As we welcome 2026, a look at last year’s most popular learning experiences give us insight into how professionals invested in their growth throughout 2025.
Across our workforce development programs, thousands of professionals turned to practical, human-centered skills to stay competitive in a fast-changing workplace. Whether leading people through change or managing complex projects, this year’s most popular courses, webinars and articles reveal where today’s workforce is investing its time and energy — and where organizations see the greatest return.
A Year in Learning: What Rose to the Top
The Most Popular Courses
- Coaching for Excellence
- Leading Change, Transitions, and People
- Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
- Negotiate for Agreement
- Introduction to Agile
These top choices tell a powerful story. Technical expertise still matters, but it’s the ability to coach others, think critically, lead through uncertainty and work across differences that sets professionals apart.
Right behind them were five courses from the Project Management Certificate — including Project Leadership, Risk Management, and Project Initiation — pointing to a continued demand for people who can bring structure, clarity and momentum to complex initiatives.
Together, these trends show how today’s professionals value empathy, communication and disciplined execution to achieve meaningful results.
The Webinars Professionals Showed Up For
Live engagement and on-demand views were strong throughout the year, with these webinars attracting the highest number of both live participants and viewers of the recorded videos on YouTube.
- Harness Emotional Intelligence in Project Leadership
- The Power of Collaboration
- Prioritize with Purpose
- Supporting Neurodivergence in the Workplace
- Master Meetings with Decision-Makers
The topics reflect what today’s professionals are really grappling with: how to lead people well, make smarter decisions and build workplaces where different ways of thinking are recognized as strengths.
The Articles That Resonated Most
This year’s most-read articles focused on similar core themes: collaboration, communication and prioritization.
- How Cross-Functional Collaboration Drives Success
- Cultural Fluency: Mastering Workplace Communication
- Beyond the Checklist
- Opportunity Unlocked
- Unlock Innovation: The Power of Cross-Functional Collaboration
The leading article alone drew more than several thousand readers, showing just how much professionals want practical guidance on working across teams, cultures and disciplines to drive stronger business outcomes.
What 2025 Tells Us About the Future of Work
Taken together, this year’s most popular learning experiences point to a clear message: professionals are investing in skills that help them lead, collaborate, and turn insight into action in an increasingly complex workplace.
As we move into 2026, lifelong learning isn’t about keeping up. It's about moving forward with intention.
We’re grateful to everyone who joined us last year, and we look forward to learning and growing with you in 2026.
Monique Dubos is a writer and content strategist with the U of M College of Continuing and Professionals Studies, where she covers the College’s noncredit professional development programs. Her previous beats included CCAPS's construction management, healthcare management, and IT infrastructure programs. She has also written for the Institute on the Environment, the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program, and various publications. Connect with her via LinkedIn.
