How a Leading Investment Management Company Won Gold for the Outstanding Results of their Learning Programme with DBL

Development Beyond Learning (DBL)’s partnership with a leading global investment management company won Gold this year at the Brandon Hall HCM Group Excellence Awards for ‘Best Results of a Learning Programme’.  

The initiative – now in its fifth year – delivers an ambitious Early Careers Development Programme aimed at equipping their diverse graduate, apprentice and intern populations with the human skills to thrive and lead.

Read on to discover how DBL’s tailored curriculum design and a shared focus on global cohesion created innovative solutions which were executed in close collaboration; aligned with this employer’s strategic priorities; supported by a remarkable equitable budget split and an exceptional level of stakeholder engagement; all with award-winning results.

The Challenge

Operating across more than 14 global locations, this world-renowned organisation needed a development solution that could meet diverse learner needs while creating greater cohesion and collaboration across regions.

Distinct populations — graduates, apprentices and interns — brought different levels of education, experience and confidence. The company wanted to close this career-ready gap, support consistent development experiences across markets, and align early talent learning more closely with their global sustainable leadership priorities.

The Solution

Together, we co-designed an 18-month blended learning journey focused on uniquely human, behavioural skills — from resilience and communication to adaptability, feedback and stakeholder management.

Key design principles included:

• Tailored curriculum design for each population — from structured, guided learning for apprentices and interns, to autonomy-building and reflective learning for graduates.
• Iterative redesign and regionalisation to ensure cultural and contextual relevance across markets.
• Equitable budget allocation between graduates and apprentices — a rare but critical move to close the career-ready gap.
• Integrated assessment and feedback to embed a culture of professional growth.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement across business units and regions — ensuring alignment, buy-in and consistent championing of the programme’s objectives.
• Global collaboration through virtual cross-region workshops, networking and problem-solving.

DBL’s innovative, research-driven design ensured every learning experience was practical, human-centred and aligned with the organisation’s core values.

The Results

The programme has delivered outstanding, measurable results year after year — including:

• 94% overall learner satisfaction, with a 97% trainer rating (vs. benchmark of 86%).  
• 98% found the learning interactive and enjoyable.
• A Net Promoter Score of 72, far surpassing the industry benchmark of 30.
• 93% rating of applying skills on the job (vs. benchmark of 86%).
• 11-point lift in employee engagement scores across multiple indicators — including advocacy, openness, and growth.
• A 70% increase in early-career programme applications between 2022 and 2023, followed by a further 111% increase the next year.
• Intern-to-graduate conversion rising from 16% (2023) to 25% (2024), with a forecast of 27% for 2025.
• Recognition among the Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equality — a reflection of the programme’s strong alignment with the organisation’s focus on inclusive leadership and equitable opportunity throughout its learning design.
• Recognition in Rate My Apprenticeship’s Best Apprenticeship Providers for its outstanding early-career experience and impact.

Feedback from participants speaks for itself:

“This programme didn’t just prepare us for our first role — it gave us tools for our entire career.” — Graduate participant

“Amazing sessions – engaging, fun and practical. Everything we learned is useful in both our professional and personal lives.” – Apprentice participant

The Impact

This partnership demonstrates how human-skills learning can drive both individual and organisational success. By creating a consistent, inclusive and globally connected development experience DBL, together with this valued employer partner, has fostered stronger collaboration, higher engagement and measurable performance improvement.

The Gold Award from Brandon Hall Group recognises this programme’s excellence in both design and results – and its contribution to shaping the next generation of leaders in the investment management industry.

If you’d like to explore how DBL could help your organisation achieve similar results, get in touch with one of our experts — we’d love to hear from you.