The State of L&D: Looking Back at 2025 and Ahead to 2026

If 2024 was the year of learning strategy realignment, 2025 was the year of bold moves. The world of Learning & Development (L&D) continued its seismic shift from content volume to learning value, from platform metrics to human outcomes, and from static programs to dynamic, AI-augmented skill ecosystems.

At Unboxed, we had a front-row seat, and active role, in shaping what that meant for global organizations across pharma, manufacturing, hospitality, and beyond. As we wrap 2025, we’re reflecting on the hard-won insights, experiments that paid off, and the areas where learning culture is still catching up.

2025: The Year Content Lost Its Crown

In blog after blog, we sounded the alarm that content alone isn't king. Engagement metrics like completions and clicks aren’t proxies for real learning. In our post “Content Isn’t King”, we explored why even the most beautifully designed modules fall flat if they’re not connected to practice, coaching, and actual behavior change.

Our most-read blog this year,“Creating a Culture of Learning Is Not About the Quality of Your Content,” struck a nerve with L&D leaders exhausted by content churn with little to show for it. We spotlighted research from Gartner and the APA showing that psychological safety and leadership behaviors, not courseware quality, are what truly drive learning retention and skill development.

And organizations listened. Many began redefining success, moving away from passive consumption toward capability-building, anchored in real skill application and human support.

The Rise of Skill Agility® (And the Systems to Support It)

2025 was the year that Skill Agility® became a necessity, not a nice-to-have. Our clients needed talent that could adapt, pivot, and perform in fast-changing markets. But agility doesn’t come from one-off events. It’s built through consistent feedback, safe-to-fail practice, and repeatable coaching frameworks.

Unboxed doubled down on this with our Skill Building Platform, blending LMS structure, personalized journeys, AI-driven roleplay, and coaching dashboards into one seamless experience. It’s no longer about learning more, but learning smarter and faster.

Partnering with AI the Human Way

The big story in 2025? AI didn’t replace L&D—it became its most valuable ally. We challenged the hype and grounded the narrative with our blog “Partnering with AI: Unlocking Human Potential.” Our stance: the best use of AI is to scale human-centered development, not automate it away.

Mentor, our AI-powered roleplay tool, became a staple for clients looking to increase coaching capacity, reduce time-to-skill, and ensure consistency across geographies. Meanwhile, our Write with AI and Coach Connect features helped managers spend less time crafting feedback and more time reinforcing the right behaviors.

The takeaway? AI is only effective when built with empathy, compliance guardrails, and educator oversight. Our clients used AI not to teach, but to enable people to learn better, reflect deeper, and grow faster.

Regulated Industries Took Risks—and It Paid Off

One of the most exciting shifts this year came from traditionally risk-averse sectors like pharma and manufacturing. In “Beyond the Checklist,” we showed how organizations in heavily regulated industries are now embracing roleplay, coaching frameworks, and AI to move beyond checkbox compliance and toward true capability building.

These leaders recognized that documentation isn’t development—and that thoughtful, measurable learning design can both satisfy regulators and build better teams.

What’s Ahead in 2026: Integration, Insight, and Inclusion

If 2025 was about breaking from tradition, 2026 will be about building smarter systems.

• Integration: Organizations will connect the dots across LMS, LXP, CRM, HRIS, and more to create cohesive learning ecosystems.
• Insight: L&D will demand more than dashboards. Expect to see a surge in learning intelligence—actionable, skill-based analytics that predict performance, not just report on participation.
• Inclusion: Learning must be built for all roles, all locations, and all learning styles. Expect more emphasis on frontline and deskless workers, neuroinclusive design, and accessibility by default.

At Unboxed, we’re energized by what’s next. We’ll keep pushing forward with platforms that prioritize people, content that leads to competence, and tools that close the gap between learning and doing.

Because in 2026, success won’t be measured by how many people complete training. It will be measured by how many can perform.