To solve this challenge, the AllianzU team chose LinkedIn Learning (LiL) to give their employees a consistent, modernized learning experience. “With LiL, people are able to get the information they need, when they need it,” Duttweiler said. “They no longer need to depend on a course catalog or wait for training.”

Allianz employees also cited the mobile capabilities as a plus. "LiL delivers learning anytime, anywhere, on any device, online or offline," said Jacqui Knight. "This is so important because we can start, stop, and pick up again — right at the times we're available."

Derek Halen agreed. “It’s a never-stop learning tool,” he said. “Not everyone’s schedule is the same, and you can access it day or night.”

Five months in, the AllianzU team was blown away by the results. Already, 28,000 employees had signed up for LiL and viewed 30,000+ hours of learning. The year before, the average Allianz employee participated in just three training days. With on-demand learning from LiL, employees exponentially magnified their development.

Most importantly, every single Allianz employee around the globe has the same learning opportunity. “We can finally tell every employee at Allianz – ‘this is for you’,” Duttweiler said.

For Allianz employees, LinkedIn Learning provided a natural way to learn — searching for courses is simple and then it starts providing recommendations based on a learner’s interests. The personalization made it easy for employees to log in and find what they wanted right away.

LiL empowered employees to take charge of their own development, a sentiment echoed by Allianz employee Elle Dodds-Thompson. “I love that you can look at courses that are in line with your creative development or your outside interests. The fact that I don’t have to go back to university to study, that I can do it here at work and at my own pace — it’s amazing.”

The AllianzU team also curates playlists for employees to help them focus their time. If people need a little guidance, or want to follow a learning path that’s important for Allianz specifically, that material is there and ready for them.

Allianz is also using LinkedIn’s unique insights to prepare their workforce for tomorrow’s challenges. “We’re running an analytics project to identify job families and skills that will be relevant in the next three years,” Duttweiler said. “And with the insights from LinkedIn, we can curate lists that align to our future strategy and see if people are learning about those skills — and keep adjusting from there.”

Employees at Allianz know how important it is to stay sharp for the future. “LiL is the latest trend in digital learning and is the first step towards digital upskilling,” said Dalia Elrasheedy. “Digital learning is the future.”

With the investment in LinkedIn Learning, Allianz now better meets the professional needs of their workforce. “Career growth now is less like a ladder and more like a lattice, where you move around and constantly change,” Duttweiler said. “And the average shelf-life of a skill now is less than five years, so you need to stay sharp.”

Now with LinkedIn Learning, Allianz can facilitate that development. “Allianz is determined to provide our employees with the opportunities to constantly hone and enhance their skills so they remain employable in the future,” said Christian Finckh, chief human resource officer at Allianz.

Duttweiler cites the company’s values as the main driver of that determination. “We believe learning is not a privilege—it’s a right,” she said. “That’s the principle of what we’re doing with AllianzU: putting the learner first.”

That strategy has certainly paid off for the AllianzU team. Their advice to other companies who face the same challenges? “It’s not enough to just offer up LinkedIn Learning as a solution. Get your leaders on board, tie it into other company culture initiatives, and empower your people to learn in a whole new way.”