How Schneider Electric Drives Success with the Learn, Act, Advocate Framework

As organizations worldwide grapple with the rapid advancement of technologies like Generative AI (GenAI) and the growing skills gap, effective training strategies have never been more critical. One standout example in this landscape is Schneider Electric, whose highly successful "Learn, Act, Advocate" framework has transformed its workforce into a high-performing, innovative team.

Jean-Côme Renaudin, the Global Data & AI Academy Director, notes, "When I joined the company 20 years ago, we had tools that were a part of our tech stack for three years and would exist for another five. Tools like GenAI move at a difficult pace for organizations and individuals to follow. A continuous learning mindset and experimentation have become critical skills."

We recently spoke with Jean-Côme along with several other learning leaders for the Building High-Performing Teams Playbook.

In this article, we’ll explore Schneider Electric’s Learn, Act, Advocate framework and how you can apply it to your organization to scale out a successful training initiative.

The Learn, Act, Advocate Framework

The "Learn, Act, Advocate" framework is a strategic approach that ensures training is not only accessible but also impactful and sustainable. Here's how Schneider Electric implemented this model to great success:

Learn: Making Knowledge Accessible and Relevant

Jean-Côme emphasizes the importance of making learning content both known and accessible. "Many large organizations have a robust learning library ... but no one knows it exists," he says. Schneider Electric tackled this with high-quality, timely learning resources tailored to various functional teams. In 2024, 48,000 Schneider Electric employees completed AI training, with a total of 138,000 courses completed. "These numbers demonstrate that employees want to learn new and essential skills—they just need support," Jean-Côme highlights.

A key aspect of the "Learn" phase is removing barriers that create friction. Schneider Electric focused on specific technical training based on verified skills gaps, creating targeted curriculums and marketing them effectively: “We recommend Coursera courses on Data and AI ... The name of the game here is to market our offers. We built a marketing machine to recommend and ‘sell’ the training,” notes Renaudin.

Additionally, by segmenting learners into three groups—enthusiastic learners, directed learners, and hesitant learners—Schneider Electric tailored their training approach to meet varying levels of engagement and support needs. Renaudin’s strategy began with targeting those already eager to learn, explaining, “My first focus was on people who were already willing to learn ... with these eager learners, you can achieve a lot with minimal effort.” Recognizing the hypergrowth in data and AI skills, he prioritized “capturing that market” of willing learners, noting that engaging hesitant individuals demands considerably more time and resources.

Act: Connecting Theory with Real-World Application

The "Act" phase focuses on driving learner engagement and encouraging the practical application of newly acquired skills across the organization. Jean-Côme implemented several initiatives to bring this phase to life:

• Interactive Webinars: Schneider Electric organized monthly “Data & AI Talk” webinars focused on GenAI and value generation. These sessions, which feature customers and experts (like Coursera founder Andrew Ng), create a "sense of urgency that we need for change to happen," Renaudin shared. These webinars, open to all employees, led to spikes in course enrollments and completions.

• Promptathons: Creating excitement and competition, Schneider Electric hosted hundreds of hackathons and promptathons. For instance, a marketing promptathon challenged employees to build the best prompt for a marketing use case, resulting in a first-of-its-kind marketing prompt library. In 2024, 13,000 employees participated in these promptathons, allowing them to experiment with GenAI technology in the context of their work.

Advocate: Making the Change Stick

In the "Advocate" phase, the goal is to create a ripple effect by embedding the new skills and knowledge deeply within the organization and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. Schneider Electric identified enthusiastic learners and empowered them to champion learning within their teams.

Jean-Côme explains, “We need individuals on the ground to sell the merits of data and AI training and help with adoption of AI tools we deploy at scale. These local ‘AI champions’ replicate what we do on a global level. The approach is to empower them so they can contribute to the design of use cases, ideate on them, then communicate them to other learners.” Today, Renaudin and his team have more than 200 AI Adoption Champions across the organization, ensuring the adoption of AI use cases and generating new ideas.

By providing these champions with licenses and tools in advance of other learners, Schneider Electric enabled them to offer higher-level training and connect with learners in the beginning phases, boosting their engagement. Public recognition, such as sharing course completion certificates on the internal social network, further motivated employees by celebrating their achievements. "It's not just about learning," says Renaudin. "It's about change management. You need to make the learning sticky."

Results and Impact

Schneider Electric's commitment to the "Learn, Act, Advocate" framework yielded impressive results. From a smaller initial program for AI professionals, the initiative scaled in 2024 to reach 48,000 employees completing 138,000 courses. The organization's focused approach ensured that training was not just a checkbox exercise but a transformative journey that aligned with their strategic goals.

The results emphasize that employees are eager to learn and apply new skills when given the right support and opportunities. Jean-Côme summarizes the framework's success, stating, "Without the adoption of data and AI skills, we will not realize the promised value of AI transformation." This approach has not only scaled learning initiatives but also fostered a widespread culture of innovation within the company.

The "Learn, Act, Advocate" framework has proven to be a robust model for driving impactful training initiatives. Schneider Electric's success story serves as an inspiration, demonstrating that thoughtful, structured, and engaging training can empower employees to thrive in an ever-changing technological landscape. As Jean-Côme shares, "A continuous learning mindset and practical application are what keep us ahead.”