NTT DATA upskills over 1,100 business executives with Udacity to emerge as Cloud-ready leaders for their clients.

In order to meet the challenges posed by the advanced adoption of Cloud technology in the market, NTT DATA introduced an internal initiative for Cloud awareness, evangelization and training (beCloud – ThinkCloud). The main objective of this initiative is to ensure that the company’s professionals have the necessary skills to excel in this dynamic landscape where Cloud is not only a technology but mainly a new way of making technology.

By offering a flexible format, the company empowers its employees to take charge of their own learning journey, deciding when and how to engage with the program. Through the beCloud initiative, NTT DATA is fostering a culture of lifelong learning and ensuring that its professionals are equipped with the latest skills. The commitment to individual growth and improvement of skills is aligned with the NTT DATA strategic objectives and underscores their dedication to stay at the forefront of the industry.

By investing in the professional development of its employees, NTT DATA is not only strengthening its workforce but also positioning itself as a leader in the ever-evolving Cloud landscape. The Udacity Executive Training program plays a key role in this internal initiative targeting NTT DATA Executive Business Leaders.

NTT DATA has an internal unit called Cloud Services, comprising experts with extensive knowledge and experience in Cloud Technology and project implementation. To equip business leaders with the essential digital transformation skills needed to emerge as cloud-ready leaders, NTT DATA partnered with Udacity, a leading provider of hands-on technical upskilling programs. Working closely with Udacity’s talent transformation consultants, NTT DATA created a five-step framework to help business leaders across the organization master cloud computing skills, which included:

This program focused on the unique knowledge and skills that business leaders need to unlock the value of Cloud technologies in modern organizations, and to enable their clients and partners to leverage Cloud computing to drive growth and create operational efficiencies.

A core objective of Udacity’s content is skill application. This is why learners complete a real-world project where they have to develop a Cloud Strategy for an expanding company as part of their training. Three tailored versions of the original Nanodegree program were also developed to align the training content and duration to the specific roles and responsibilities of each business leader within the organization.

The Udacity classroom is a scalable platform that includes real- world projects reviewed by expert practitioners who provide personalized feedback to every learner.

To ensure the training program's success and enhance group engagement, both Udacity and NTT DATA's program management teams joined forces. Their collaborative efforts included conducting comprehensive feedback sessions at the end of each group phase.

In addition, dedicated mentors from Udacity were readily available to provide assistance to NTT DATA learners facing challenges or seeking clarification on any topics. These mentors played a vital role in ensuring a smooth and enriching experience for every participant.

This program was complemented with an additional bespoke lesson created jointly by the teams of Udacity and the Cloud Services unit of NTT DATA. Furthermore, the NTT DATA’s Alliances team facilitated sessions between the learners and their Cloud Hyperscalers partners. These sessions were organized to ensure that every member of the executive team gained first-hand knowledge of the offerings and the capabilities of each Cloud provider their clients work with.

Through Udacity’s tailored upskilling programs in Cloud technology, NTT DATA’s business leaders learned how to build a business case for Cloud projects, and how to address adoption challenges associated with people, process, and culture. Participants also learned how to set up a governance model for Cloud to enforce organizational policies while promoting business agility, and how to apply novel Cloud services to drive innovation. To date, more than 1,100 NTT DATA employees in leadership roles have graduated from the program.

The effects of Udacity's talent transformation initiatives at NTT DATA on the company's overall performance have been extraordinary. Here are some key performance indicators from Udacity’s partnership with NTT DATA:

• 95% of NTT DATA business leaders would recommend Udacity to their colleagues
• 81% of executives to increase their understanding of Cloud and its applications, making Udacity fundamental to their role 
• NTT DATA business leaders rated Udacity’s upskilling program 4.4 out of 5.0 based on its applicability to their roles
• 96% of students completed the Udacity Nanodegree program on time

Another important aspect of the program was that it increased overall leadership discourse on Cloud computing and gave substance to its potential application across the business. Udacity’s project-based approach equipped business leaders with job-ready skills that could be applied in real scenarios and business solutions at NTT DATA.