Larsen & Toubro Limited: 2024 BEST Award Winner, #4

Larsen & Toubro has a global footprint in the manufacturing, engineering, and construction spaces. Its leadership is invested in business portfolio expansion by venturing into new sectors and knows the learning function plays a critical role in helping achieve its business objectives.

Innovation on all fronts is a hallmark of the organization, and in the past few years, the company has brought that spirit to its efforts to democratize upskilling and reskilling—making opportunities available to all associates regardless of their place in the company's organizational chart.

ATLvarsity is Larsen & Toubro's one-stop shop for all training needs. The company has more than 10 learning platforms that connect learners to professional development opportunities. The platforms, including L&T Edutech and third-party vendors, cater to content pertaining to functional, business, and leadership needs. Employees can enroll in courses, and the company encourages staff to learn new skills to further their growth. With expansive digitalization efforts in talent development and launching premier digital learning solutions, the organization recorded 1.1 million training hours during the last financial year (2022-2023), with 635,000 total learners and 34,000 first-time learners.

Larsen & Toubro's Digital Academies offer end-to-end specialized skills development in the fields of digital transformation; finance; health and safety; and environmental, social, and governance. They focus on building real business capabilities and doing it in a scalable way for specific business functions. The academies provide role-based offerings and use a blended approach to learning. The company has seen more than 2,700 learners enroll in the courses since their launch in 2022 and 2023.

Another innovation is Flogames, a repository of gamified, simulated learning bites. The learning function embedded the simulations, which support the reinforcement of learning, as components in bigger learning journey programs.

For employees who are keen to improve their English language skills, there is Coach Vani. The artificial-intelligence-based communication coaching platform measures thinking, articulation, accuracy, and presence during interactions. The four-month program has a built-in coaching element, and the company has conducted three cohorts of about 350 participants since its rollout in 2022.

One of the primary areas of focus for the organization is to improve its gender diversity. The company launched several programs focusing on developing female talent under the brand WINSPIRE. Larsen & Toubro conceived the WINSPIRE initiative to prepare early- and midcareer women in the organization for leadership roles while celebrating their contributions to the business. Key focal points are leadership development, overcoming self-limiting beliefs, exploring unique leadership identity, and fostering belief in growth as a leader.

To date, 368 women associates have participated in the programs and are moving up the ladder into leadership positions. Larsen & Toubro reports that women who enroll in WINSPIRE are 50 percent more likely to stay with the company.

Appreciating the continuous efforts of his team, C Jayakumar, executive vice president and head of corporate HR, remarks that "In the current competitive landscape, our organization distinguishes itself by prioritizing high-quality talent development initiatives as a strategic imperative and core cultural value, a commitment that aligns with our vision and is fully supported by our leadership team."

View the entire list of 2024 BEST Award winners.