Corporate University: Consulting Firm Case Study

Continuing education and training are vital in technical organizations for at least two reasons. One is to keep pace with rapid changes in technology. The other is preparing selected technically oriented individuals to assume responsibilities for non-technical functions such as project management and marketing. During the past decade, the continuing education and training programs of engineering organizations, especially consulting engineering firms, have undergone major changes. The shift is from an ad hoc, individual-focused model to a planned, organization-focused model. Described in this paper is an example of the latter. Included in this case study of a consulting firm's corporate university are the reasons for forming the corporate university, the expected business benefits, the organizational structure, the curriculum, and a summary of the initial operations. The case study is presented in sufficient detail so that other organizations might benefit from the experience.