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Seeing an L&D strategy up close is quite rare. Yet, with their focus on open-source, GitLab is not your usual company － they have a transparent approach to information sharing both internally, and externally. This gives us a unique opportunity of learning first-hand from how they run L&D.

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GitLab, with a globally distributed team of over 1,500 people working fully remotely across more than 65 countries, is a leader in the DevOps lifecycle industry. The company is known for its open-source approach, meaning that much of its code, and processes are publicly available and transparent, including their learning & development approaches & programs.

The L&D team at GitLab consists of three members: a Learning and Development Director, a Senior Learning and Development Program Manager, and a Learning and Development Program Manager.

This case study is not a 'how to' guide but rather a look at how GitLab presents its L&D strategy. It explores their purpose as an L&D team, as well as their vision, mission, principles, and objectives.

The four elements of GitLab's L&D Strategy

1. Clear Purpose, Mission, and Vision

GitLab's Learning & Development strategy begins with a clear purpose, mission, and vision that guides their efforts.

Purpose: The purpose of GitLab's Talent Development is to enhance team member performance, expand their capabilities, and develop skills that make GitLab team members industry leaders. By promoting a culture of continuous growth, GitLab ensures it remains an attractive workplace, benefiting both employee satisfaction and customer outcomes.

Vision: GitLab envisions being recognized as a leading organization for remote learning and development, aspiring towards a future where curiosity drives growth, and everyone actively contributes to a culture of learning.

Mission: The mission of GitLab's L&D team is to empower individual contributors and equip leaders through accessible, self-service learning opportunities. They achieve this mission by focusing on:

• Skill-based learning opportunities that are tailored to the needs of team members.
• Providing resources to improve career mobility, ensuring employees can grow within the organization.
• Creating structured learning journeys for various teams, promoting growth across the entire company.

2. Clear Metrics

GitLab sets ambitious objectives to measure the impact of their L&D initiatives:

• Reduce voluntary attrition: Decrease by 5% annually by analyzing exit survey data related to career development.
• Increase engagement: Secure a 5% increase in the Growth & Development category of the annual engagement survey.
• Improve career mobility: Foster access to opportunities like internal transfers, promotions, job shadows, intern-for-learning initiatives, and professional development.