaviour (not just course completion) begins to matter more, too.
2026 is going to be another busy year for L&D. If you’re in the business of learning (or just love a good trend chat), we’d love to talk. Reach out and let’s figure out how to bring these 2026-ready trends into your learning strategy and help your people not just keep up, but absolutely thrive.
