The future has arrived. Just about every organisation that demonstrated resilience, a capacity to upskill or reskill rapidly and a readiness to change during several years of pandemic hoped to move into a quieter, more stable period as the emergency ended and life returned to “normal”.

And yet, the pandemic’s passing has been supplanted by unprecedented advances in technology, including AI, plunging us into a rollercoaster ride of possibility, excitement, hype and fear.

From an organisational skill and learning perspective, keeping up with technological advances and translating new trends into capabilities and learning methods has become a complex challenge.

Learning professionals are juggling the demands of almost impossibly rapid shifts in skill and capability needed for new and unchartered areas, while maintaining the requisite training rhythms to remain compliance-safe organisations – all at a time when budgets are under pressure as many organisations adjust to economic uncertainty and reduced discretionary spending by consumers.

Such complex and competing demands can be confusing and paralysing.

The purpose of this report is to cut through this complexity and confusion to show what is changing in the world of learning and the role of the learning professional.

The report provides a window into how experts in the future of work and learning are making sense of rapid change. It offers practical insights for embracing change and adapting learning practices in your organisation.

Instead of waiting for external forces to dictate the future, the contributors suggest how to sculpt it.

Our report highlights that learning, both as a solution and as a profession, is undergoing rapid evolution, influenced by the changing landscape and technological advancements. Learners, learning professionals and businesses have an active role to play in adapting and evolving to these shifts.