Summary: L&D must shift focus in 2026 from short-term task training to building transferable skills that survive workplace disruption. Too many programmes teach specific tasks like ‘handling difficult conversations’ without developing the underlying human capabilities that apply across contexts. As AI transforms work, these adaptable skills become survival tools. Robin Hoyle advocates for learning that starts with fundamental behaviours – communication, analysis, decision-making – then applies them to specific situations. This approach builds lifelong capability, not just immediate competence. It’s about equipping people for unpredictable futures, not just today’s challenges.
This time last year, I predicted the end of the term ‘soft skills’. If it was ever adequate – it isn’t any more. My thoughts on how well that prediction went are here. Now, I’m setting my stall out for L&D in 2026 with two priorities focused on, first, transfer and, second, transferability.
Priority one: Moving learning transfer from rhetoric to reality
At the World of Learning Conference in October 2025, I was heartened by well attended sessions about learning transfer. I was also buoyed by the number of speakers not ostensibly addressing learning transfer, who referenced how we ensure application and implementation of new skills after a learning intervention has finished.
Conferences are always a beat or two ahead of the industry. We are always looking for case studies of new and innovative – yet practicable – insights from conference sessions. So, although I am encouraged by transfer being on so many L&D agendas, I still think it is yet to gain the real focus it needs.
Vendors of learning platforms and learning technologies still discuss knowledge as though it is analogous to skills and capabilities. Many course outlines or tenders for services still make no distinction between knowing stuff and doing stuff. And governments and politicians are proposing skills boosts for workers, which will be measured by qualifications based on written tests and assessments of short-term memory.
Confusion persists
But even those who recognise that a skill can only be improved by practice are not always immune to one fatal error. They confuse skills with tasks.
The vendor, L&D team or manager will direct us to a programme to improve our capability in ‘Handling difficult conversations’ or ‘Presenting like a Pro’ or ‘Managing meetings’. And, maybe because we are driven by immediacy, we focus on the task we need to perform.
Now these programmes, done well, will enhance our skills, but they are overly focused on performing a specific task. Which brings us to my second priority for 2026.
Priority two: The transferability of ‘uniquely human’ skills between different, unpredictable contexts
If we take time to think about these specific contexts, there will be a number of skills applicable elsewhere. Maybe we could focus on the transferable nature of these skills instead of being limited to building capability in a specific task in a specific context.
This is especially true in a world changing rapidly – with technologies and ways of working changing exponentially around us. Limited capability to address immediate issues is important, but we can do more, have greater impact and build more skills of longer applicability by raising our sights above the day to day. We need to focus on the transferability of these skills.
I’m not saying, let’s stop helping people deal with their immediate challenges. I am saying this is the entry point for building longer term capabilities that equip individuals to deal with change and apply those same skills in different situations. Many of these situations we cannot predict, and neither can they.
This approach elevates our learning interventions to build lifelong skills which differentiate humans from the machines as they start to conduct certain tasks better than we flawed humans ever will.
The skills of survival
You may have noticed that the tasks I outlined earlier – handling difficult conversations, for example – could be categorised as ‘uniquely human’. Generative AI may help us with these tasks, but they can’t do them for us (at least not yet). Building a repertoire of communication behaviours which can be used in different contexts to achieve different objectives, is not a luxury for leadership programmes in fancy residential retreats. These are the skills of continued relevance. These are the skills of survival.
Given headlines about new entrants to the workforce eschewing verbal communication, these skills are both universally, and urgently, needed.
This has been characterised as a failure of the young. Once again, the lack of provision of the learning experiences required by a defined group is somehow their fault. They have been trained to perform tasks rather than provided with the transferable skills we all know are vital, but which are often consigned to the ‘too difficult’ box. We should not be part of the blame game which finds fault with those who have not taken opportunities they were never offered. We restyled educational institutions as commercial qualification factories – what did we expect?
What transferability looks like in practice
To illustrate transferability over task/skill focus, let me give you an example.
I was recently part of a coaching programme for a group of senior managers. The learning journey we created was focused on acquiring knowledge (important, just not the whole story); practising skills and gaining feedback; and applying behaviours in a structured workplace transfer phase – with support from colleagues and facilitators.
This ‘coaching’ programme didn’t mention coaching until around half way through. Before that we explored, discussed and practised skills in communication more broadly. We codified the behaviours – providing real insight on micro behaviours which – like Lego bricks – can be disassembled and reassembled to be used as the context demanded.
Then, and only then, did we explore the use of the same behaviours for the purpose of coaching others. Importantly, the workplace transfer stage begins with behavioural targets. I.e. ‘based on analysis and feedback, what is your priority behaviour you wish to work on?’.
The transfer tasks may be about conducting coaching sessions, but will also include other uses of this behaviour until the participant is confident enough to use it without prompting and it begins to be a habitually available component of their communication tools box.
We started with a task – coaching. We progressed to review the required skills and behaviours. Then, we built an understanding of these behaviours, the ability to recognise one from the other and use them with intent before we asked participants to practice in a coaching environment.
What’s more – the coaching practice was real. We asked each participant to coach one of their peers to improve their use of a priority behaviour. Transferability was built in.
Move from tasks to transfer and transferability in 2026
Will more people in L&D teams think in similar ways as they approach the endless demand for new programmes to re-skill for today’s tasks? It is my wish that in this new year, it will catch on.
Happy 2026 and best of luck in your endeavours.
Robin Hoyle will be Chairing the World of Learning Summit at Olympia, London, on 3-4 February 2026. Find out more and book your spot.
