ServiceNow Reboots Workforce Training With Launch of ServiceNow University, Eyes 3M Learners by 2027

ServiceNow is the latest tech company to launch a workforce training initiative with the debut of ServiceNow University. The program joins a growing list of career development efforts from firms like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Coursera, Google, AWS, and IBM, all aimed at helping workers build the skills needed in a rapidly growing technological economy. The announcement happened at ServiceNow’s annual Knowledge customer conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Disclosure: I attended ServiceNow's Knowledge conference as a guest of the company, which paid for my flights and hotel. However, no one at ServiceNow dictated what I should write for this post. These words are my own.

As businesses continue to digitize their operations, these platforms are designed to support employees through upskilling and reskilling programs that address emerging technical demands. The launch reflects a broader trend among enterprise software providers to not only sell digital tools but also invest in preparing the talent needed to use them effectively.

Participants can search for courses they want to take, check out ones programmatically recommended to them by the system, choose a series based on their intended career journey (e.g., system administrator, application developer, implementer, technical project manager, or support specialist), or through a curated playlist. Like its peers, ServiceNow University, or SNU, can be accessed by organizations and individuals.

“In the age of AI, we have an opportunity to unleash a human renaissance by helping our people reach their full potential, simplify their lives, and focus on the meaningful, innovative work that drives business success,” Jacqui Canney, ServiceNow’s chief people and AI enablement officer, says in a statement. “The speed of change also demands an agile learning and development approach that focuses as much on how people learn in the flow of work as it does on the right skills people need to thrive.

The company touts that its upskilling platform uses gamification to keep people learning. Students can choose from among “hundreds” of on-demand courses, and there are hands-on assessments. Points, badges, and ranks are awarded for every completed assignment or program. Participants can also gain certifications.

ServiceNow also integrates artificial intelligence throughout SNU, using the technology to generate a profile connecting relevant courses to a person’s skill set, experience, and achievements.

From afar, it appears that ServiceNow University mirrors its competitors. However, the company argues that SNU doesn’t offer “one-size-fits-all programming.” Rather, it “builds skills for the future, flexes with the world’s needs, and unlocks talent potential through a customized learning toolkit—no matter an individual’s needs and interests.”

One key difference is that while Salesforce’s Trailhead focuses mainly on sales, marketing, and customer experience skills, and LinkedIn Learning offers broad, general-purpose courses, and Coursera delivers paid academic-style programs, ServiceNow University is designed to train people specifically on skills tied to ServiceNow’s suite of products, spanning IT, employee, customer, and analytics workflows.

The launch of ServiceNow University builds on the company’s RiseUp initiative, which was introduced in 2024 to expand access to technology for underrepresented and underserved communities. However, the program ran into some trouble at the end of the year and had to restructure, with multiple workers let go. At the time, a ServiceNow spokesperson told Bloomberg that the company had been working to convert RiseUp’s agenda into a more holistic strategy that has become ServiceNow University.

When it launched, RiseUp looked to train one million people. With the new university program, the company is raising its ambitions, aiming to reach three million learners by the end of 2027.

“As technology continues to transform the workplace at an unprecedented pace, driven by AI, there is a learning imperative that leaders need to address. ServiceNow University is uniquely positioned to help them do just that,” Jayney Howson, ServiceNow’s senior vice president of global learning and development, remarks. “Built around you and your unique learning journey, it combines the power of AI with the science of play to create an experience that brings together an individual’s background, talents, and goals. Whether you’re looking to learn a quick new skill or make a complete career change, ServiceNow University delivers learning that is accessible, creating a safe space where people can step outside of their comfort zone, try new things, experiment, fail, and learn.”

ServiceNow University is now available for all.

Featured Image: AI-generated image of people working at computers in an office with the ServiceNow logo on top. Image credit: Adobe Firefly