The uncertainty of the economic outlook, exacerbated by shifts in US tariff policies, together with the UK’s ongoing productivity challenges, is creating an atmosphere in which business leaders now want more for less. “Budgets are tight and businesses are focusing on where to spend money,” explains Ben Chambers, founder of Talent and Leadership Club, a peer-to-peer network for learning and development (L&D) professionals.
Alongside the increased organisational desire for value, persistent skills and talent gaps remain across many industries. Demographics are shifting as growing numbers of experienced workers approach retirement. According to research firm Gartner, a larger proportion of the workforce will reach retirement age this year than in any previous year on record.
Disruptive dynamics
“We’re also seeing a widening skills and talent gap,” explains Ciara Harrington, chief people officer at learning platform provider, Skillsoft. “When senior employees leave, it’s not just their expertise that goes but also the mentorship and informal training they can provide to team members.”
To complicate matters further, employees are demanding more personalised learning experiences. As Chambers points out: “Leaders highlight the importance of ‘just enough, just in time, just for me’ learning: personalisation over programmes.”
Technology, particularly AI and automation, adds another disruptive force to the existing dynamic. Technical skills – and AI skills in particular – remain in short supply. And skill requirements continue to evolve as job roles change because of technology.
“Even if employees haven’t changed jobs, technology may mean they perform their roles differently, and rapidly changing business strategies mean they may be asked to do new and different things too,” says Meaghan Kelly, Gartner’s director of research. “This high demand for new skills and the pressure to perform and be productive, puts managers and employees in a tough spot, particularly as many don’t have the time to learn new things.”
Read more: How to ignite a joy for learning
A perfect storm
This perfect storm is leading many HR leaders to question whether their traditional L&D approaches are still fit for purpose. “We’re in a moment where HR has the chance, and arguably the mandate, to reimagine workplace learning – not just to iterate, but to genuinely innovate,” Chambers says.
“Traditional methods are being quietly questioned. And the appetite for non-traditional, experiential and tech-enabled learning is growing fast.” The shift from courses to experiences is already well underway, he says.
Old vs new approaches
Traditional learning approaches typically centre on structured, formal learning. Non-traditional, more informal learning methods tend to be flexible and learner-driven, including peer-based learning communities and experiential projects, where staff work on real-world business challenges to develop their skills through practical experience.
“One of the biggest shifts we’re noticing is a reassessment of who gets to teach,” says Chambers. “It’s no longer assumed that the best insights come from the C-suite or external experts.”
For example, employee-generated content is becoming a more trusted source of knowledge. Approaches such as reverse mentoring, especially in relation to digital fluency and inclusion, are also becoming more common.
Get the blend right
Technology is also providing new options. Agentic AI-based learning management systems (LMS) can devise personalised learning pathways that are tailored to employees’ roles, goals and preferences. It can provide real-time feedback on progress too.
Immersive simulations, such as virtual and augmented reality, can provide a safe, interactive space for learners to upskill. Microlearning apps deliver learning in bite-sized chunks, often amid the flow of work.
“It’s very difficult to get people in a room for eight hours,” says Becky Wallace, head of people at learning management system supplier, LearnUpon, “so it’s important to look at different approaches. Embedding learning into the workday, to provide the right learning at the right time in small chunks, is often more effective than something that takes a couple of hours and feels cumbersome.”
Karen Fascenda, chief people officer at online course platform Udemy, expects non-traditional approaches – particularly peer-based knowledge sharing, experiential and micro-learning – to move into the mainstream over the next few years. But she also points out: “Traditional methods remain valuable for foundational knowledge and compliance training. The optimal balance isn’t about choosing between new and traditional approaches but strategically integrating them.”
Daniel Godfrey, head of learning, impact insights and engagement at learning solutions provider Hemsley Fraser, agrees that blended learning is most effective. “In-person and virtual learning is really important,” he says. “Using other approaches to reinforce and embed learning means that people don’t have to try and remember everything all at once.”
This is particularly important in light of the forgetting curve developed by Hermann Ebbinghaus, Godfrey adds. The curve hypothesises that 50% of newly learned information is forgotten within the first hour, 70% after 24 hours and 90% after a week if there is no attempt to retain it.
Read more: How HR professionals can build a culture of lifelong learning
Learning styles
Blended learning is vital to accommodating different learning styles effectively, emphasises Nebel Crowhurst, chief people and chief appreciation officer at employee engagement platform vendor, Reward Gateway. “Taking a sheep dip approach and expecting behavioural change just isn’t going to happen, and it’s a waste of money,” she says.
