Innovation has ceased to be a differentiator and has become an imperative for a company's long-term survival. Innovation should not be an isolated event, but a constant movement, and finding the right partners for this is fundamental. According to the article 'Unlocking the Code to Continuous Innovation: A Study of Key Determinants for Serial Innovators' , published in the journal Administrative Sciences in 2024, the most powerful strategy to achieve this consistency is fostering collaborative networks and partnerships with external entities.
Even leading companies in their fields should seek ways to innovate what is already innovative. That's what Unico Skill and Bradesco are doing. The bank is a pioneer in promoting education, with the Bradesco Foundation, which serves 42,000 children and young people throughout the country, and Unibrad, one of Brazil's leading corporate universities, focused on the professional development of the institution's employees. To expand access to diverse courses for its employees, Bradesco partnered with Unico Skill, creator of the country's first education voucher.
In its pilot phase, the project will allow approximately 5,000 Bradesco employees from different areas to access thousands of options for undergraduate degrees, postgraduate courses, short courses, language courses, and mentorships on an unlimited education platform that allows for personalized and scalable learning. “Cultural evolution in an organization of our scale demands consistency and tools that drive adaptability. This pilot seeks to democratize access to cutting-edge knowledge, allowing employees to be the architects of their careers—a direct enabler of productivity, performance, and engagement,” summarizes Soraya Bahde, Bradesco's Director of Culture and Talent.
Unico Skill connects Bradesco employees to over one hundred Brazilian and international educational institutions, such as FGV, USP, Insper, Mackenzie, Estácio, Cambridge, Columbia, Fundação Dom Cabral, Coursera, CNA, among others. “Unico Skill is the ideal partner for implementing and expanding educational development projects for any company, including Bradesco, which is already a leader in this area,” emphasizes Joca Oliveira, CEO of Unico Skill.
Personalized learning
The Unico Skill benefit allows each employee to create their own learning path according to their career stage, professional needs, and personal aspirations. "Personalization aligns perfectly with the needs of a company like Bradesco, with such a large national reach and such diverse and heterogeneous employees," says the bank's Human Capital Superintendent, Gislaine Lima.
This learning path can be created using artificial intelligence, which assesses each employee's current situation and goals to offer course options, and relies on the assistance of a career consultant from Unico Skill . “With our technology, we democratize access to quality education, allowing each person to be the protagonist of their own growth journey. This partnership with Bradesco is a milestone in scaling this impact,” points out Joca Oliveira. In addition to courses related to their professional role, he emphasizes that employees have the freedom to seek content for a career transition, a promotion to a leadership position, or the fulfillment of a personal aspiration.
How does the benefit work?
Unico Skill is a kind of health plan, but focused on education: the company pays a fixed monthly amount per employee, who then gains access to a platform with thousands of courses from Brazilian and international institutions. Currently, there are 26,000 options for undergraduate, postgraduate, short courses, language courses, and mentoring programs from over one hundred national and international institutions. The benefit has an ROI of up to 4X – meaning that for every real invested by the company, employees spend four reais on quality education. “Our mission is to democratize education in the corporate environment, making it accessible, measurable, and secure. Just as health insurance transformed healthcare in Brazil, the education voucher will transform learning into a worker's right,” says Joca Oliveira.