How an employee leaderboard helped transform training at Globe Group

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Editor’s note: We first introduced Globe Group and its Athena Guild cloud training program in an October 2021 blog post. In this update, we’ll share new insights on Globe’s latest successes with the AWS Skills Guild cloud skills training framework.

As a leading digital solutions platform and telecommunications provider in the Philippines, Globe serves 90 million mobile subscribers and 3.4 million home broadband customers. Maintaining that leadership position in the increasingly competitive telecommunications industry relies on its cloud-first business strategy and in attracting the most technically adept employees—and retaining them longer.

For Globe, the decision to focus on cloud skills training continues to pay off in modernizing and future-proofing its organization—and greatly improved employee job satisfaction levels. Globe is currently utilizing the full range of the AWS Skills Guild framework to deliver flexible cloud skills training throughout its enterprise, which focuses on helping enterprises attract and retain top cloud talent while building high-engagement cloud training programs focused on curiosity, excitement, and innovation.

When Globe launched its training program in 2020, branded as Athena Guild, its goals included:

• Creating a common cloud language to foster innovation internally and with its partners;
• Improving business outcomes by streamlining operations; and
• Building an organizational framework with clear visibility of cloud roles across its operational teams

To date since its kickoff, 4,100 employees have participated in AWS Training sessions, and the number of employees who have AWS Certifications has grown 25%. Ernest Cu, Globe Group CEO, believes the Athena Guild program has already paid valuable dividends with even more room for future success.

Cu explains, “We hope to increase the collective knowledge of Globe as a cloud community…and create cloud ways of working and highly capable cloud champions who’ll bring our products and services to even greater heights.”

Driving excitement for training with the digital “leaderboard”

To ramp staff up quickly and comprehensively, Globe designed its cloud enablement program to maximize engagement. The program was rolled out at a dedicated launch event, which featured keynotes from Globe’s CEO and CIO. Following that splash, weekly learning sessions drove its momentum.

While in-person sessions and physical prizes were planned to incentivize participation, COVID-19 protocols inspired a creative pivot. Instead of in-person events, Globe transformed its training to be completely virtual. They unveiled a digital leaderboard where employees could earn points and win prizes and recognition through learning engagements.

The leaderboard was promoted at the launch and weekly learning sessions, as well as by the organization’s executive sponsors, who were vocal and engaged in driving organizational focus for the training program. Prizes and badges were awarded to employees as they hit completed activities, like attending training, or achieving point-based milestones.

Over 3,400 Globe employees attended AWS trainings during the leaderboard initiative, and employee membership in their cloud community of practice – the Athena Guild – grew 62%.

Improving collaboration across groups based on common cloud knowledge

Throughout its training journey, Globe has taken an agile and adaptable approach to cloud skills training. This has resulted in continued improvement in collaboration across the company. All groups now have a common language to discuss the AWS Cloud: IT and business teams can communicate more effectively than ever before. In turn, that collaboration has led to impressive outcomes such as reduced operational costs, more efficient use of technical resources, and shorter times between design and go-live checkpoints. For example, over the first 15 months of Athena, Globe saved about $1.5M USD (75M PHP) in operational costs.

Not only is Globe well on its way to closing its cloud skills gap—it’s now attracting new talent who value ongoing professional development and expanded career opportunities. And with the right talent in place, the company continues to deliver the leading-edge products and services its customers demand.

To learn more about our wide range of resources for enterprise team training on the AWS Digital Transformation Center.