“If you break things down into small experiential moments, with elements of workshops, buddying, mentoring and the like, learning lands in a way that works best for each individual. It addresses their specific needs.”
A further consideration is delivering learning in a way that complements the required skill. “For hard skills like coding or AI, hands-on labs offer the best way to practice and apply new knowledge,” Harrington says. “For soft, or what we call ‘power’ skills, we find that experiential and interactive methods, such as scenario-based learning, can lead to effective learning and retention.”
Another approach she finds helpful for all is active learning, which puts employees in the driving seat. “It emphasises hands-on participation, problem-solving, collaboration and immediate feedback, shifting from passive learning to interactive and experiential methods,” says Harrington.
AI’s role in blended learning
Although it is still early days, technology such as AI is likely to play an increasingly important role in the blended learning mix over time. According to Ian Luxford, learning and engagement specialist at solutions provider The Motivation Agency, while the adoption of technology in learning has traditionally been behind the curve compared to other areas, interest is growing rapidly.
“People are starting to understand more clearly what AI offers,” says Luxford. “Some people are scared of it, others are embracing it. Many see it as the latest shiny thing.”
Although technology will help employers do a bit more for less, he believes, its strengths lie not so much in generating new content but in helping professionals support learners more effectively. Luxford cites the example of AI coaches, where individuals can interact with their own virtual tutor.
He expects usage to increase among those uncomfortable discussing problems with a counsellor or manager. Luxford also believes that AI will be useful in supporting line managers to become better at coaching themselves.
A big issue for suppliers in the AI learning space today though, says Chambers, is that despite the high levels of innovation taking place, employers are reluctant to be first movers. “There’s so much out there, it’s about finding the best area to place your bet,” Chambers says. “It creates procrastination as people wait for proof that different technologies work. No one wants to sign a three-year contract on an LMS, as it could be out of date in six months.”
Aspirational learning culture
Another challenge, believes Luxford, is that, despite claims to the contrary, most employers do not have a truly embedded learning culture in place. “Learning, for many, is seen as something that happens when people stop and make time for it. But they’re usually too busy,” he says. “There’s a long way to go before the idea of learning becomes a really integrated part of how we work and perform.”
In other words, a learning culture remains aspirational for many, although an understanding of its value in changing employee behaviour is growing. One way of supporting this approach is by helping people own their own development.
In this context, progressive HR leaders take on a facilitation and enablement role. Impacts and outcomes take precedence over seat time or learning completion rates. In real terms, this might involve allowing teams to set their own learning budgets, or giving employees more autonomy to choose their own learning paths.
Read more: Unleashing the power of learning communities
Talent-focused approaches
Another valuable approach is to enable talent mobility. A useful, if currently rather expensive, tactic is to introduce a talent marketplace, which acts as a vehicle to second suitable employees to internal project teams. This not only helps to bridge skills gaps but provides people with pertinent experience based on their interests.
A further option is to replace traditional career ladders, which focus on upwards progression, with career lattices, where pathways are based on skills. Career lattices enable employees to move in various directions within the business, including horizontally, vertically and diagonally, learning new skills as they go.
Sara Good, learning design consultant at learning and development solutions provider, Ontrack International, says: “If you have the will to do it, it shouldn’t cost a fortune to get people to where they need to be. But it does require creating an environment of psychological safety and giving people the freedom to fail without recrimination.”
Use your groups
Employee network groups are a useful vehicle for hosting interviews and discussions with internal experts. These include ‘topic circles’ for people with specific shared interests.
“Everyone comes to work for different reasons,” highlights Beth Turner, recruitment consultancy Robert Half’s director of learning and development for the UK and United Arab Emirates as well as corporate learning for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “But the number-one reason employees stay is people connection,” Turner says.
Look to the future
So, thinking outside the box, what will the future of learning and development look like? “We’ll see further blurring between formal and informal learning as organisations build integrated ecosystems,” suggests Fascenda.
Skillsoft’s Harrington says: “The future of workplace learning will be defined by adaptability, personalisation and a continuous learning culture. AI will continue to play a significant role, not just as an area to be learned but also as a tool to become better workers.”
Godfrey adds that AI will make learning more meaningful, and ensure that opportunities aren’t wasted. He says: “AI systems will know where the skills and staffing gaps are in your business, so you could link that with an individual’s performance and career aspirations, and present them with opportunities.
“It makes learning meaningful, from start to finish. You’re not wasting opportunities but making a difference to the overall performance of the business.” That’s a vision worth jumping outside the box for.
This article was published in the May/June 2025 edition of HR magazine.
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