Case Study: Scotiabank achieves federated global learning and faster regulatory compliance with Saba Learning Suite

Striking a Balance with Shared Services

Scotiabank, a global full‑service bank with roughly 48,000 employees, needed a way to deliver timely, consistent training across many lines of business—ranging from frontline customer service to complex regulatory and compliance topics—without imposing burdensome central control. Key challenges were rapid course development and delivery, reliable compliance tracking, simplified cross‑unit processes, and meaningful measurement of learning outcomes.

Scotiabank adopted a federated model centered on a small Global Performance and Learning Office (GPLO) that manages a single, externally hosted enterprise LMS (Saba), defines standards and approved vendors, and provides shared services and consulting while individual business units retain program autonomy. The change accelerated delivery (e.g., a technology program cut from 10 to 4–5 weeks), improved compliance tracking and self‑service registration (reducing admin costs), and established measurement and continuous‑improvement practices—addressing rollout issues like content compatibility and connectivity through testing and governance.

Scotiabank

Chris Howard

Principal Analyst