The Future of L&D: Employee Development Strategies for 2026 and Beyond

True or false: Creating an L&D strategy is a one-time event. The answer here is a resounding “false!” Employee attitudes are changing, and that means your employee development strategies need to adapt, too.

Over the past years, organizations have seen a significant shift in employee behavior and preferences. Gartner says 71% of millennial workers have reevaluated the priority of work in their lives. Emerging technologies, evolving job roles, and the move towards continuous learning is redefining L&D strategies across organizations.

From "the great resignation" to "quiet quitting," employers must address changing employee expectations and motivations to remain competitive. According to a McKinsey report, the labor market experienced 8.6 million occupational shifts and will face an estimated 12 million shifts by 2030. Key drivers of these changes are emerging technologies, evolving job roles, and the need for continuous learning.

Companies are adapting their employee development strategy to respond to these shifting workforce dynamics. L&D trends like personalized learning paths, mentorship programs, and emerging people development technologies are key strategies that HR teams are leveraging to foster a culture of growth, reduce burnout and turnover, and contribute to an organization that employees want to stay (and thrive!) at. 

Employee development strategies in context: Understanding current training trends

In this article, we’ll share some highlights of the current state of employee development, and which employee development strategies L&D leaders will be deploying in the future to overcome common pain points.

If you’re looking for more insights into the trends your peers say are shaping their learning and development strategy for 2026, download our L&D Predictions and Trends Report.

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While there are many reasons you might invest in learning & development—to keep employees engaged, to promote retention, or to build your pipeline of future leaders, for example—helping employees develop new skills tops the list for most L&D teams. 

Here are a few of the factors shaping employee development strategies today:

• Technological advancements are leading to a growing skills gap.  The World Economic Forum predicts 60% of workers will need upskilling by 2030. Employers need to provide ample development opportunities to help employees adapt and remain relevant in their roles.
• Employees see the value of professional development. Employees today aren’t just looking for a paycheck—they prioritize their own personal and professional development. This means offering ongoing learning is essential to attract and retain top talent. 
• The traditional 9-5 and one-size-fits-all career path is becoming obsolete. Today's workforce seeks career flexibility, variety, and purpose in their job. Organizations must be agile in their approach to employee development. Offering flexible work environments increases the number of high performers by 40%. Personalized learning opportunities align with employees' skills and interests to improve efficiency.

How will these current trends influence the future of training and development? Let’s explore.

What our 2026 research reveals about the future of learning and development

For HR and L&D professionals, this current moment represents both a challenge and an opportunity. AI is transforming roles and reshaping expectations—and organizations must evolve in tandem. 

But here’s the thing: This change is not just about updating the technology that you’re using. True transformation involves cultivating adaptability in your people and empowering them to exchange knowledge and expertise with each other.

Based on our research with HR and L&D professionals, we see a clear story emerging:

• AI is accelerating change.
• Organizations must invest in people in order to unlock its potential.
• Training, leadership development, and organizational knowledge are becoming more important—not less. 
• Mentorship and social learning play a critical role in helping employees navigate that change with confidence. 
  Now let’s take a closer look at how these trends might impact your own approach to employee development strategies. 

Future of L&D trend #1: Leadership development remains a top priority

For the second year in a row, leadership skills top the list of L&D priorities for 2026. We see a clear connection here: During times of change, leaders must guide teams through uncertainty, coach effectively, and support innovation.  Since leadership influences almost every aspect of the organization, leadership development needs to be at the top of L&D’s list of employee development strategies. 

As we mention in the report, leadership development isn’t a one-off event; it’s an ongoing journey that focuses on sharpening the skills and abilities of individuals so they can better lead and manage their teams. This process includes a mix of training, mentoring, and hands-on learning experiences that empower both current and future leaders. When we nurture leaders’ capabilities, we better equip them to tackle challenges head-on, foster meaningful relationships, and inspire their teams to work together towards shared goals. 

