ABB's Learn, Connect, Grow Day: 40,000 Colleagues, 50 Countries, One Culture of Development

ABB recently held its fourth Learn, Connect, Grow Day, and the scale reflects just how seriously the company takes career development as a cultural commitment.

More than 40,000 colleagues came together across 130+ in-person locations, with thousands more joining virtually from 500+ sites spanning 50 countries. The day featured keynote speakers, hands-on workshops and career activities designed around this year's theme: connection.

A programme built on a simple conviction

ABB's Learn, Connect, Grow approach has been running since 2023, built on the idea that growth looks different for everyone, and that the company's role is to make space for all of it. The framework has three pillars:

• Learn — in-person and online training, tools and resources that employees can access at their own pace. Over the last two years, ABB doubled the number of learning hours per employee.
• Connect — expanding networks within and beyond ABB, building the kind of diverse perspectives that fuel creativity and innovation.
• Grow — self-directed career planning, an open internal job market, and access to new projects and roles across the business.

Why this matters for inclusion

Career development is one of the most concrete expressions of an inclusive workplace. Almost half of employees say that having opportunities to learn new skills is a key factor in their decision to stay with an employer or leave, according to PwC's Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey. For LGBTQ+ professionals in particular, access to visible development pathways and sponsorship is consistently cited as a marker of genuine inclusion, not just stated values.

ABB's open job market, leadership programmes developed with partners including Harvard Business Publishing and IMD Business School, and early talent programmes with structured mentorship are all signals of an organisation investing in its people's futures, across backgrounds, levels and geographies.

Growth every day, not just one day a year

"We want our colleagues to learn, connect and grow in a way that is meaningful for them and at the same time contribute to the purpose and continued success of ABB. We support our people with their growth, providing them with lifelong learning opportunities and a feedback culture that enables continuous improvement." — Carolina Granat, Chief Human Resources Officer, ABB

At ABB, Learn, Connect, Grow isn't a moment; it's a mindset. Opportunities to learn, connect and grow are built into how work happens every day.