Learning is changing fast
Organizations are still catching up
A new look at how organizations are adapting to changing skills, evolving learner expectations, and new technology — and where the biggest opportunities are emerging.
01
THE OPPORTUNITY
Learning is becoming a bigger part of how organizations attract talent, develop teams, and respond to changing business needs. But outdated processes and disconnected systems are making it harder to turn that demand into measurable progress.
Data is disconnected
Learning activity often sits across multiple tools, making it difficult to understand participation, progress, and outcomes in one place.
31%
report connected learning data.
Teams are stretched
Learning, HR, and operations teams are being asked to do more with limited resources — from creating programs to measuring their impact.
37%
say capacity is limiting growth.
Skills are evolving
The skills organizations need are changing faster than traditional learning programs can adapt. Teams need flexible ways to build relevant capabilities.
64%
say skills are changing faster
The demand is growing
The gap is growing too
02
KEY FINDINGS
Six numbers that should change your 2026 plan.
The latest insights reveal six areas where organizations are seeing the biggest shifts — from learner expectations and skills development to technology and measurement.
F · 06 · LEADERSHIP
48%
See strong leadership alignment
Down from 58%. Cross-unit collaboration also dropped from 71% to 62%.
F · 05 · OUTCOMES
54%
Track learning outcomes
More organizations are looking beyond completion rates to understand whether learning creates measurable impact.
F · 03 · CAPACITY
37%
Lack sufficient resources
Learning and development teams continue to balance growing demand with limited people and budgets.
F · 02 · SKILLS
62%
Not prepared for new reporting
Nearly half of institutions planning to expand workforce programs aren't ready for the data demands.
F · 01 · PARTICIPATION
68%
Prioritize flexible learning
More learners expect training to fit around their schedules, roles, and existing workflows.
F · 04 · TECHNOLOGY
31%
Report connected systems
Disconnected tools make it harder to move from learning activity to useful organizational insight.
Three charts. One bigger story.
Explore a preview of the data behind the report. The full report examines learning participation, workforce skills, technology adoption, and organizational readiness.
Want to explore the complete dataset?
Organizations are investing in technology, but integration remains a major barrier to getting useful data.
03
INTERACTIVE PREVIEW
Translating insights into action
Four practical shifts organizations can make to respond to changing learner expectations and workforce needs.
01
LEARNERS
Move from one size fits all to audience-specific learning
Growth in alumni, government, and corporate audiences means breadth is being replaced by partnership depth. Define your three priority segments and build acquisition systems around them.
02
SYSTEMS
Connect the tools behind the experience
Registration, finance, and outcomes data must move in real time across CE and main campus— or every reporting cycle becomes a manual scramble and compliance risk.
04
DATA
Make outcomes visible
Institutions that can show timely, integrated outcomes data will win budget, partners, and learner trust. The rest will be relegated to slow approvals and reactive reporting.
03
SKILLS
Treat skills as an ongoing strategy
Microcredentials, stackable pathways, and partnerships are table stakes. The differentiator is governance: who approves programs, how fast, and against what labor signals.
04
WHAT THIS MEANS
From insight to infrastructure.
The findings in this report highlight where learning organizations are facing the biggest gaps. Northstar brings the tools, data, and workflows together to help teams turn those gaps into measurable progress.
Learning shouldn't have to run across disconnected systems.
Traditional tools weren't designed for today's mix of flexible learning, skills development, reporting, and workforce programs.
Northstar is.
Our learning platform brings programs, people, data, and outcomes together in one connected experience.
1200+
supported
08×
Faster program setup
100%
Built for modern learning teams
Flexible learning management
Learning
Connected data & reporting
Insights
Skills & credential tracking
Skills
Organization & team programs
Workforce
Real-time performance dashboards
Data
Automated learner engagement
Growth
05
HOW NORTHSTAR HELPS
06
FOR LEARNING LEADERS
Want to know where your organization stands?
Go beyond the benchmark. Get a clearer view of your organization's learning maturity, identify the biggest gaps, and understand where to focus next.
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YOUR READINESS REVIEW
1
Where your organization sits against the latest benchmark
2
Your biggest learning and technology gaps
3
Key areas for improving workforce readiness
4
Practical next steps based on your priorities
Built from the people
who study learning every day.
28
Data visualizations
4
Research partners
Partners
Four perspectives.
One source of insight.
Learning leaders, workforce professionals, researchers, and technology teams contributed perspectives to this year's research.
Authors
Northstar Research Team
Maya Chen
Senior Research Analyst
Daniel Brooks
Workforce Researcher
Ava Morgan
Editorial Director
Methodology
Methodology
In-depth survey and qualitative research with learning, HR, workforce, and organizational leaders.
07
CREDIBILITY
200+
Organizations surveyed
26d
Research period
Contact Information
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