13 May 2025
Learning Technologies 2025: What Did We Learn?
“Learning and thriving in a time of change,” was the theme for this year’s Learning Technologies Conference and Exhibition in London. Across two packed days, AI was the headline act, sparking lively debates in sessions and popping up on almost every stand across the exhibition hall. Whether it was excitement or a bit of healthy scepticism, everyone had something to say about the future of learning with AI.
Here’s what we learned from conversations on our stand and a selection of the talks.
Innovation in learning: preparing for the future
Myles Runham and David Perring, of Fosway, gave an excellent talk on the future of learning: Innovations in learning: What’s hot, what’s going to be hot and what should your team do next? Chaired by Levinia Mehedintu of Offbeat, who immediately addressed the AI topic, expressing a feeling of overwhelm which the audience could largely relate to.
Both David and Myles introduced a powerful framework to help L&D teams become truly fit for the future. It includes agile thinking, being data-informed, building real relationships across the business, and creating seamless, intuitive learning experiences. Importantly, it emphasises radical cost-efficiency and delivering clear, measurable value – because when budgets are tight, proving value matters.
For the first time, upskilling and reskilling topped the list of learning priorities for this year (53%), finally overtaking compliance training (48%). This was a common theme we noticed throughout the conference this year; not only as the subject matter of the sessions, but in conversations we had with delegates at the Synergy Learning stand. This shift speaks volumes about the future of learning: people want growth, not just governance. Career development, learning culture and personal development also made strong showings, demonstrating how learner-centric strategies are gaining ground.
And while most modern learning management systems now offer some kind of authoring tool and AI integration, the real differentiators are becoming apparent: namely personalisation, data intelligence and experience design. The pressure is on for vendors to show how their platforms stand out in the LMS market, where everyone has similar tools.
Perhaps most encouragingly, many organisations are now turning inward, leaning into their internal marketplaces and using existing SME knowledge rather than immediately outsourcing. It’s not just smart, it’s sustainable.
Leveraging data and analytics in L&D
Derek Mitchell from Novo Nordisk delivered one of the most engaging talks of the conference – barefoot, no less! But this wasn’t a fashion statement. Instead, Derek presented a brilliant metaphor for how much we can learn about someone from the choices they make (in this case, a choice of shoe options presented on the screen). Just like marketers analyse every click and scroll, gleaning insights from minimal data, L&D has a wealth of data at its fingertips. We just need to start looking in the right places.
Derek’s core message was simple but powerful: our people are sharing useful data with us every day through the systems they use, the skills they develop and the conversations they have. But too often, we’re not actually capturing it, let alone using it meaningfully. We need to think more like marketers (another common theme of the seminar sessions this year).
He challenged us to think beyond our LMS or LXP. While it’s a rich source of learning data, there’s even more gold to be mined from other means.
Key L&D data sources
HR records
HR systems, CVs, personality assessments, job descriptions and more.
Performance systems
Performance reviews and local KPIs
Social systems
Slack, Teams and other communications tools used by your organisation.
Workplace systems
SharePoint, Outlook, Viva and other software regularly used by your learners.
Employee opinions
Joiner surveys, leaver surveys, annual surveys and Glassdoor reviews.
One suggestion from Derek was to ask people to rate their own skills, then repeat the task after the learning intervention. Did the numbers shift? If yes, you’ve got something to work with. If not, that’s a useful insight too. This simple approach gives you immediate, scalable feedback and can help you build smarter learning journeys. He also offered some simple prompts to uncover what people are talking about with the help of AI to cut through the noise.
Of course, there was the question of data ethics. Derek reminded us that just because we can collect certain data doesn’t always mean we should. The key question you should ask is: “Does it benefit the employee?” When handled with care and purpose, data can become a powerful tool for positive change – not just for the organisation, but for the individual.
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Get in touchNavigating hybrid work environments
Gary Cookson from EPIC HR took to the stage with a clear message: hybrid work isn’t broken, it just hasn’t been fully understood. This session struck a chord with many people navigating the highs and lows of hybrid and remote working.
ONS reported in late 2024 that 40% of adults are working either hybrid or fully remotely. Gary pointed out that you tend to hear only negative stories about hybrid and remote working in the press. But the issue isn’t the office itself – it’s the friction of getting there and the lack of choice that people feel. Hybrid work offers a powerful opportunity to personalise how people engage with their work, but only if we’re intentional about it.
Gary introduced a practical framework to help leaders ask the right questions about where and when work happens. Is this task synchronous or asynchronous? Does it need to happen onsite or can it be done remotely? By mapping tasks this way, managers can design working models that make sense for individuals and teams – not just based on company preferences, but real needs.
He touched on one of the most overlooked aspects of hybrid work (and one that’s key for us here at Synergy Learning): onboarding and belonging. When you’re new and not in the office often, it’s easy to feel like you’re looking in from the outside. L&D can work with HR teams to help fix this by creating inclusive, human-first onboarding experiences. The goal is to connect people with their team, their purpose and the way work actually happens in the organisation.
One of our favourite quotes from the session? “People need to know how to work, not just how to do their jobs.” This perfectly captures the moment we’re in. Hybrid work reveals the strengths and weak spots in our culture. It’s not something to fear; it’s a lens through which we can see and improve how we work together.
Key takeaways from our conversations
Skills development and talent management
Over on the Synergy Learning stand at the Totara Cafe, we noticed there was a key focus in conversations around skills development and talent management. The foundation for career growth in any organisation is an easily understood competencies framework. All employees should be able to cross-reference how they are performing in their jobs against the competencies needed for that role (Totara Perform is brilliant for this). Equally important, they should be able to see the competencies they need to build to reach the next rung on the career ladder or any other role in the organisation.
Building on the competencies framework, the best-performing organisations make it easy for employees to build the skills they need or want. This could include automated learning pathways tailored to specific roles or career paths.
Learner experience that delivers
The other key priority we discussed with delegates was learner experience. It’s easy to see how it can be overwhelming to make the right choice of learning system when every LMS and LXP promises to improve the learner experience, but how can you be certain about what you need and what you can deliver?
We introduced people to our better-than-bespoke Spark LMS theme. Spark is the theme we created to compile the best and most sought-after work for our customers’ sites. We have to call it an LMS theme because that’s fundamentally what it is. And yet it sort of isn’t.
Spark is an LMS theme in the same way that a Formula 1 car is a useful means of nipping to the shop to buy a pint of milk. Yes, it does perform that basic function but it also delivers so much more in terms of performance and functionality. It gives you the best of both worlds: the flexibility of a fully customisable theme without the sky-high costs. It’s easy to shape around your brand, your goals and, most importantly, your learners.
You’re in control of how things look and feel (without needing to code a thing). Want to showcase a course? Need to personalise content? What about some marketing to promote something new? No problem. It’s all built in. Creating content feels like second nature, thanks to the drag-and-drop editor. And with every update, our team of experts ensure your setup stays safe, smooth and future-ready. It’s about giving you the tools to craft learning that’s clear, personal and built around your people.
Ready to get started?
Want to discover more about how Synergy Learning can help you overcome the L&D challenges covered in this blog post?
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