Continuing to add value in 2025
Reflecting on progress in 2024 and sharing new priorities for 2025
At the beginning of the year, many practitioners were asking, “What should L&D really be nailing now?” Almost twelve months ago, the answers often centred on leveraging technology to enhance learning experiences, improve performance, and ensure seamless access to relevant resources. Yet, as the year unfolded, we were reminded that mastering the basics is not only foundational but can be transformative, too.
Now, as we look towards 2025, it’s worth reflecting on the progress made, the areas where L&D has evolved, and the emerging priorities for the year ahead.
Building on the foundations
One of the most striking observations this year has been the shift from focusing on “shiny new tools” to truly understanding the fundamentals of effective learning. The industry has made notable strides in areas like social learning, performance support, and mobile delivery. Many L&D teams, which a year ago rated themselves as only having “basic” capabilities in these areas, have worked diligently to close those gaps. The focus on virtual classrooms that dominated post-pandemic years has now broadened, with organisations making meaningful progress in spaced repetition, searchability, and immersive learning.
However, the common theme throughout 2024 has been the importance of intentionality: understanding the “why” behind our choices and aligning them with organisational strategy.
Progress in measuring success
2024 saw a renewed focus on measuring impact. This year, more organisations prioritised aligning L&D efforts with business goals. Encouragingly, many have moved beyond seeing learning as an isolated function, recognising its potential to drive retention, productivity, and innovation. While challenges remain—particularly for those still working to strengthen relationships with senior leaders—there’s been a marked improvement in L&D teams embedding commercial acumen into their strategies.
Looking to 2025, we must double down on this progress. The goal for the year ahead isn’t just to measure learning outcomes but to link them directly to tangible business performance. The conversation must move from “How do I measure success?” to “How do I demonstrate that L&D is indispensable to organisational growth?”
Creating truly inclusive learning environments
The shift to hybrid working has redefined how we approach inclusion, and 2024 has been a pivotal year for fostering equitable learning experiences. Many L&D teams have embraced the power of digital tools to break down silos, but there’s still work to be done.
We’ve seen organisations experimenting with more inclusive approaches to communication and knowledge sharing. Whether through more thoughtful marketing of initiatives or designing content with diverse audiences in mind, the importance of creating psychologically safe and inclusive environments has taken centre stage.
As we approach 2025, inclusion must evolve from being a “nice to have” to a critical business enabler. This means fostering not just access but belonging—ensuring that every individual feels valued and sees how their development contributes to business success.
Finding purpose in technology and AI
Unsurprisingly, AI has continued to dominate headlines. However, the narrative this year matured significantly. Organisations and teams certainly seemed to be moving from asking, “Should we be using AI?” to “How can AI solve specific problems?”
L&D teams have learned that technology adoption isn’t about keeping up with trends—it’s about driving real value. Some of the most inspiring examples from 2024 involved organisations using AI to personalise learning at scale, streamline administrative processes, and uncover insights about skill gaps.
Heading into 2025, the emphasis must be on intentional experimentation. This is the year to move beyond exploration and start operationalising AI where it adds measurable value. But success will depend on the ability to ask the right questions:
2025: A year for driving impact
If 2024 was about refocusing on the fundamentals, 2025 will be about amplifying impact.
L&D has solidified its role as a driver of organisational success, but to build on this, we need to:
Reframe metrics of success
Move from outputs (completion rates, attendance) to outcomes (business performance, innovation, agility).
Deepen business integration
Strengthen relationships with leaders across functions to embed learning into the broader organisational strategy.
Prioritise inclusion
Develop initiatives that aren’t just accessible but equitable, ensuring every employee feels seen, heard, and empowered.
Harness technology with purpose
Move from experimenting with AI to implementing solutions that solve real problems efficiently and ethically.
By reflecting on our progress and addressing these focus areas, L&D can enter 2025 not just as a function that supports the business but as a critical partner in its success. As we’ve learned this year: The most valuable question we can ask remains: “How does this add value?” It’s a guiding principle we should carry into every decision we make next year and beyond.
A thoroughly enjoyable read. I feel there's also room for more attention being given to ensuring that learning, skills and knowledge are demonstrable, embedded and reinforced. This speaks to the continued need to reframe metrics of success and should be a priority for both organisations as well as the people working within them.