In February 2025, EFMD asked its corporate members the following three questions:

• What are the biggest challenges you are facing now as an L&D function?
• What are your biggest obstacles to adequately coping with these challenges?
• What strategies have helped you address these challenges?

Here is a summary of the responses:

Challenges–The listed L&D challenges can be put in three groups:

1. Embracing digital and AI in L&D
   – along the three dimensions of automation, augmentation, and personalisation
2. Fostering a learning culture
   – integrated with work
   – boosting curiosity/ eagerness to learn
   – personalised
3. Accelerating corporate transformation
   – aligning L&D and corporate strategy
   – driving culture change
   – supporting up- and reskilling

Obstacles–The following obstacles are mentioned to stand in the way:

• Resource constraints (time, budget, technology, skills within L&D)
• Restrictive policies, e.g., for AI use
• Organisational inertia/ lack of agility
• Lack of quality data

Strategies

• Global co-creation task forces
• Sponsorship from the top
• Becoming part of the transformation core
• Focusing on game-changing initiatives
• Strategic workforce planning

AI continues to be the dominant challenge for L&D functions, along with shaping a learning culture and being a force for transformation. Aligning L&D to corporate strategy is clearly of the essence, thereby securing sponsorship for the most important initiatives. Upskilling their own L&D team in terms of AI, strategic workforce planning, and informal learning is a prerequisite for being a corporate function that has a business impact and is perceived as a relevant player.

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