When global data analytics company Equifax made the decision to move all of its data to the cloud and become a Google-based organization, leadership knew it would ultimately streamline operations. But first? They had to make sure their employees knew how to actually use
As the organization explored learning and development opportunities, leaders had their work cut out for them: According to a 2022 University of Phoenix report, 89% of employers think their
To close that gap and ensure engagement, Equifax in 2019 partnered with digital education provider Coursera, which, among other things, is certified to provide education on the Google suite of products. The key to employee participation has since been a combination of communication, incentives and personalized learning.
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"Whether you have an interest in this technology or your job is bumping up against technology, — or you don't do anything in the
Equifax set a lofty goal to have 1,000 of its technologists become cloud-certified by 2023. In addition to reaching that milestone early in October of 2022, the coursework — which consists of dynamic lessons ranging from readings and videos to hands-on assignments and guided projects — is available to all of Equifax's 14,000 employees, should they choose to participate.
The success of the program among technologists didn't just encourage Equifax to open up those learnings to other staffers, but to also explore additional courses available through Coursera, which has over 118 million learners on their platform worldwide.
"When the Google Cloud certification went well in meeting Equifax's technical needs, they realized that they also had professional-skills needs as well, and opportunities to build leadership," says Trena Minudri, Coursera's VP and chief learning officer. "So they then went on to participate in our Leadership Academy, which addresses the pain points most businesses need skilling in — things like feedback, coaching, storytelling, making data-driven decisions."
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To keep learners engaged in all lessons, Coursera works with clients to keep employees pushing forward, and to ensure that leadership is embedding the value of learning in their modeled behavior as well as top-down communications. Upcoming AI-powered tools from Coursera will further provide personalized feedback and support for all learners.
"During the pandemic we saw a bit of Zoom fatigue, and that's something we're always focused on within Coursera: How do you keep people moving?" Minudri says. "It's a true partnership between what we can do on our end and what our clients can do. And on our end, we'll nudge through content and emails, and we also vary the content so there's reading, then a video, then an assessment — so you're constantly engaged and getting feedback."
For Equifax's part, to encourage participation in Coursera's Google coursework, the organization ran targeted internal branding and marketing campaigns, and incentivized participation through a rewards program that gave "Bravo points" to employees who became Google certified starting in 2021; 92% of the participation goal had been reached by the end of that year.
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"Our team members jumped all over that program," Thomas says. "These points can be used in our 'store' to purchase everything from flights to vacations to a new vacuum cleaner, so they're very practical and valuable gifts."
Tracking the success of any program is perhaps just as vital as getting employees to participate in the first place. As learners complete courses, Equifax and the individual employees were able to watch their proficiency and skill sets grow, helping to identify potential gaps. Pulse surveys help Equifax keep up with learner satisfaction; the Google certification programs earned a 4.8 out of 5. More than 80% of the data analytics team reported feeling as though they had personally developed their skills, and more than 50% said they feel more connected to their employer.
Providing learning and development opportunities has ongoing benefits for Equifax, Thomas says, and is strengthening the culture within the organization and being positioned as part of the company's value proposition for new recruits.
"Every team member wants to know that their company wants to invest in them, and to feel like it's a two-way relationship," she says. "Equifax is committed to making our team members more employable, and making sure they love what they do. And Coursera is a key resource to drive that message."
