The latest L&D news, reports, research and updates, personally compiled by TJ’s Editor, Jo Cook. This week: AI reshapes corporate training fast, workers threaten to quit amid stalled innovation, Instagram disputes “clinical addiction” claims in court, and the UK wrestles with its data future plus EU AI Act ripple effects.
Train them or watch them leave: 9 in 10 workers say loyalty now depends on upskilling
New research from Emergn reveals that professional development has become one of the strongest predictors of workforce loyalty, with 89% of respondents saying they would be more loyal to an employer that actively invests in their upskilling. The study, drawing on insights from 751 CEOs, CTOs, COOs and other senior leaders across the UK and US, highlights a workforce increasingly sensitive to learning, management quality, and progression with key findings including:
- 81% believe it is the employer’s responsibility to upskill staff
- 50% would consider leaving their job because of a manager with poor leadership skills
- 43% say a lack of management training is directly contributing to lost productivity
- 32% report they have not received enough training to keep up with AI-driven change
AI career confidence and readiness: What 1000 employees think about AI at work
Use of AI in the workplace is no longer new, but confidence in using it effectively remains uneven. To examine this, Study.com surveyed 1,000 employees about their use of AI at work, their confidence levels, and the training and support they receive.
- AI Use is not limited to technical roles. Adoption is nearly even between tech (51%) and non-tech employees (49%).
- AI learning is largely self-driven. Nearly half of employees taught themselves AI skills, with employer-provided training reaching a smaller share of workers.
- The most common barriers to building AI skills are time constraints, fear of mistakes, and unclear guidance.
- The top motivation for employees to learn AI is to improve current job performance and support personal growth.
Report reveals a lack of awareness and poor career advice is impacting apprenticeship uptake
More needs to be done to raise awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships it was revealed today, after a new survey of young people revealed a worrying drop in the number thinking about vocational learning. The In-Comm Training Annual Barometer, which surveyed over 350 16 to 21-year-olds, saw a 9% drop in the number of individuals considering an apprenticeship (80%), with more than half (54%) of those questioned saying they had no idea of the schemes available in their area.
68% of talent development professionals reported using learner-facing artificial intelligence tools
A new research report from the Association for Talent Development examines how training professionals and workers perceive different learning methods as organisations balance human instruction with digital tools. The report, Human-Tech Interface: Finding the Right Blend in Learning Design, surveyed 44 talent development professionals and 471 learners about their experiences with human-facilitated learning, digital courses, and combined approaches.
Findings showed that 71% of talent development professionals use human-facilitated learning because it encourages interaction among learners. Additionally, 68% said the training mode influences learner motivation, while 58% reported that the mode of training affects learners’ psychological safety.
AI is disrupting the $400 billion corporate training market at a quickening pace, warns The Josh Bersin Company
The Josh Bersin Company announced detailed findings about AI’s ability to reimagine traditional corporate training. The research shows that today’s AI-first learning teams outperform even the most advanced learning organisations of 2022, with companies being 2× more likely to innovate and 4× more likely to adapt well to change.
The great stagnation: Half of UK workforce ready to walk as business innovation stalls
UK businesses are in for a reskilling reckoning, as new research reveals a workforce on the edge. The insights, from Arden University, found that nearly half (49%) of employees are ready to walk away from their current roles for better professional development opportunities elsewhere.
- The need for business innovation is clear, as nearly half (49%) of the UK workforce are ready to quit for better professional development opportunities
- Almost a third (31%) of employees feel unprepared or undecided on future industry changes
- One in five employees lack confidence in their boss’ leadership skills.
Instagram chief says he does not believe people can get clinically addicted to social media
Adam Mosseri, the head of Meta’s Instagram, testified Wednesday during a landmark social media trial in Los Angeles that he disagrees with the idea that people can be clinically addicted to social media platforms. Mosseri, who’s headed Instagram since 2018 said it’s important to differentiate between clinical addiction and what he called problematic use.
The question of addiction is a key pillar of the case, where plaintiffs seek to hold social media companies responsible for harms to children who use their platforms. Meta Platforms and Google’s YouTube are the two remaining defendants in the case, which TikTok and Snap have settled.
What sort of ‘data nation’ does the UK want to be?
2026 must be the year the UK decides what sort of ‘data nation’ it wants to be – starting with properly valuing its data assets, writes Resham Kotecha, the Open Data Institute’s global head of policy.
After a year of strategies, consultations and legislation, the UK still lacks a settled view of what its data is for, who should steward it, and how its value should be shared. In 2026, we need to answer those questions and set a clear direction for the future.
EU AI Act simplifications, what the UK public sector must consider
The European Commission’s proposed amendments to the EU AI Act, aimed at simplifying compliance for high-risk AI systems, could have indirect but notable implications for the UK public sector, even though the regulations do not directly apply in the UK.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology put out a briefing paper with the details public sector technology leaders will need to be aware of. UK public sector organisations that work with EU-based suppliers or participate in cross-border projects may need to align with the EU’s evolving AI standards.
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