Future of L&D trend #2: Human-centric skills are in high demand

Despite rapid advances in AI, the skills employees need most are uniquely human. More than half—56% of our HR and L&D respondents—said that critical and strategic thinking is a top skill need. And 42% identify leadership skills as essential for navigating organizational change. These findings reinforce the idea that AI elevates the need for human judgment, adaptability, and connection rather than erasing it. 

Future of L&D trend #3: AI adoption is rising, but readiness lags

61% of organizations have fully or partially adopted AI into their L&D strategies, or are currently testing it. This number indicates an appetite for AI, but there are still several barriers when it comes to AI adoption in daily work and especially when it comes to learning and development.

Many organizations lack clear implementation plans, sufficient AI literacy, or the infrastructure needed to support effective usage. Without the right skills and cultural alignment, you might not be getting as much out of this technology as you could.

Future of L&D trend #4: Social learning and mentorship are critical, but underutilized

HR and L&D leaders clearly recognize the role that social learning can play in employee development—77% believe formal mentorship will be critical by 2026—yet many organizations have yet to take full advantage of social learning as a strategic development tool.

Despite so many HR and L&D professionals believing formal mentorship programs and other types of social learning are important, a report from Absorb found that 43.6% of organizations say they don’t use any kind of social learning (e.g. apprenticeships, coaching, mentorship, employee resource groups, etc.) and don’t have any plans to. Among organizations who do use social learning as part of their L&D strategy, nearly a quarter of respondents admit their organization is leveraging it ineffectively. The key takeaway here? Social learning continues to be an underutilized resource.

Translating the L&D trends into employee development strategies

You’ve seen the 2026 L&D trends. Now you might be wondering how to adapt your employee development strategies based on this information. Here are our recommendations.

Ideas for your overall employee development strategy

Organizations must prioritize the development of employee skills of the future, including critical thinking, creativity, adaptability, emotional intelligence, technology literacy, and data analytics. Employers must clearly understand their current talent pool and build effective strategies to address skill gaps.

An effective strategy must include:

• Upskilling initiatives to train employees in skills relevant to their current roles. Examples include in-house training, online courses, workshops, and conferences.
• Reskilling initiatives to prepare employees for completely new roles within the organization. This will require comprehensive training to equip employees for technological advancements.
• Job rotations to introduce employees to new skills and experiences across different roles and departments. Cross-functional exposure enhances employees' collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Continuous learning programs (instead of one-off training sessions) can help you keep employees engaged. Opportunities like project-based learning, mentorship programs, and job shadowing can also enhance employee skills. Providing access to online learning platforms or virtual classrooms allows employees to learn at their own pace and convenience.

A few examples of companies with successful staff development strategies are:

• AT&T’s Future Ready program is an initiative to reskill its employees in emerging technologies.
• Google's Career Certificates program is a self-paced online training course. It helps employees develop essential skills for high-growth roles. 
• IBM Skills Gateway offers a range of educational programs, including online learning platforms, to upskill and reskill its employees in technical areas.
• Adobe offers a data-driven Career Discovery tool to help employees explore new roles.

Focus on increasing employee engagement

Employees who feel engaged are more likely to participate in learning activities, take feedback constructively, and work towards their career growth—making engagement critical for the success of employee development programs.

You can foster a continuous learning culture by taking the following steps:

• Develop mentorship programs: Mentorship plays a significant role in building an engaging environment for employees by providing them with guidance. It develops trust in the organization through open communication between mentors and mentees.
• Train everyone to give more consistent, actionable feedback: Feedback from managers, peers, seniors, and mentors helps employees identify areas of improvement and recognize their accomplishments. It should be provided regularly to help employees grow personally and professionally.
• Make recognition part of your company culture: Recognition or rewards can be effective ways to acknowledge the hard work put in by employees.

