💡 Our Technical Review in summary
#### Summary
Microsoft is transitioning Viva Learning from the “Manage interest” feature to “Manage People Skills” to better align with skill-based development. The legacy interest-based system will be officially retired and replaced by December 31, 2025. This shift is designed to streamline administrative tasks and focus on more actionable skill data within the organization.
Microsoft is transitioning Viva Learning from the “Manage interest” feature to “Manage People Skills” to better align with skill-based development. The legacy interest-based system will be officially retired and replaced by December 31, 2025. This shift is designed to streamline administrative tasks and focus on more actionable skill data within the organization.
#### Impact on the Organization
- Data Deletion: All existing interest data—including user-selected interests, interest inventories, and manual interest tags—will be permanently deleted on the retirement date.
- Administrative Changes: IT Admins will lose the ability to import, manage, or modify interest lists within the Viva Learning admin panel.
- End-User Experience: Users will no longer be able to browse or select interests. The interface elements associated with “Interests” will be removed and replaced by “People Skills.”
- Feature Replacement: The “Manage People Skills” feature will become the primary mechanism for tracking and recommending content based on professional capabilities.
#### Action Required
- Feature Evaluation: Review and test the “Manage People Skills” feature within the Viva Learning environment to understand its functionality compared to the legacy interest feature.
- Activation: Enable “Manage People Skills” for your organization prior to the December 31, 2025, deadline to ensure a seamless transition for users.
- Documentation Update: Revise internal SharePoint sites, training manuals, and “How-to” guides to remove references to “Interests” and replace them with “People Skills.”
- Communication: Brief helpdesk staff and L&D (Learning and Development) teams regarding the change to handle potential inquiries about the removal of interest-based content.
- Data Assessment: Since interest data will be permanently deleted, determine if your organization needs to manually record any specific user interest trends before the feature is retired.
Microsoft Official Update
Service: N/A
Category: planForChange
Severity: normal
[Introduction]
To streamline learning experiences and focus development efforts, we’re retiring the Manage interest feature in Viva Learning and replacing it with Manage People Skills. This change reflects our commitment to enhancing skill-based learning and simplifying admin management.
[When this will happen:]
This change will take effect on December 31, 2025.
[How this affects your organization:]
- Who is affected: Organizations currently using the Manage interest feature in Viva Learning.
- What will happen:
- The Manage interest feature will be retired and removed from Viva Learning.
- Admins will no longer be able to import or manage interests.
- Users will no longer be able to select or view interests.
- All existing interest data—including user-selected interests, interest inventory, and manual interest tags—will be permanently deleted.
- The Manage People Skills feature will be available as the recommended replacement.
[What you can do to prepare:]
- Before December 31, 2025:
- Explore and test the Manage People Skills feature in Viva Learning.
- Enable Manage People Skills for your organization to ensure a smooth transition.
- Communicate this change to helpdesk and training teams.
- Update internal documentation to reflect the new feature.
- After December 31, 2025:
- No action is needed to remove Manage interest; it will be automatically replaced.
- Learn more: Migrating from interests to people skills in Viva Learning
[Compliance considerations:]
No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.
