Blended Learning For Training Providers: Online and Face-To-Face Delivery

Ask ten training providers how they feel about blended learning right now and you will get ten different answers. Some swear by it. Some tried it, scaled it back, and went looking for what worked before. Most are somewhere in the middle, using a mix of online and face-to-face delivery across their courses.

That mixed picture is not just a feeling. It shows up clearly across two years of industry data, and it matters for how training providers plan their delivery model going forward.

What the 2025 data showed about blended learning for training providers

According to accessplanit's 2025 State of the Training Industry Benchmark Report, the proportion of providers offering blended learning as a course type fell from 57% in 2024 to 41% in 2025, the biggest fall of any course type in the report. Blended learning also showed the largest gap between what providers planned and what actually happened: 62% expected to focus on it, but only 41% ended up offering it. The report's own reading is that hybrid models proved more challenging, or less popular, than expected.

That does not mean providers stopped using online or face-to-face delivery. In 2025, in-person classroom training was still used by 80% of providers, eLearning by 64% and live virtual training by 56%. As the report itself puts it, providers are maintaining a mix of approaches, with no single method overwhelmingly taking over.

The same report found that "more interest in classroom learning" was the biggest opportunity for training providers in 2025, cited by 41% of them, a sign of renewed demand for in-person learning. At the same time, on-demand formats had not gone away. In 2025, 29% of learners said they wanted podcasts as part of their learning journey, yet only 9% of providers offered them. On-demand webinars showed a similar gap, preferred by 43% of learners but delivered by only 20% of providers.

So the honest conclusion was not "blended learning is booming" or "blended learning is dying." It was that blending well is harder than it looks, and providers who combine formats thoughtfully, rather than bolting digital content onto a classroom course for the sake of it, are the ones getting it right.

What has changed in 2026

Now in its tenth year, accessplanit's 2026 State of the Training Industry Benchmark Report suggests that picture has matured rather than reversed.

In accessplanit's own summary of the 2026 findings, blended learning is described as having settled into a more realistic position after the rapid experimentation of previous years, while classroom and in-house training continue to hold a very strong position across the industry. Rather than one delivery method replacing another, the industry appears to be finding a more balanced mix.

Interest in the classroom remains a clear theme. In 2026, 37% of providers pointed to more interest in classroom learning, down from 41% the year before but still a strong sign of the continued value of face-to-face training alongside digital delivery.

The gap between what learners want and what providers deliver has also shifted. On the report's headline figures, 22% of learners now want podcasts, compared with 12% of providers offering them. That gap has narrowed from 20 percentage points in 2025 to 10 in 2026, with adoption increasing, but it has not closed. Video shows an even wider gap, with 51% of learners wanting it against 37% of providers delivering it.

The pressures on providers have changed too. Lack of resources (41%) and maintaining quality in a fast-moving, AI-driven market (39%) were named as the biggest challenges facing providers in 2026, while nearly 60% of providers now use AI in some capacity.

Taken together, the two reports tell a consistent story. Blended learning has not disappeared. It has become more deliberate.

Why online and face-to-face delivery still work best together

For training providers, the real value of combining delivery methods is not the mix itself but what each format is good at. Face-to-face sessions still do the heaviest lifting for practical skills, group discussion, and the kind of nuanced feedback that is hard to replicate on a screen. Online elements are better suited to theory, pre-reading, assessment, and giving learners the flexibility to revisit material at their own pace.

Used well, this combination gives learners the best of both without asking them to sacrifice either. A course that sends pre-work online before a face-to-face session, for example, means classroom time can be spent on discussion and application rather than covering the basics from scratch. A webinar series that includes an in-person practical day part way through gives learners a chance to build relationships with trainers and peers, which can make a real difference to how engaged they stay and how likely they are to recommend the course.

