Stantec Builds a Future-Ready Workforce and Unified Learning Culture with Global eTraining
- Case Study -
Stantec is a global design and engineering company with more than 30,000 employees and over 400 offices worldwide. Within this vast organization, the Buildings Group in North America includes thousands of professionals who rely on consistent, high quality training to support project delivery, collaboration and long term career growth.
As Stantec expanded through acquisitions, teams brought different standards, software approaches and learning cultures. To support continued growth and maintain operational excellence, the Buildings Group needed a structured yet flexible learning approach that could scale across regions and roles.
Stantec partnered with Global eTraining to address several critical objectives:
- Standardize software and workflow training across offices and acquired firms
- Align Stantec-specific tools and add ons with core Revit and AEC software training
- Support fluid career development for a multi-generational workforce
- Create scalable learning paths that improve efficiency and collaboration
- Establish a foundation for future technologies such as AI
By integrating Global eTraining directly into its internal learning management system, Stantec created a unified approach where industry leading technical training and Stantec-specific content live side by side. This allows Stantec to deliver role-specific learning experiences that reinforce consistency, strengthen knowledge sharing and support a culture of continuous learning.
This case study explores the challenge Stantec faced, the solution implemented with Global eTraining and the results shaping the future of learning across the organization.
“We wanted a partner who could bring our custom workflows together with out of the box software training. That is exactly where [Global eTraining] fit.”
Mike DeOrsey
Principal and Buildings Digital Practice Manager at Stantec
Keep scrolling for the complete Stantec Case Study or click below to download the shareable PDF version.
FEATURING
Kevin Merrikin
Discipline Leader, Buildings Quality Engineering at Stantec
Mike DeOrsey
Principal and Buildings Digital Practice Manager at Stantec
The Challenge
A gap between Revit training and Stantec-specific tools
After 25 years at Stantec, Mike had seen many different approaches to software training. What he and the digital practice team noticed was a consistent gap:
- Staff had access to general Revit and software training
- Stantec had built powerful custom add ons and workflows
- There was no single learning experience that connected the two
Stantec did a lot of in-house customization for Revit and other tools. The team wanted staff to learn core software skills while also learning how to use Stantec’s own tools in the same environment.
“We saw a gap with our Revit training.
We wanted to bring our custom add ons in line with the regular training we were doing, so we started looking for an education partner [like Global eTraining] that could help us do that.”
Mike DeOrsey
Aligning learning across acquisitions and 400+ offices
On the quality side, Kevin’s team needed a training approach that would work across a very large and growing organization.
- Stantec grows heavily through acquisitions
- The Buildings Group had completed two large acquisitions in recent years and announced a third
- Each firm brought its own standards, workflows and training habits
Stantec wanted staff in Boston to be able to jump onto a project in San Francisco and work in the same way. At the same time, they did not want to simply overwrite the approaches of acquired firms. Instead, they wanted to pull the best ideas forward and make them part of the new Stantec way.
“We are not just pushing the Stantec way. When we merge with someone, we look at how they train and we pull the best of that into the new Stantec process.”
Kevin Merrikin
Serving a multi generational workforce and different learning styles
Stantec’s Buildings Group spans many generations, from highly digital native designers to people who still prefer pen and paper. The team had to design a learning environment that:
- Reached learners who were very comfortable with technology
- Helped those who were less comfortable navigate a digital platform
- Supported different learning styles without creating confusion
“We chose a tool that lets us approach any learner where they are. In [Global eTraining] there is something every learner can latch onto, whatever their personality or generation.”
Mike DeOrsey
Keeping pace with innovation without giving staff “whiplash”
Stantec is known as an innovative company. New software versions and tools appear constantly, and now AI is starting to reshape design workflows.
The challenge was to balance innovation with stability:
- Stantec wants to adopt new technologies quickly
- Staff cannot feel that the way they work is changing every time they open a project
- The learning platform has to evolve steadily without overwhelming users
“We want a future focused course that is not constantly changing but is always evolving. [Global eTraining] gives us a way to absorb that growth without giving people whiplash.”
Mike DeOrsey
Creating a channel for AI and future technologies
As AI becomes more important in design, Stantec needs a way to:
- Capture real, effective AI use cases from teams
- Turn those into training modules
- Push that knowledge quickly across thousands of staff
Because Global eTraining is integrated into the LMS and sits beside internal content, Stantec can:
- Add AI-specific modules as they validate new workflows
- Update courses as tools improve
- Give staff clear guidance on where AI adds value and where it does not
“AI is going to permeate everything we are working on. Global eTraining is part of how we will train staff to use AI in the right ways, in the right places, so it is actually helpful.”
Mike DeOrsey
The Solution
Integrating Global eTraining into Stantec's LMS
To solve these challenges, Stantec partnered with Global eTraining and decided to host GeT content directly inside Stantec’s own LMS.
