Schneider Electric accelerates path to digital leadership through workforce transformation with Coursera
- Location:
France
- Size:
22,000+ employees
- Industry:
Energy and Technology
- Topics:
Digital Transformation, AI & Data, Business Critical Skills
OVERVIEW
Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy and technology solutions, embarked on a transformation journey to become the most digital technology company and the leader in their market. This vision required accelerating skills development, particularly in AI, digital, and business-critical areas, at an unprecedented scale. In 2023, Schneider Electric partnered with Coursera, launching a small pilot with select teams. Following its success, the initiative expanded in 2024 to 22,000 employees in tech and digital roles worldwide. Within the first year, the program achieved notable engagement and demonstrated clear value, laying the foundation for a global rollout all employees in 2025.
THE CHALLENGE
Schneider Electric’s ambitious digital transformation goals demanded bridging critical skill gaps across their global workforce. Developing and maintaining in-house training content required significant resources and couldn’t keep pace with rapidly evolving technologies. Employees needed to quickly gain expertise in AI, data analytics, cybersecurity, and cloud computing—capabilities essential for competitive advantage. The company’s vision to become the most digital technology company in their sector required a fundamental shift in learning approach. Schneider Electric needed a scalable solution offering high-quality, ready-to-deploy content that could reach their global workforce while aligning with strategic priorities.
Maria Dima
Digital Academy VP, Schneider Electric
“To achieve our ambition as a digital leader, we must accelerate our critical AI and data skills. We chose Coursera for its market-leading catalog in these key topics and its ability to scale high-quality learning to our global tech workforce, aligning perfectly with our strategic priorities.”
“Coursera’s platform has provided our employees with the flexibility to learn and grow at their own pace, fostering a culture of continuous learning.”
THE SOLUTION
Strategic deployment focused on critical roles
Schneider Electric partnered with Coursera for its extensive, world-class catalog, covering a wide range of digital and business skills, specializations in data and AI, and deep insights into employee skill development. After a successful pilot targeting tech professionals in 2023, the initiative had expanded in 2024, to 22,000 employees in digital and tech roles—across diverse teams and regions—whose skill development would have the most immediate impact on business outcomes.
Rather than mandating specific courses, Schneider Electric empowered employees to drive their own learning journeys. The company promoted recommended courses for key skills while encouraging exploration through areas like AI-powered, on-demand Coach and personalized learning paths. Diverse learning formats—from short video clips to full certifications—accommodated a range of learning preferences and schedules. This hybrid approach respected employee autonomy while achieving company goals.
Building a culture of continuous learning
Schneider Electric’s “Learn Your Way” campaign showed employees how to integrate learning into their daily routines—during work hours, commuting via mobile app, or through offline downloads. A comprehensive communication strategy supported this initiative: Global demo sessions, monthly newsletters, and executive endorsements from the CHRO and CTO reinforced the importance of skill development. This executive sponsorship was spotlighted by a flagship global AI learning event featuring Coursera co-founder Andrew Ng, which was championed by Schneider Electric’s CTO and Chief AI Officer.
Regular feedback mechanisms, including mid-year surveys and monthly adoption calls with learning leaders, enabled continuous program refinement. Analytics dashboards helped managers support their teams’ progress, while public recognition of top learners fostered healthy competition and peer inspiration.
THE RESULTS
Schneider Electric’s strategic deployment of the Coursera platform yielded exceptional first-year results, far exceeding the initial 40% adoption target. They achieved a 66% join rate, with over 10,000 employees actively engaging in learning.
Key engagement metrics showed strong commitment to skill development:
- 44.84% active usage rate among invited employees (significantly above industry benchmarks)
- 91,970 total learning hours logged (9 hours average per learner)
- 11,000+ courses completed
Engagement proved particularly strong in critical business areas. Nearly 52% of employees in digital roles actively used the platform to upskill. The Strategy and Enterprise IT (Schneider Digital) teams showed exceptional participation, with over 60% of members leveraging Coursera for development.
Learning choices closely aligned with strategic priorities. Employees focused on high-impact areas including AI/generative AI, data, cybersecurity, cloud, and programming, alongside essential business and human skills like agile, project management, storytelling, and communication.
The pilot’s success generated organization-wide momentum. Multiple departments requested Coursera access for their teams, validating the approach and directly informing the decision to expand globally. This overwhelming interest demonstrated how strategic skill development creates appetite for continuous learning across the enterprise.
By delivering measurable engagement and business-aligned skill development, Schneider Electric built a compelling case for comprehensive workforce transformation. The 2025 global expansion positions every employee to contribute to the company’s digital leadership ambitions.
Impact Snapshot
44.84%
active usage rate
11,000+
courses completed
52%
engagement in digital roles