When you think of a corporate university, images of boring training sessions and hours of video might come to mind. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Corporate universities have evolved over the years. From Google to Disney, they’re now more than just an afternoon of mandatory video tutorials. And they’re more meaningful and effective than ever before.

Corporate universities can be a major play in employee productivity and retention and add value to an organization’s culture. Many employees love the idea of learning within a college-like infrastructure without leaving their office.

A corporate university is an educational institution within a corporation. It provides learning and development activities tailored to the corporation’s employees, according to the corporation’s interests and needs.

That includes the delivery of company-specific management training and leadership development with the ultimate aim of maintaining corporate competitiveness in ever-changing markets.

Corporate universities can be online or have physical facilities just like a university campus—in fact, corporate universities can partner up with higher education institutions for expanded learning opportunities. Employees can even obtain professional certifications at different levels by enrolling in a corporate university.

Above all, a corporate university is a strategic tool of a corporation to achieve its business goals. But let’s talk more about the value they bring to organizations.

Why Are Corporate Universities Important?

You hope that employees come prepared and ready to tackle their jobs, right? But the truth is, what they learned at traditional academic institutions might not be enough. Sometimes, higher-education programs fail to prepare students for the real world of a high-level organization.

It’s just not possible to emulate the culture and context of an organization as if you were already its employee. And that’s the accuracy that corporate universities have that no academic institution will ever have.

On top of that, many employees join a company wanting to learn in order to move up in the company over their career. Why leave all that potential and drive behind? Corporate universities serve these employees’ learning and development needs too.

At the end of the day, a corporate university seeks to create prepared, educated, and confident employees—they’re a sort of incubator of great employees.

However, companies didn’t create successful corporate universities on the first try…or the next one. For decades, corporations struggled to find a model that appealed to their employees. So, what did corporations learn to find a model that worked?

The Evolution of Corporate Universities

Corporate universities b

When you think of a corporate university, images of boring training sessions and hours of video might come to mind. But it doesn’t have to be that way! Corporate universities have evolved over the years. From Google to Disney, they’re now more than just an afternoon of mandatory video tutorials. And they’re more meaningful and effective than ever before.

Corporate universities can be a major play in employee productivity and retention and add value to an organization’s culture. Many employees love the idea of learning within a college-like infrastructure without leaving their office.

A corporate university is an educational institution within a corporation. It provides learning and development activities tailored to the corporation’s employees, according to the corporation’s interests and needs.

That includes the delivery of company-specific management training and leadership development with the ultimate aim of maintaining corporate competitiveness in ever-changing markets.

Corporate universities can be online or have physical facilities just like a university campus—in fact, corporate universities can partner up with higher education institutions for expanded learning opportunities. Employees can even obtain professional certifications at different levels by enrolling in a corporate university.

Above all, a corporate university is a strategic tool of a corporation to achieve its business goals. But let’s talk more about the value they bring to organizations.
Why Are Corporate Universities Important?

You hope that employees come prepared and ready to tackle their jobs, right? But the truth is, what they learned at traditional academic institutions might not be enough. Sometimes, higher-education programs fail to prepare students for the real world of a high-level organization.

It’s just not possible to emulate the culture and context of an organization as if you were already its employee. And that’s the accuracy that corporate universities have that no academic institution will ever have.

On top of that, many employees join a company wanting to learn in order to move up in the company over their career. Why leave all that potential and drive behind? Corporate universities serve these employees’ learning and development needs too.

At the end of the day, a corporate university seeks to create prepared, educated, and confident employees—they’re a sort of incubator of great employees.

However, companies didn’t create successful corporate universities on the first try…or the next one. For decades, corporations struggled to find a model that appealed to their employees. So, what did corporations learn to find a model that worked?
The Evolution of Corporate Universities

Corporate universities became popular in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1914, both GE and GM implemented corporate training programs on topics such as safety and compliance. Nevertheless, the idea didn’t catch on until 1950, when the corporate university model started emerging.

In the 1980s, most corporations adopted the idea of employee training to help create a more consistent experience across branches. So, the value of corporate universities gained traction. By the 21st century, over 2,000 corporations had one.

Nonetheless, despite the traction, workplace learning had a bad reputation. Employees perceived it as too corporate—centered on profit and productivity for the organization instead of the individual. But corporations figured out how to change that narrative.

Became popular in the 1980s and early 1990s. In 1914, both GE and GM implemented corporate training programs on topics such as safety and compliance. Nevertheless, the idea didn’t catch on until 1950, when the corporate university model started emerging.

In the 1980s, most corporations adopted the idea of employee training to help create a more consistent experience across branches. So, the value of corporate universities gained traction. By the 21st century, over 2,000 corporations had one.

Nonetheless, despite the traction, workplace learning had a bad reputation. Employees perceived it as too corporate—centered on profit and productivity for the organization instead of the individual. But corporations figured out how to change that narrative.（May 28, 2022 https://elmlearning.com/blog/the-corporate-university-shift/）