At Learning Technologies 2023, 3-4 May in London, Serena Gonsalves-Fersch examines the challenges of starting up and running a corporate academy.

Corporate academies are back, and they’re different. Always business-focused, they are now more agile and focused not just on technical skills, but also on leadership and playing a strategic role in workforce planning and talent acquisition. For organisations serious about a long-term skill strategy, they demand consideration. This is the story of two academies making a difference to their organisations.

Learning Technologies Conference Chair, Donald H Taylor, said: "The corporate academy is one pillar in a strategy of continuous workforce learning. Although it has a long history, it has long evolved away from the corporate monolith of mid-twentieth century. Today’s academies are slimmer, more responsive, and capable of meeting corporate learning needs in both the short- and long-term."

In this session we hear from two case studies implementing different approaches to the corporate academy – in software and in manufacturing. Both provide ongoing training and development opportunities to employees, but their context, content and challenges are very different.

And modern corporate academies go beyond training. They can, and often are, tied directly into workforce planning, future skills development and resource management, playing a strategic role with talent acquisition.

We will examine the challenges of starting up and running a corporate academy, including identifying the right mix of skills and training programmes, choosing the best delivery mechanisms and going beyond training. 

Serena Gonsalves-Fersch's session, "Building organisational capability with corporate academies", takes place on day one of the conference, 3 May, and covers:

• Building support for academy launch and ongoing provision
• The positive motivational impact of academies
• Online or face-to-face? Selecting the right delivery mechanisms
• Ensuring your academy remains flexible and responsive to business needs
• Widening the scope of your academy beyond training.