Corporate training has become a strategic priority for organizations that need to develop new capabilities and address challenges such as digitalization, AI, and changes to their business models and leadership approaches.
According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, 63% of employers identify skills gaps as one of the main barriers to business transformation.
In this context, talent and learning leaders need to choose a training partner that understands their challenges and can provide a learning solution that delivers tangible results for the organization. But how can they choose the right partner?
Esade’s experience in Corporate Learning Solutions shows that finding the right partner involves much more than selecting from an existing portfolio of programs. Customization, co-creation, and the ability to measure results are among the key factors to consider. This guide explains what to look for before making a decision.
Custom corporate training vs. an existing program portfolio
A program portfolio offers predesigned courses focused on specific skills or areas of development. These can be useful for professionals with different backgrounds and business needs. Custom training, by contrast, starts with a specific business challenge, and the learning solution is designed around it.
For example, if someone needs to strengthen a particular skill, such as finance for non-financial professionals, negotiation, or project management, a program from the existing portfolio may meet that need.
By contrast, if a company operates in a sector with specific technical requirements, needs to prepare its teams to integrate AI into their processes, or wants to develop new capabilities across several areas of the business in a coordinated way, a custom solution makes it possible to address the company’s specific circumstances and tailor the learning experience to its objectives.
That’s why, when evaluating corporate training solutions, it can be particularly useful to work with a partner that offers both options and can recommend the most appropriate one for each need.
Customization and co-creation
Customization starts with a thorough diagnosis. Before defining the content, the partner should identify the capabilities the organization needs to develop, the changes it wants to achieve, and the teams and professionals who will be key to making those changes happen.
It is also important to establish how involved the company will be in the design process. In a co-creation process, the partner brings academic expertise, methodology, and an external perspective, while the organization contributes its knowledge of its strategy, culture, and internal context.
This collaboration makes it possible to design training that is tailored to the company’s context while remaining open to new perspectives and approaches. In this way, customized corporate training can become a key driver of the capability development the organization needs.
Track record, success stories, and the ability to measure results
When assessing a partner’s track record, look at the depth of its experience, the quality of its expertise, and its ability to address complex challenges. Experience working with similar types of professionals, or addressing challenges comparable to those faced by the organization, is an added advantage.
Success stories help show how that experience translates into practice: what the challenge was, what solution was designed, how it was implemented, and what results were achieved.
It is also worth examining how the partner evaluates results. Attendance and satisfaction provide useful information, but on their own, they cannot tell you whether participants have developed new capabilities and are applying them at work.
How to assess training delivery throughout the program
Training delivery should also be assessed while the program is underway. Once training has begun, check whether the partner:
- Monitors the program systematically.
- Meets agreed milestones.
- Maintains clear lines of communication.
- Responds promptly to issues or changes.
- Collects feedback, identifies deviations, and makes the necessary adjustments to content, activities, or formats.
A corporate learning system
A corporate learning system provides an overview of how an organization develops its employees’ skills. Rather than addressing each training request in isolation, it helps identify which capabilities are priorities, which groups need to develop them, and which type of solution is best suited to each need.
This framework can bring together custom corporate programs, open-enrollment programs, coaching, peer learning, projects that put learning into practice, and shorter, modular formats.
From this perspective, executive education becomes a strategic asset, moving beyond a series of isolated initiatives to form part of a broader talent development strategy.
How to draw up a corporate training services agreement: A checklist before signing
- Scope: The needs the program addresses, the groups it targets, and the services included.
- Solution design: Content, methodology, formats, and degree of customization.
- Roles and responsibilities: What the training partner is responsible for and what the internal team will handle.
- Deadlines and schedule: Project phases, key dates, and implementation milestones.
- Deliverables: Sessions, materials, resources, and other items each party must provide.
- Monitoring and review: How and when the program’s progress will be reviewed, who will be involved, and how any necessary adjustments will be agreed upon.
- Evaluation: Indicators, measurement methods, and when results will be assessed.
- Specific terms: Confidentiality, data processing, and ownership of materials, where applicable.
Signs of successful corporate training
Successful corporate training does more than help people learn. It translates that learning into meaningful changes for individuals and the organization. Signs of success include:
- Participants apply what they have learned to real situations and decisions at work.
- There are observable changes in capabilities or behaviors linked to the program’s objectives.
- Projects or initiatives associated with the training move forward and produce concrete results.
Corporate training trends your partner should be aware of
One of the main trends in corporate training is the growing use of data to personalize learning. According to Deloitte’s Talent Agility Leadership Survey 2025, 71% of respondents believed that personalized, data-driven learning can help close skills gaps.
Flexible, modular learning paths are also gaining ground, along with approaches that combine in-person, online, and blended learning with experiential methods tied to real-world challenges.
Microcredentials are another part of this evolution.
At the same time, technological advances are making human skills increasingly important. A 2026 Deloitte study found that 63% of professionals expect human skills to become more important over the next two years. Training partners should therefore be able to combine technology with the development of human skills.
How Esade works with organizations on customized solutions
At Esade, Corporate Learning Solutions follow a process of analysis, design, implementation, and continuous development. Drawing on each organization’s strategic context, business challenges, and capability needs, Esade co-creates tailored learning experiences and delivers them through a practical, experiential approach. Results are evaluated to help refine and develop the solutions over time.
Read about our work with clients such as Deutsche Bank, ECCBC, and CaixaBank.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to implement a corporate training program?
It depends on the complexity of the challenge, the number of participants and their backgrounds, and the degree of customization. A custom solution usually requires an initial diagnosis and design phase before implementation begins.
¿Cómo se mide el éxito de una formación corporativa?
Success is measured using indicators defined in line with the program’s objectives. These may include participant satisfaction, learning outcomes, application on the job, behavioral changes, and, where relevant, organizational results, such as progress on strategic projects or improvements to specific processes.
¿Qué debe incluir un buen acuerdo de servicios de formación?
It should specify the scope, deadlines, deliverables, responsibilities, monitoring arrangements, evaluation criteria, and procedures for reviewing or adjusting the program during implementation.
Custom training or an open-enrollment program: When should you choose each option?
Custom training is best suited to challenges that require coordinated capability development and learning tailored to the organization’s context. An open-enrollment program may be sufficient when an existing, structured offering meets the need.
Does your organization need a learning solution tailored to its challenges? At Esade, we can help you design one. Discover our Corporate Learning Solutions
