Learning and development has changed considerably in recent years. Skills shortages, employee expectations, AI, and tighter recruitment markets. There’s an increasing pressure on organisations to demonstrate the value of investment in developing their people.
For us, the interesting part isn’t simply what organisations are training people in. It is how they are approaching learning differently. From conversations with clients and the programmes we have been delivering, five themes have stood out to us.
1. Developing People Earlier in Their Careers
Young professionals can’t be expected to arrive in the workplace with every skill that they will need.
Academic achievement and technical knowledge matter, but they don’t necessarily prepare someone for first professional conversations, managing competing priorities, working with different personalities, or understanding workplace expectations.
Recent UK research highlights the challenge. A June 2026 government analysis of entry-level hiring found that employers are increasingly favouring candidates with existing operational skills and experience, while entry-level hiring has fallen across many occupations. Of the 38 entry-level occupations tracked, 30 were declining.
At the same time, CIPD research published in February 2026 found that 56% of organisations had increased their development of talent in-house, while 42% had introduced L&D programmes specifically to improve retention.
This is changing the role of early careers development. Rather than treating learning as something that happens once someone has “settled in”, organisations are increasingly using it to accelerate confidence and capability from the beginning.
The broader lesson is important: if organisations need particular skills, they may need to develop them rather than simply search for them. An Early Careers Programme is designed to address these needs.
2. From One-Off Training to Learning That Sticks
Another change we’re seeing is a move away from viewing development as a single event.
A one-day course can be valuable. It can create insight, introduce new tools and allow someone to step away from their usual environment. But what happens on day two? And what about day thirty?
The organisations seeing the greatest impact are increasingly thinking about what happens after the course. Learning is being revisited, discussed, practised and connected to real work.
Without the time, permission or support to put new skills into practice. Without those conditions, learning can quickly fade.
That might mean follow-up coaching, a learning buddy, action learning sets, manager conversations, or simply building development into personal development plans and appraisal discussions. The principle is straightforward: training is an intervention; development is a process.
This is why we increasingly help clients think beyond the day itself. An open course can be the starting point for further development, while in-house programmes can be designed with follow-up activity and application built into the learning journey.
3. L&D Teams Are Being Asked to Do More
The role of the L&D professional is changing too.
Learning teams are expected to support more skills, more employees and more strategic priorities, while demonstrating impact and responding to rapidly changing business needs. At the same time, many organisations are facing recruitment pressures and tighter resources.
So how can L&D teams increase their impact without simply increasing their workload?
Rather than replacing an internal L&D function, specialist providers can act as an extension of it, bringing additional subject expertise, programme design, facilitation, coaching or delivery capacity.
CIPD’s latest 2026 resourcing research reflects the wider pressure organisations are under. 48% of employers reported increasing their efforts to develop talent in-house over the previous year, while 44% said talent had become more difficult to retain.
The opportunity is to decide where internal expertise adds the most value, and where bringing in a specialist partner can extend capacity, provide fresh perspective or deliver something that would be difficult to resource internally.
4. AI Is Becoming Part of Learning
AI is now firmly part of the learning conversation.
It can help create resources, generate scenarios, personalise content, provide additional practice and make information available at the point of need. Used well, it can become a powerful learning aid. But AI adoption is also highlighting the importance of human expertise rather than making it irrelevant.
ONS data from June 2026 shows that around 35% of UK businesses with 10 or more employees were using at least one AI technology, while 55% of employees reported using AI for work or education. Yet only 11% of businesses reported that more than half of their workforce had received AI-related training.
There is therefore a difference between using AI and being capable of using it well. People still need to understand when to challenge an answer, how to apply judgement, how to communicate decisions and how technology fits within their particular role and organisation.
5. Accreditation and Credibility Matter More
Finally, we are seeing greater scrutiny over the value of the learning itself.
With an enormous amount of training content now available online, much of it free or generated instantly, organisations and individuals are asking a reasonable question: what makes this learning worth investing time and money in?
For many, the answer is credibility. A recognised qualification or accredited programme provides a benchmark. It gives organisations greater assurance that their investment has substance beyond simply attending a course.
This doesn’t mean every learning intervention needs to lead to a formal qualification. Sometimes a focused skills course is exactly what someone needs. Investing significant time in leadership, management or coaching development, recognition and quality assurance can provide an important additional layer of value.
What Do These Trends Have in Common?
Learning is becoming less about the training event itself and more about building capability.
That means starting earlier with emerging talent, creating opportunities to practise and embed new skills, extending the capacity of L&D teams, using technology intelligently and choosing development that has genuine credibility.
It also means recognising that there isn’t one perfect approach.
If you’re reviewing your learning and development priorities, we’d be happy to explore what that could look like for you. Get in touch with our team to discuss.