Disney University, Apple University, Googleplex: 6 global brands with their own unis

Disney University, Apple University, Googleplex — these are some tech giants in the US that have established their own universities.

These institutions are known as “corporate universities.” With a university-style campus or online platform set up by a company, these corporate universities provide tailored learning, training and development activities for its staff. 

You might be surprised to read this, but corporate universities have existed since the 60s. Disney University was created in 1962 to “prepare new cast members for their roles’ through the following:

• communicating a basic understanding of the Disney traditions and philosophies;
• providing advanced training classes
• handling cast communications and cast activities.

By the 21st century, over 2,000 corporations had their version of Disney University.

“It is not a place, a building, or a gimmick,” says Mark Allen, a professor at Pepperdine University. 

“At a corporate university, you are focusing on learning that will benefit the organisation, not just the individual.”

In today’s age, businesses are also acutely aware of the importance for graduates to learn, hone their skills, and adapt towards the challenges of a modern business environment — especially with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).

Recently, International Business Machines (IBM) Corp. CEO announced it expects to pause hiring for roles that could be done by AI in the coming years.

This would impact back-office, non-customer-facing functions, like human resources, according to IBM CEO Arvind Krishna.

“I could easily see 30% of that getting replaced by AI and automation over a five-year period,” he told Bloomberg. 

What are the perks of a corporate university?

Historically, corporate universities and workplace learning had a bad reputation.

Employees tend to view them as being too corporate. Some argue that these initiatives are centred on profit and productivity for the business instead of the individual.

But here are some benefits of this learning model that will change your mind:

• Increases leader retention: Almost all businesses struggle to develop and maintain strong leaders. Corporate universities give workers better chances to progress to leadership positions.
• Reinforcing culture: A corporate university aligns with the company’s culture and helps ingrain them across its employees. Research shows that a strong business culture cements confidence at work. 
• Supports innovation: Corporate universities are breeding grounds for new thoughts and ideas since their structure fosters natural discussion and collaboration among students.
• Complete control over how users experience content: Each student has a different learning style — some learn best through videos, whereas others prefer microlearning updates sent to their phones. Since businesses have complete control over the structure of their corporate universities, they can tailor their content delivery methods for employees with various learning needs.
• A unique branding opportunity: Corporate universities can help develop an employer’s personal brand (think about the logo and certification employees can attach to their CVs or LinkedIn profiles) and enhance the business’s image. 

A Google logo and Android statue are seen at the Googleplex in Mountain View, California. Source: AFP

Googleplex, Apple University, Disney University: Six iconic corporate universites for every ambitious graduate should join

1. Google’s Googleplex

Googleplex — Google’s Mountain View complex — might be the closest a corporate university has been to a traditional university experience. 

Here, the magic of Google’s corporate learning happens. Employees can:

• Explore spontaneous interactions not as colleagues, but as students
• Enjoy the campus’s architecture, which embodies Google’s soul
• Spend up to 20% of the work week on pet projects

“We’ve always worked with people who were a mix of left and right brain,” says Clive Wilkinson, who designed Googleplex.

“But engineers are very left brain. They might work in teams, but they require a high level of concentration; they sit in front of the computer and crunch formulas in the most extraordinary way.” 

Despite the fun, “it’s a very demanding work culture,” Andrew Laing of DEGW, a company that has done workplace research studies with other technology companies such as Micro­soft, told Metropolis. 

“It’s designed almost as a living environment — it’s much more like being at a university than being in a conventional work environment.”

Before you get your hopes up, a degree in Hamburgerology doesn’t involve grilling and eating burgers all day.  Source:  AFP

2. McDonald’s Hamburger University

It’s fitting for McDonald’s — one of the biggest global fast-food chains — to launch its own uni called Hamburger University.

As a member of the American Council on Education (ACE), the degrees students earn here are accredited. 

The university only offers one degree at the moment: a bachelor’s degree in Hamburgerology.

Before you get your hopes up, a degree in Hamburgerology doesn’t involve grilling and eating burgers all day. 

Situated in Chicago, Illinois, Hamburger University offers courses on:

• restaurant operations
• leadership skills
• customer service
• operations
• restaurant procedure 

McDonald’s corporate university professors are experts in restaurant operations. They use hands-on activities in the lab or restaurant settings and goal-based scenarios to create an engaging learning environment. The university also incorporates e-learning modules. 

One student from a class at the US campus told Chicago Tribune about her role-playing experience. 

She shared that students visited a mock McDonald’s restaurant and were given food samples. They had to identify what was wrong with the food and what mistakes by the staff caused the food to taste different.

Apple University was established by Steve Jobs in 2008 to teach staff what it meant to be an Apple employee. Source: AFP

3. Apple University

The highly secretive Apple University, profiled in detail by the New York Times, was established by Steve Jobs in 2008 to teach staff what it meant to be an Apple employee — educating them about the company’s culture and history.

Courses are not required, only recommended, but getting new employees to enrol is rarely a problem.

A full-time faculty — including instructors, writers and editors — create and teach the courses. 

Some faculty members come from universities like Yale, Harvard, the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford and MIT. 

On an internal website available only to Apple staff members, employees could sign up for courses tailored to their positions and backgrounds, according to the New York Times. 

One class, for example, taught founders of recently acquired companies how to smoothly blend resources and talents into Apple. 

Another course, titled “What makes Apple, Apple”, analysed the difference between the remote from Google’s failed TV initiative with its 78 buttons, and the Apple TV remote, which has just seven buttons to teach the “less is more” approach Apple takes with most things, The Guardian reported.

Although Disney University is not an accredited institution, courses are primarily designed, developed and delivered by experienced learning professionals. Source: AFP

4. Disney University

Disney’s corporate university is the learning and development setting that teachers and students dream of  — it’s the Disneyland of education.

Although Disney University is not an accredited institution, courses are primarily designed, developed and delivered by experienced learning professionals.

Everything here is highly personalised to the Disney brand. 

From training materials to programme names, Disney University reminds everyone about Disney’s incredible success over the years. 

Disney University offers instructor-led classroom sessions as well as e-learning and virtual classrooms. 

The company has expanded its delivery methods to accommodate Disney’s diverse and growing audience, which includes Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort, Disney Cruise Line, and many more. 

Intel’s University includes a vast collection of online content and incorporates face-to-face technical training. Source: AFP

5. Intel Network Builders University

Intel’s University includes a vast collection of online content and incorporates face-to-face technical training. Peer-to-peer engagement through in-person, hands-on workshops is paired with technical webinars. 

Topics focus on key Intel technologies, industry trends, and the technical aspects of NAV deployments. 

The courses are free and publicly available to Intel partners, customers and students.

Oracle University is the training and certification arm of Oracle. Source: AFP

6. Oracle University 

Oracle University is the training and certification arm of Oracle.

The company provides the following features:

• Oracle Guided Learning: Realise your cloud application’s value faster with Oracle’s Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) Oracle Guided Learning.
• Oracle Cloud Learning Subscriptions: Build expertise using your cloud applications and services, stay updated with new product releases through real-time training, and practice what you learn through hands-on labs.
• Oracle Certification: Develop in-demand skills, validate your knowledge, and showcase your expertise by earning a globally recognised Oracle Certification.

A one-year subscription to either its cloud or technology courses is US$5,000.

With so many courses to choose from, we recommend you know your role and the specialisation you want to have. 

If you’re interested in data science or data analytics, you’ll see loads of corporate jobs mentioning Oracle Database, one of the company’s key products.