Welcome to this blog series dedicated to exploring LIFT, the first impact learning certification for learning functions, awarded by EFMD. This series will provide a comprehensive look at the LIFT certification process from two critical perspectives: the peer reviewers who evaluate and endorse the certification and the company that has successfully achieved it. Through firsthand insights, we will uncover how LIFT-certified learning functions embedded impactful learning into their organisational framework and the benefits that ensued.

Sopra Steria Group is renowned for its expertise in consulting, digital services, software development, cybersecurity and infrastructure management. It offers comprehensive solutions to enhance the competitiveness of large companies and organisations, leveraging extensive industry knowledge and innovative technologies to drive digital transformation. The Sopra Steria Academy, the company’s dedicated training centre, provides customised training programmes for employees, covering company fundamentals (values, culture, DNA, CSR policy), management models, domestic methodologies, technologies (AI, Cloud), and soft skills.

Sopra Steria Academy recently achieved the LIFT Certification, being praised for its commitment to measuring impact and its effective collaboration with business sponsors to understand and align with business needs and outcomes, as highlighted by Johanna Leppavirta, a peer reviewer in the certification process.

Frederic Godard, the Head of Sopra Steria Academy, shares insights into Sopra Steria Academy’s LIFT journey:

What were your motivations for going through the LIFT certification?

Sopra Steria operates in a sector where competencies evolve quickly, making it necessary for us to continuously update them to be at the forefront and serve our client’s needs. To ensure the Academy’s learning solutions are supporting our business in achieving its ambitions and engaging our people, we want to ensure that we are measuring the impact we bring. My motivation for taking the Academy through LIFT certification was threefold. First, I saw this as a great opportunity to benchmark our current practices against international standards with the objective of both seeing how we were doing and further professionalising ourselves. Secondly, it is a good opportunity to engage in a discussion with our stakeholders on the contributions of our training offer, and more especially its impact – direct or indirect – on the company’s business. It is important to collect this feedback as a learning organisation. Finally, it was the perfect opportunity to rally the entire Academy team around an ambitious and challenging project, one that offered international exposure if we succeeded. Ultimately, this effort deepened our sense of pride and strengthened our shared identity.

What benefits did you perceive through conducting a self-assessment on how you were currently approaching learning impact?

Conducting the self-assessment phase proved to be both fascinating and enlightening, as it enabled the Academy to showcase how effectively it has implemented its impact-driven approach. By presenting the results achieved through use cases and KPIs, the Academy demonstrated the tangible benefits delivered to learners and stakeholders. This phase allowed us to step back and critically reflect with our stakeholders on why we designed and delivered the training programmes. We questioned whether the pedagogical objectives truly translated into on-the-ground effectiveness, improved learner productivity, and generated a positive return on investment for the company.

The insights gained were so valuable that they underscored the importance of integrating this reflective process into our training management. It became clear that periodically revisiting and reassessing our approach is essential for fostering continuous improvement. As a result, this practice is now embedded in our operations: each pedagogical manager is required to conduct these intermediate reviews with stakeholders to collaboratively measure the impact of the training programmes.

What were the benefits of bringing your key stakeholders, the EFMD peer review team and your team together for a discussion?

This process allowed us to collectively challenge the fundamental question of WHY we designed and delivered these courses—what are the objectives for the learners, the company, and society? We realised that this crucial aspect is often missing from the specifications provided by our stakeholders. Because it is not easy! They often focus on the skills they need to be developed but often do not articulate the broader context—the current situation measured by business KPIs and the desired outcomes. However, with the constructive challenge posed by the EFMD peer review team, we managed to extract this essential information. For instance, we identified a direct link between our training on project management by risk and the number of projects in alert. This serves as a strong indicator of our project managers’ performance and, by extension, the operational performance of the company.

What value did you get from the LIFT Dashboard and Report, and how are you using it?

Following the LIFT evaluation process has allowed us to mature in measuring the impact of our training and, above all, to acquire the conviction that this impact—and the KPI measuring it—must be identified as early as possible in the life cycle of a new training course. We now insist that every specification from our stakeholders begins with a clear description of the stakes involved for both the learners and the business. This has become a key requirement that we consistently uphold.

For further insights into the LIFT certification journey for Sopra Steria Academy, check out the interview with Johanna Leppavirta, one of the Peer Reviewers in the LIFT certification process, and the Head of the IMD Impact office.

About LIFT

The EFMD LIFT certification allows learning functions to evaluate and benchmark their maturity in how they deliver impact. It enables them to engage stakeholders, analyse impact, and align practices with industry best standards, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

For more information on the LIFT learning impact certification, visit our website, follow the conversation, or contact Steven Smith or Shanshan Ge to learn how your learning function can be a part of it!