The learning landscape is profoundly changing as organizations face unprecedented workforce and market shifts. The leaders at EI Powered by MPS, who have spent decades transforming learning across global enterprises, see 2025 as more than just another milestone year. They envision it as the moment when artificial intelligence (AI), human-centered design, and organizational culture converge to fundamentally reshape how we develop human potential.
Looking at the Brandon Hall Group™ HCM Outlook 2025 report, which shows 73% of organizations investing heavily in human capital technology in the coming year, we agree with this assessment. The data points to a pivotal shift where technology enables and human capability takes center stage.
Why 2025 Matters
The convergence of technological advancement and evolving business demands creates both urgency and opportunity. EI’s perspective resonates strongly here: organizations viewing 2025 as merely another cycle of incremental change risk falling permanently behind. Our research supports their observation that this moment requires fundamentally rethinking how learning drives business outcomes while nurturing human capability.
Six Critical Focus Areas Defining the Future
1. AI Integration: Amplifying Human Intelligence
More than 90% of organizations believe AI will have a moderate or high impact on learning in 2025, according to the Brandon Hall Group™ HCM Outlook 2025 study. Our Learning Revolution study shows that leading organizations are leveraging AI to enhance personalized learning experiences and improve analytics-driven insights. EI’s learning architects make a compelling point: the true transformation lies not in automation but in how AI amplifies distinctly human capabilities like creativity, empathy and complex problem-solving. We see 2025 marking the shift from viewing AI as a replacement to embracing it as an amplifier of human potential.
2. Building Skills for an Uncertain Future
Learning agility has emerged as the essential capability for navigating increasing volatility. Our research reveals more than half of organizations are moderately or highly invested in taking a skills-first approach to employee development, understanding that skills needed in the future may not even exist today. EI’s approach to skill building aligns with what we’re seeing in the market: the need for frameworks focused on adaptability and continuous skill evolution rather than static competencies. Their emphasis on emotional intelligence in learning design particularly resonates as organizations navigate rapid change.
3. Reimagining Learning Operations
The centralized L&D model is fading as organizations embrace hybrid approaches. Nearly half of companies have already adopted hybrid learning delivery models, with adoption reaching 75% among large enterprises, according to our Learning Revolution study. EI’s global experience implementing learning transformation offers valuable insight here: 2025 brings a more complex challenge of delivering consistent, high-impact learning across increasingly fluid work arrangements. Success demands operational models that flex with business needs while maintaining learning effectiveness, such as managed learning services and staff augmentation.
4. Supporting a Multigenerational Workforce
Today’s workforce spans multiple generations, each bringing distinct strengths and learning preferences. Our research indicates the mix of learning modalities has swung significantly in recent years from a heavy emphasis on formal learning to a more equal mix of 38% formal training, 29% informal learning, and 33% experiential learning. EI’s work across diverse global organizations demonstrates a crucial point: thriving in 2025 means moving beyond demographic stereotypes to create learning environments where all generations contribute and grow.
5. Measuring What Matters
Learning impact increasingly ties to concrete business outcomes. Organizations implementing effective learning strategies see measurable gains in customer relations (77%), brand awareness (68%), revenue generation (36%), and support-cost reduction (35%), according to our data. EI’s NexGen ROI model aligns with what we’re seeing: 2025 demands sophisticated measurement connecting learning directly to business performance while considering broader environmental and social impacts.
6. Creating Sustainable Learning Cultures
Cultural evolution proves as crucial as technological transformation. Our research emphasizes organizations prioritizing psychological safety (63%), enhanced learner experiences (62%), improved employee engagement (58%), and comprehensive well-being initiatives (48%). EI’s long-standing focus on emotionally intelligent learning design demonstrates why these elements form the foundation for sustainable learning cultures that will define successful organizations in 2025 and beyond.
Looking Ahead
The stakes in 2025 couldn’t be higher. Organizations that view this moment merely as a technology upgrade or training refresh risk irrelevance. EI’s vision, supported by our research, shows that success demands reimagining learning as a strategic driver of organizational capability, combining technological innovation with a deep understanding of human development.
The future belongs to organizations that balance technological advancement with human-centered development. Those who get this right won’t just adapt to change –- they’ll define the future of workplace learning. As EI’s experience and our research both indicate, the organizations that thrive will be those that embrace this transformative moment to create learning experiences that drive both business outcomes and human potential.
Stay tuned for EI’s comprehensive Trends 2025 report exploring these themes in depth.
