A great corporate university model focuses heavily on the individual as it:

Offers different courses and delivery methods for different types of learners with different needs and interests

Credits learners for taking courses and completing training programs

A top corporate university proves that by benefiting employees individually, the entire organization benefits. Let’s discuss the benefits of an effective corporate university—for the corporation and employees.

The Many Perks of a Corporate University

Getting the executive buy-in to establish a corporate university can sometimes be a tough sell. And it’s particularly hard if your organization already outsources training programs. Be sure to highlight the advantages to the organization as well as to the employees—and those benefits often overlap.

Here are the ways a corporate university is useful to a company (and its employees):

Increases leader retention. Keeping leaders in-house is an issue almost all growing organizations face. A corporate university gives learners the chance to progress to leadership positions. The institution is also a statement that the organization is serious about grooming leaders and promoting them from within.

Reinforces culture. An organization might be a great place to work, but onboarding and other training initiatives often don’t match the culture. A corporate university aligns with the brand and culture and helps solidify them across employees.

Supports innovation. Corporate universities are breeding grounds for new thoughts and ideas. Why? Because their structure fosters natural discussion and collaboration among students.

Provides complete control over how users experience content. Your learners have different learning styles—some learn best through videos whereas others prefer microlearning updates sent to their phone. Because a corporate university is not outsourced, you can choose the content delivery methods that suit your learners best. In the next section, you’ll find a list of dazzling corporate universities.

5 Noteworthy Corporate University Examples

Check out these five high-level learning organizations and how they’re using corporate universities to their full potential.

1. Google’s Googleplex

Googleplex—Google’s Mountain View complex—might be the closest a corporate university has been to a traditional university experience. In it, the magic of Google’s corporate learning happens, allowing its employees to:

Explore spontaneous interactions with each other as learners

Enjoy the campus’ architecture, which embodies Google’s soul—made of its innovative brand and groundbreaking culture

Spend up to 20% of the workweek on pet projects that uplift their ambition to stratospheric levels