Case Study
How talent transformation positioned Koç Holding as a digital leader—and saved millions.
Industry
Conglomerate
How Udacity Helped
97%
of participants said they were able to apply their learning in their professional lives
74%
of participants stated that the program content was critical to their jobs
Koç (pronounced “coach”) Holding is the largest Turkish industrial conglomerate, employing over 100,000 people and operating factories and offices in over 40 countries. The only Turkish company in the Fortune Global 500, Koç Holding comprises more than 40 subsidiaries in a diverse set of industries including oil refining, automotive, durable goods, financial services, healthcare, retail, hospitality, and higher education. The organization’s commitment to consistent innovation has been critical to its success since its founding in 1963.
"The way we do business is rapidly evolving, and the skills we'll need tomorrow may be different than the capabilities we have today. Industry 4.0, the new digital industrial technology, will necessitate increasingly more advanced skill sets as new ways of doing business emerge. We will further enhance our long-term growth by embracing diversity and inclusion as well as digital transformation."
Özgür Burak Akkol
Human Resources & Industrial Relations President at Koç Holding
Challenge
Transforming Its Workforce for Digital Innovation and Growth
Koç Holding embarked on its journey with Udacity aware that ways of doing business are changing radically and that the competencies of its future workforce would need to be different from its present capabilities. Employees deal with vast quantities of data on a daily basis, so Koç Holding opted to optimize existing business practices using data science techniques.
Always looking to stay ahead of the curve, Koç Holding desired to create an efficient and digitally literate workforce by investing in its existing talent pool. Company leadership recognized that internal innovation would enable the firm to transform its employees and position itself for greater environmental, social, and governance impact as well as industry-wide growth.
Solution
Multiple Competency Learning Programs With Practical Exercises and Personalized Support
Koç Holding took advantage of Udacity’s technical training to create Nanodegree programs that would serve as catalysts for digital transformation. Since 2015, more than 1,300 employees have enrolled in Udacity learning programs in over 50 digital competencies including data analytics, artificial intelligence, programming, robotics, machine learning, digital marketing, and autonomous vehicles. Udacity’s coursework offers:
- Practical, hands-on learning exercises With courses taught by real-world industry professionals, employees take their newly acquired technical knowledge and apply it in simulated on-the-job scenarios.
- Unique, curated learning paths Koç Holding partnered with Udacity to build Nanodegree programs centered on long-term strategic goals in order to effectively transform its global workforce.
- Personalized support and feedback Learners have 24/7 access to over 1,400 dedicated mentors globally who provide useful insights, one-on-one support, and individualized feedback.
Outcome
Increased Revenue, Productivity, and Improved Operational Efficiencies With Udacity
Koç Holding collaborated with Udacity’s Customer Success team to create a Business Impact Report and determine the value of Udacity’s Nanodegree programs. The report examined how learners acquired and applied their knowledge, as well as the partnership’s return on investment, by examining how the competencies gained through the Udacity platform translated to business outcomes such as operational efficiencies, productivity gains, and revenue contribution.
The results were clear. The Business Impact Report concluded that Koç Holding was to expect a financial gain of $5.2 million USD by the end of 2022. The assessment also identified additional value in areas including improved performance, expanded business scope, cost reduction, internal resource utilization, and internally shared know-how. In short, Koç Holding has improved its bottom line and built a future-ready talent pool in the process.
Existing employees gained the competencies required to lead the industry’s digital revolution, employing Python, machine learning, AI, and other technologies to make their work more efficient and less prone to human error. According to a survey, 90% of employees in the Nanodegree program gained at least one level of competency on a 1-4 scale, and 60% of the learners said their job scope expanded.
In addition:
- 97% of participants said they were able to apply their learning in their professional lives.
- 71% of participants underlined that the training helped them operate more efficiently.
- 74% of participants stated that the program content was critical to their jobs.
- Udacity achieved an overall NPS score of 51 from Koç Holding learners, considered great based on global NPS standards.
Koç Holding has been at the forefront of global transformation in a range of industries and will continue to thrive in today’s rapidly digitizing business landscape for years to come by expanding its collaboration with Udacity to train employees in core and emerging technologies. The organization has cemented its dedication to developing a future-ready talent pool in Turkey by providing its employees with the specific knowledge and motivation they will need to continue exceeding customer expectations and improving their position as a market leader well into the future.
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