Future-Ready with LinkedIn Learning: Evonik Leads the Way!

Evonik Industries, with around 32,000 employees worldwide and a presence in more than 100 countries, is a global leader in specialty chemicals. The company is known for innovative and sustainable solutions that enhance everyday life.

Evonik may not manufacture tires, mattresses, medications, or animal feed, but Evonik is part of all of these products – and many more. While Evonik often contributes only small amounts of material, those contributions are precisely what make the difference: enabling tires to be fuel-efficient, mattresses to be more elastic, medications to be more effective, and animal feed to be healthier. Recognized as one of the world’s leading companies in specialty chemicals, Evonik doesn’t rest on its achievements. To stay competitive in today’s rapidly evolving world, even industry leaders must continuously innovate. Evonik recognizes this and is proactively cultivating a culture of self-directed learning to empower its employees’ growth and development.

The vision was clear: Evonik wanted to establish a self-directed learning culture, allowing employees to continually expand their skills and adapt to future challenges with greater flexibility. The company laid the foundation to turn this vision into reality.

The modern working world is more demanding than ever. Markets evolve so quickly that adapting to them is a constant task. Continuous learning is now more important than ever, especially for employees who have a right to opportunities for growth and support. Evonik set out to meet this need by offering a high-quality, diverse range of learning courses tailored to the varied needs of its workforce — complementing its existing in-house training programs. The goal was to approach training on non-business-specific topics in a new way by integrating an external, professional learning platform to enhance and expand its internally developed courses, programs, and resources.

With the resources freed up through this approach, Evonik could tailor its internal offerings even more precisely to the diverse needs of its target groups. At the same time, the company sought to promote a learning culture driven by personal initiative and self-direction. Economic challenges in the chemical industry and limited budgets for in-person training also required a cost-efficient yet effective learning solution.

Internal scepticism was also a challenge: Could courses from an external provider truly deliver the desired relevance and quality? This was a valid question, given Evonik’s need to address a wide range of learning requirements, driven by a substantial number of specialized, subject-specific training programs and a diverse audience. What defines a “good course” can differ significantly between target groups. Overcoming these doubts and scepticism was essential to ensure the acceptance and success of the learning offerings.

Evonik chose LinkedIn Learning to address the challenges outlined above. A carefully planned pilot phase with internal academies and stakeholders laid a crucial foundation for the platform’s acceptance. Initial concerns were largely alleviated through targeted communication and extensive feedback. By the time the learning platform became widely available within Evonik the acceptance was solidified.

The official launch was accompanied by a comprehensive communication campaign that included webinars, intranet articles, and targeted emails. Direct engagement with departments proved particularly effective, with tailored content and curated suggestions ensuring the platform truly addressed specific needs across different areas.

Courses are also used in in-person training as supplementary content for preparation or follow-up. LinkedIn Learning supported Evonik with various promotional material, learning challenge ideas, and specific content. A game-changer came with the introduction of translated subtitles, which significantly improved access for Evonik’s predominantly German-speaking workforce. All these measures not only boosted the platform’s acceptance but also helped establish a strong culture of self-directed learning across the organization.

LinkedIn Learning

"With LinkedIn Learning, we’ve built a foundation for a modern learning culture here at Evonik — one that motivates our employees to develop their skills independently. The platform has helped us provide high-quality content and make knowledge more accessible. Win-Win! But providing courses alone isn’t enough to drive learning culture; it’s crucial to keep at it and encourage departments to fully embrace these opportunities. However, in challenging economic times, this offering has proven invaluable, enabling us to provide a comprehensive learning portfolio anytime, anywhere. Our employees are happy, and so are we."

Joseph Greve

Digital Learning Expert, Evonik

About Evonik:

Evonik, with its global presence in over 100 countries and around 32,000 dedicated employees, is not only an industry leader but also a pioneer in employee development and continuous education. The partnership with LinkedIn Learning underscores this commitment, enabling employees to shape their careers independently and continuously develop their skills.

Evonik can proudly promote sustainable growth while having a positive impact on society and the environment. With its clear focus on innovation and excellence, the company always strives to provide the best solutions for today’s challenges and those of the future. This commitment sets Evonik apart from other companies.