Instead of sending staff to a separate training site, Stantec brought everything into one environment.
“We host Global eTraining internally in our LMS. Staff have one place to go, where Global eTraining content sits right beside our own courses. That makes it much easier for them to get all their training needs met.”
Mike DeOrsey
Blending Global eTraining with Stantec-specific content
Inside the LMS, Global eTraining courses now sit alongside:
- Stantec-developed courses and standards
- Training on Stantec’s custom Revit add ons
- Content inherited from acquired firms that has been selected as best practice
The digital practice and quality teams can now build end-to-end learning paths that combine:
- Core software skills from Global eTraining
- Stantec workflows and quality requirements
- Content from acquired firms that has proven effective
This blended approach allows a designer to move from “how does Revit work” to “how does Stantec work in Revit” without leaving the platform.
Stronger retention through clear career development
Using the combined LMS and GeT content, Kevin and Mike can design tailored curricula for different roles in the organization.
Examples include:
- New graduates who need core software skills and an introduction to Stantec standards
- Experienced designers who need advanced tools and project-specific workflows
- Staff moving into project management, operations or quality who need training for new responsibilities
“We can build tailored curriculum for different roles where you get technical training through our LMS, then curated Global eTraining content that we have built out. We can be very specific to each role.”
Kevin Merrikin
This aligns directly with Stantec’s focus on fluid careers. People can move from technical to project management to quality roles while using Global eTraining supported pathways to gain new skills.
Supporting different learning styles and generations
Global eTraining’s multimodal approach helps Stantec reach a diverse workforce:
- Courses combine videos, text, interactive elements and practical exercises
- Learners can progress at their own pace, revisit topics and learn in the way that suits them
- Senior staff can focus on mentoring and project guidance while juniors use GeT to build software skills
“Regardless of personality or generation, there is something in Global eTraining that people can learn from. That was a big factor in choosing the platform.”
Mike DeOrsey
Creating a channel for AI and future technologies
As AI becomes more important in design, Stantec needs a way to:
- Capture real, effective AI use cases from teams
- Turn those into training modules
- Push that knowledge quickly across thousands of staff
Because Global eTraining is integrated into the LMS and sits beside internal content, Stantec can:
- Add AI-specific modules as they validate new workflows
- Update courses as tools improve
- Give staff clear guidance on where AI adds value and where it does not
“AI is going to permeate everything we are working on. Global eTraining is part of how we will train staff to use AI in the right ways, in the right places, so it is actually helpful.”
Mike DeOrsey
The Results
Stantec is in the process of rolling the integrated Global eTraining solution out to the entire Buildings Group. Early indicators and expected outcomes are already clear.
One trusted home for learning
Staff now know exactly where to go for training. All learning sits inside Stantec’s LMS, with Global eTraining at the core.
- No scattered links or separate portals
- New hires and staff from acquisitions see a single, unified training environment
- Learning is positioned as part of Stantec’s employee experience, not an afterthought
“In a company our size, the biggest risk is that important systems get lost in the noise. With Global eTraining in our LMS, we can keep the message clear and the access simple.”
Kevin Merrikin
Stronger retention through clear career development
Long tenure at Stantec is supported by visible, achievable career paths. Global eTraining helps turn those paths into concrete steps.
- Staff can see what skills are needed for new roles
- They can follow structured learning paths that combine GeT courses with internal content
- Managers can point to specific modules when discussing growth
“We want careers to be very fluid. Having a centralized place with tools like Global eTraining is essential for people to learn new roles and keep growing.”
Kevin Merrikin
This approach supports both retention and engagement, especially during acquisitions where people want to understand what the new company offers for their growth.
More effective use of expert time
By leaning on Global eTraining for core software training, Stantec frees senior staff to focus on higher value activities.
- GeT courses cover repeatable Revit basics and advanced features
- Internal modules show how those skills are used in Stantec projects
- Senior designers and managers can use their time on mentoring, design reviews and decision making instead of repeating tool basics
This reduces inefficiency and keeps experts focused on work that moves projects forward.
“People do not want inefficiency. With Global eTraining taking care of a lot of the software training, we can focus our energy on making the work better.”
Kevin Merrikin
A scalable platform for future change
Perhaps most importantly, the combined LMS and Global eTraining environment gives Stantec a scalable way to handle future change.
As new tools, workflows and AI capabilities emerge, Stantec can:
- Capture best practices from project teams
- Combine them with relevant Global eTraining content
- Build updated learning paths without rebuilding the entire learning ecosystem
Kevin sums up the next phase as a real world test of this approach:
“The next six or nine months will be a great opportunity to give this a test run with the whole staff and see how everybody is latching onto it and what they are getting out of it. We are very optimistic.”
Kevin Merrikin
