Case Study: City of Durham expands training access and boosts employee satisfaction with Cornerstone OnDemand

Expanding Training Access, Evolving a Learning Culture and Improving Employee Satisfaction

The City of Durham, North Carolina—a growing, dynamic municipality with roughly 2,400 employees—faced the challenge of sustaining a high-performing, engaged workforce amid rapid growth and complex civic demands. When HR manager Sharon Williams began a needs analysis in 2015, she found training was fragmented and largely limited to compliance; with tight budgets and a small staff, the city needed an enterprise LMS to scale meaningful development opportunities across departments.

Durham implemented Cornerstone, branded as City U Learning, with hands-on onboarding and ongoing support. The platform let two dedicated staff manage learning for thousands, boosted training completion rates to 65–100% (the Police Department exceeded 90% for core values), improved employee satisfaction, strengthened the city’s brand, and delivered just-in-time, millennial-friendly learning across the organization.

City of Durham

Sharon Williams

Manager, Onboarding and Professional Development