Commit to launching or expanding your mentorship program

Mentorship contributes to skill development and career progression for both mentors and mentees. For mentees, having a mentor means having someone who can provide guidance, support, and advice as they navigate through their career journey. It helps them develop new skills, gain valuable insights, and build a broader perspective. Mentors can also enhance their leadership skills, get recognition as subject matter experts, and even learn from their mentees' fresh outlooks. 

Effective mentorship programs have certain key elements:

• Clear goals and expectations provide a framework for the mentor-mentee relationship and ensure that both parties understand their roles. 
• A well-thought-out program structure with defined timelines and milestones helps mentors and mentees stay on track. 
• Mentor and mentee matches must be based on their skills, goals, and personalities to minimize conflicts and ensure relevant guidance.
• Diversity and inclusion are crucial to creating employees' sense of belonging. Inclusive mentors help employees from marginalized groups to develop their skills and build their trust in the organization. An inclusive environment can be created by integrating the company’s existing DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives with the mentoring program for minority and underrepresented groups. Reverse mentoring and increased representation of marginalized groups in leadership also provide equal access to advancement opportunities.

Balance technical and soft or “human” skills

The emergence of AI and automation has significantly impacted the workforce's skill requirements. Traditional jobs that humans once performed are now automated, leading to a shift in the demand for certain skills. This is why digital fluency is one of the top skills L&D pros predict employees will need in 2026.

But this doesn’t mean that you should neglect soft or “human” skills. Among the foundational skills employees need are critical thinking, mental flexibility, teamwork, work planning, relationship building, and agile thinking. There’s a delicate balance to maintain between developing technical expertise and learning to think critically and make decisions independently. 

Build a continuous learning culture

Constantly updating skills, knowledge, and processes helps employees and employers to keep up with industry trends and advancements. Employers must encourage self-directed learning so employees are empowered to take ownership of their development. Employees can choose their learning paths and pursue topics most relevant to their roles and interests.

Uninterrupted access to learning resources such as online courses, workshops, conferences, and mentorship programs allows employees to learn at their own pace. When leaders openly share their experiences with employees and inspire others to engage in learning actively, it creates a ripple effect and promotes a continuous learning culture throughout your organization. 

Recognize and reward the learning efforts of employees through certificates, promotions, or even through shout-outs during team meetings. Appreciation encourages more employees to embrace continuous learning.

Prioritize diversity and inclusion in employee learning and development

Diversity and inclusion are critical to fostering an environment of innovation and creativity. Having a diverse workforce means having individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, experiences, and ways of thinking. Employees contribute unique ideas and insights to the growth of the organization when they feel valued and included. A diverse workforce also helps to build resilience within an organization. Their adaptability to new situations is particularly valuable in times of change or crisis.

Employees must have equal opportunities, regardless of race, gender, age, or any other demographic factor. Additionally, by promoting open communication and valuing different viewpoints, you can create a sense of psychological safety for employees to share their ideas and opinions. Design DEI-based development strategies that resonate with each individual by understanding the diverse backgrounds and experiences of your employees.

Make development more actionable through microlearning

In the fast-paced work environment, employees have limited time for learning. Microlearning involves delivering L&D content in bite-sized formats that learners can easily consume on the go. It is a convenient and effective way to deliver training and development programs for busy employees with short attention spans. The approach also allows personalizing learning experiences catering to individual learning styles.

Microlearning methods include videos, podcasts, and infographics. These formats support easy retention of information and can be tailored for different learners. 

Employee learning and development strategies to help you prepare for the future

Whether you’re striving to future-proof your organization, keep employees engaged, or ensure your leaders are as effective as possible, taking a strategic approach to employee development should be at the top of your to-do list. And the trends we’ve explored here underscore the importance of strategies like mentorship, peer learning, upskilling, and reskilling initiatives to help you achieve your learning and development goals. 

Want to take a closer look at the trends we’ve uncovered? Download our 2026 L&D Trends and Predictions report here for even more insights into these concepts, plus practical tips on how to translate them into real action.