That last point matters more than it might seem. Reputation and word of mouth has been the most popular marketing method in accessplanit's survey for six years running, and in 2025, 34% of providers named it their most effective marketing method. The 2026 report found it remains the most effective channel, continuing to outperform all other methods. Delivery quality, and the learner experience that comes with it, feeds directly into that reputation. A well-designed blend is not just a nice-to-have for the learner; it is part of what keeps a training business growing.

Accrediting a blended learning course

If you deliver a blended course, it can be accredited with The CPD Group as a course in its own right, in the same way as a classroom or online course. A blended course is simply another way of delivering a course, and it goes through the same process.

Our specialist accreditation compliance team reviews every course submitted to us, verifying the content and mapping it against our published A.C.C.R.E.D.I.T.E.D Framework. Every course is assessed individually and on its own merits, never as part of a blanket approval.

That matters, because accreditation plays a real part in how learners choose training. In accessplanit's 2025 report, 24% of learners said they would find a training course through an accreditation body, second only to search engines. accessplanit's 2026 summary also notes that accreditation bodies continue to play an important role in how learners find courses. And research from The CPD Register in 2025 found that 80% of learners verify CPD accreditation before purchasing training.

Once accredited, your course is listed on The CPD Register, so learners can verify its accreditation independently before they commit. That transparency is increasingly what sets credible providers apart. In the 2025 benchmark report, 15% of providers' comments on the state of the industry focused on course quality, with many feeling they were competing against low-quality and unregulated courses. One provider summed it up simply: "Too many rogue centres and trainers." In 2026, maintaining quality in a fast-moving, AI-driven market was named by 39% of providers as one of their biggest challenges.

Practical starting points for training providers

If you are a training provider weighing up how much to blend and where, a few starting points are worth considering rather than any one-size-fits-all formula.

Start with what the content actually needs, not what looks impressive on a course outline. Practical, hands-on skills usually need face-to-face time. Theory, compliance content, and anything learners will want to revisit is generally better suited to online delivery.

Think about what your learners are asking for, not just what is easiest to build. The gaps around podcasts, video and on-demand content in both the 2025 and 2026 data suggest there is still room for providers willing to offer more flexible formats, provided the core learning outcomes are not compromised in the process.

Finally, hold every element of a blended course to the same standard. A strong classroom session does not automatically make a strong online module, and vice versa. Learners should get a consistent experience whichever way they are learning.

Blended learning has not disappeared, and it has not taken over either. For training providers, the opportunity lies in being deliberate about which format does which job, and making sure every part of that mix, online and face-to-face alike, is held to the same standard. If you are building or refining a blended course and want it properly recognised, The CPD Group can help you get it accredited.

Looking for CPD Accreditation? We accredit a wide range of CPD activities, so take a look at the different types of accreditation we offer to find what suits you best:

• CPD Courses
• CPD Webinars
• CPD Edutorials
• CPD Audio Podcasts
• CPD Video Podcasts
• CPD Accredited Events
• CPD Trainers
• CPD Employers

The CPD Group's published A.C.C.R.E.D.I.T.E.D Framework provides transparency around the standards we apply to learning activities, with every activity independently assessed on its own merit against the relevant accreditation requirements. As a value-added service, we submit all accredited activities to The CPD Register on behalf of the provider, providing a transparent and independent way to verify accreditation status.

How to become an accredited CPD Provider We hope this article was helpful. The CPD Group is the first CPD accreditation organisation to be certified by The CPD Register, working with over 13,000 approved providers across 170+ countries and 100+ industries. Every course, webinar, event or podcast we accredit is assessed on its own merit, never as part of a blanket approval.

If you're delivering training, running events, hosting a podcast, or creating any learning content that offers genuine professional development value, we'd love to help you get it accredited. Visit our Become a CPD Provider page or contact our team for a friendly chat about what we can do for you. If you're a learner looking to track, store and verify your own CPD, create your free CPD Passport - it connects directly to The CPD Register for instant verification of your accredited learning.

This content is provided by The CPD Group, a CPD accreditation service for training providers. We help training organisations demonstrate quality standards through independent CPD certification.