Skip to main content

20th January 2026

Five learning trends HR and L&D leaders should be prepared for in 2026

As this new year begins, technology is continuing to reshape working life at a pace few organizations have previously experienced. Expectations of HR and L&D leaders are evolving in parallel. The challenge has progressed beyond introducing new tools, to helping organizations and employees adapt thoughtfully to a changing environment.

“I’ve been working in tech for 30 years, and I’ve never seen anything so rapid and so impactful in such a short amount of time.”

–  Lee Schuneman, President, EF EdTech

The shift is having widespread repercussions, influencing how people approach their work, how they learn, and how they think about long-term career development. HR sits at the intersection of these changes. Supporting performance now requires helping teams to understand the role of AI and how it can be used responsibly and effectively.

Against this backdrop, senior leaders across EF highlight five trends that are shaping HR and L&D strategy in 2026.

1. The changing role of AI, from task support to process architecture

Although AI adoption is widespread, many organizations remain at an early stage of maturity. Employees often use AI to support discrete tasks such as drafting emails or summarizing information. These uses can save time, but they tend to leave underlying ways of working unchanged.

The more significant shift taking place this year is a move toward designing end-to-end processes.

“Rather than people using AI to do project management faster or draft emails faster, really thinking about the whole flow of events and where it can be leveraged to support an automation of multiple steps of a project or task.”

–  Ben Hope, Senior Vice President, EF Corporate Learning

With AI remaining a priority for leaders, HR’s responsibility is to foster greater AI literacy across the business to enable this process architecture. This includes helping employees develop the fluency to understand how work can be broken into stages, where automation can be applied, and where human judgement remains essential. For many employees, this capability does not emerge without structured development and hands-on experience, and it is increasingly seen by senior leadership as a critical requirement.

2. Applied learning over content consumption

Over recent years, digital learning and AI-powered tools have made content easier to access than ever before. The more pressing question in 2026 is whether this abundance of content translates into sustained improvements in performance.

“There are lots of content libraries out there, but what is it that’s really going to drive performance, motivation, and engagement?”

–  Maddie Diaz Stevens, Head of Product, EF Corporate Learning

As a result, HR teams are paying closer attention to how learning supports skills acquisition. Scenario-based and role-specific learning is gaining prominence because it allows employees to practice decisions and responses they are likely to face in their work. This shift moves learning away from passive consumption and toward application.

“Blended learning works best […] making sure it is within a real-life scenario.”

–  Shoko Hasuo, Director of Customer Success Enablement, EF Corporate Learning

Effective programs focus on building confidence as employees apply new skills in context. Many organizations are now connecting learning more directly to career progression or leadership pathways, helping employees understand why continued development matters to them as well as to the business.

3. Personalized journeys, not just personalized content

Advances in AI have brought a new momentum to personalization in learning. However, the most meaningful forms of customization extend beyond tailored content recommendations. In practice, personalization in 2026 is increasingly about the design of the learning experience itself.

“We are beginning to reach this point of customization, and that doesn’t mean customization of content. It means variety of experiences for different types of learners.”

–  Lee Schuneman, President, EF EdTech

Some learners are comfortable engaging extensively with AI-driven tools, while others benefit from the context and judgment provided by human instructors. The emerging model integrates these approaches. Technology offers frequent feedback and targeted practice, while human support adds nuance and interpretation, creating learning experiences that are both scalable and responsive to individual needs.

4. Strategic consolidation of the learning stack

Another clear trend is the move away from fragmented learning ecosystems toward more integrated approaches. Many global organizations have historically relied on a patchwork of regional providers, often resulting in disconnected programs and limited visibility into overall progress.

“A trend I spot is from fragmented, local-driven learning programs to more centralized, data-driven, career-driven programs.”

– Shoko Hasuo, Director of Customer Success Enablement, EF Corporate Learning

In 2026, companies are reassessing this model. Consolidation allows learning to be treated as a coherent journey rather than a collection of isolated initiatives. A unified platform can connect different forms of training and provide clearer insight into skill development at an enterprise level.

This shift is also changing how certain capabilities are viewed. Language learning, for example, is increasingly recognized as a foundation for collaboration and inclusion across global teams, rather than as a local or functional requirement.

5. Transparent value and the pressure for ROI

Underlying many of these changes is growing pressure to demonstrate value. Budgets are under scrutiny, and HR and L&D functions are expected to explain how investment contributes to organizational performance.

In 2026, this expectation is shaping how learning initiatives are designed from the outset. Leaders are placing greater emphasis on clarity of purpose, on how progress will be tracked, and on what evidence will be used to assess impact. As a result, delivering activity is no longer enough on its own.

This has implications for how HR teams work with external partners. Measurement and outcomes are increasingly treated as shared responsibilities, requiring closer alignment on objectives and a more explicit understanding of what success looks like before delivery begins.

Looking ahead: building a culture of curiosity

At the start of 2026, effective HR leadership depends on balancing openness to innovation with disciplined evaluation.

“Helping to create a culture of both curiosity and critical thinking […] For HR leaders that can help their organization to navigate that, I think they will succeed greatly.”

– Ben Hope, Senior Vice President, EF Corporate Learning

New tools and approaches will continue to emerge. The opportunity lies in encouraging exploration while maintaining the judgment to assess what adds real value. For HR and L&D leaders, the task is to ensure that progress serves the people it is meant to support, and that learning remains credible and aligned with the organization’s goals.