Case study
Industry
Retail
Company HQ
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Number of Employees
700
Office Locations
Saudi Arabia
Shaker Group strengthens employee development and career growth with Udemy Business
Udemy driving business outcomes
Case study details
Shaker Group is strengthening its investment in employee development through accessible, personalized learning with Udemy Business. By integrating targeted learning pathways into its existing development and performance management practices, the organization supports employees in building role-relevant skills, applying learning at work, and preparing for future career opportunities.
Retaining talent in the competitive Saudi market
Employee retention became a critical business opportunity for Shaker Group, one of Saudi Arabia’s leading retail and distribution organizations specializing in HVAC solutions and home appliances and the ongoing maintenance of these systems.
“We are a unique organization. We operate in a fast-moving environment that requires operational excellence, exceptional customer service, and expert technical product knowledge,” said Rawan Aldajani, Organizational Development Manager. “We experience high competition for retail and technical talent.”
The challenge was compounded by the evolving labor landscape in Saudi Arabia. Increasing government regulations and nationalization requirements meant Shaker Group needed to hire and develop more Saudi talent for frontline technical and retail positions. At the same time, the company experienced pressure from a new generation of professionals who seek opportunities for continuous learning and career development.
A performance crossroads
Shaker Group identified learning pathways as a potential benefit for a cohort of employees participating in structured performance development plans.
Shaker Group already had a Performance Improvement Plan process in place, administered manually via paperwork and email. The team saw an opportunity to complement its existing process with personalized learning and more consistent progress tracking.
As the organization looked to evolve its approach, leadership saw an opportunity to make PIPs more structured, measurable, and digitally enabled — with more consistent tracking and monitoring of each employee’s development progress.
Learning leaders had a strategic mandate to transform the company’s approach to talent development and retention.
Organizational Development Manager
Strategic upskilling through Udemy Business
After evaluating three learning platform providers, leadership selected Udemy Business.
“We sought a platform that offered broader language support, accessible learning, and personalized development pathways,” Aldajani said.
Multi-language support was critical. Operating in Saudi Arabia with a diverse workforce meant providing content in both English and Arabic to ensure maximum comprehension and engagement.
And for Shaker Group field technicians working on HVAC installations and maintenance, mobile accessibility was non-negotiable. With the Udemy mobile app, these employees could learn during downtime between service calls or during their commutes.
Strengthening PIPs through structured learning
Building on its existing PIP process, Shaker Group’s talent team saw an opportunity to further strengthen performance development. The team enhanced its approach by making Udemy Business the centerpiece of structured, personalized learning interventions.
The new PIP process includes:
- Skills gap analysis: The learning team works with department heads to identify specific competency gaps.
- Custom Learning Paths: The team creates targeted learning journeys in Udemy Business focused on each employee’s specific gaps.
- Monthly monitoring: The team tracks course enrollment and completion rates.
- Manager assessments: Leadership evaluates real-world application of newly acquired skills.
Through the analysis of the 56 employees on PIPs, three critical skill gap areas emerged:
- Customer service & experience: For technicians providing after-sales support and retail employees interacting with customers
- Sales skills: For frontline staff in retail showrooms and those engaging with dealers
- Microsoft Excel & analytics: For employees needing to track information, analyze work with data, and generate reports
Launch strategy and engagement
Learning leaders didn’t just roll out the platform. They celebrated it. On launch day, the learning team organized quizzes, games, and engagement activities with Udemy, creating excitement around the learning opportunity.
For the launch, Shaker Group deployed 500 licenses across their eligible workforce, ensuring every customer-facing employee, technician, and administrative staff member had access.
Beyond PIPs: onboarding and career pathways
The impact extended beyond performance recovery. Shaker Group integrated Udemy Business into their onboarding program, assigning new hires foundational courses in customer experience, retail sales fundamentals, and Microsoft Excel basics.
Perhaps most innovatively, learning leaders created internal career pathways tied to Udemy completion.
“We see customer service roles as an important foundation for building transferable skills,” Aldajani said. “Through targeted learning pathways on Udemy Business, employees can strengthen their capabilities and prepare for future internal opportunities.”
Organizational Development Manager
From performance gaps to measurable growth
Through targeted Udemy Business learning paths and ongoing manager support, 47 of 56 employees participating in Performance Improvement Plans demonstrated measurable performance improvement, representing 84% of the cohort.
That’s an 84% success rate, with these employees strengthening their skills and demonstrating improved performance in their roles.
“Targeted learning through Udemy Business, supported by managers’ ability to assign courses directly, provide feedback, and create opportunities to apply new skills, helped participants strengthen capabilities relevant to their roles,” Aldajani said.
Business impacts
Beyond the human element of retaining valued employees, the business impact is substantial:
- Online learning. With Udemy’s comprehensive library of more than 27,000 courses, Shaker Group dramatically reduced its reliance on expensive face-to-face workshops.
- Talent retention. Developing existing employees through targeted learning proved a more cost-effective path than the recruiting, onboarding, and training cycle for new hires — especially for technical roles requiring HVAC certifications — making the Udemy Business investment a strong return.
- New hires complete foundational training through Udemy courses in Microsoft Excel basics as well as customer experience and retail fundamentals helping them build foundational skills and prepare for their day-to-day responsibilities.
- AI upskilling for competitive advantage. Shaker Group has embraced AI training as a strategic priority, with employees completing courses in Microsoft Copilot, AI for productivity, and automation tools.
“Udemy helped us move our learning and development to strategic talent development,” Aldajani said. “We’re no longer relying only on training and workshop sessions. We’re building the capability of our employees to become self-motivated learners.”
Cultural transformation
With Udemy Business, Shaker Group has evolved its approach from traditional, event-based training toward proactive talent development, building capabilities before they’re needed.
Supporting these changes, a rollout of monthly learning recommendations, recognition programs for top learners, and integration of Udemy into performance reviews has created a learning culture in which professional development is expected and celebrated.
“The new generation demands continuous learning,” Aldajani said. “Udemy gives us insight into who the self-learners are, who shows self-commitment, and who is proactive and up to date with trends. It’s become strategic intelligence for talent management.”
Regional leadership in learning
Shaker Group’s comprehensive approach to upskilling combines targeted learning through Udemy Business with coaching and opportunities to apply new skills, reinforcing its commitment to employee development and building capabilities for Saudi Arabia’s evolving business landscape.
The organization’s willingness to invest in employees facing performance challenges reflects a business-savvy approach to human capital management that resonates strongly in a region where employer brand and employee value proposition are increasingly competitive differentiators.
Organizational Development Manager
Expanding the impact
Shaker Group is planning the next phase of its employee learning strategy.
“For the future, our next priority is to expand leadership development pathways for senior managers and executives supported by global universities and institutions,” Aldajani said.
The learning team continues to expand its library of more than 50 custom learning paths, refine the PIP intervention model, and explore new ways to leverage AI-powered recommendations for personalized employee development.
The Shaker Group investment in developing its Saudi talent reinforces the company as an employer of choice in a competitive market.
Advice for other organizations
Asked what advice she’d give other retail or technical organizations in the MENA region considering a similar investment, Aldajani was generous with guidance:
“With AI, technology, and digitalization, a learning platform is an essential strategic investment. It drives self-learning and self-motivation. Udemy Business reduces the challenge of language barriers. We can identify who our committed, proactive employees are and who is staying up to date with trends.”
“Find a solution with AI empowerment, a worldwide library of content, and support for multiple languages. This is what drives engagement with our employees.”
Organizational Development Manager
Read more success stories
