The Case for Building an Internal University for Employee Training and Development

August 24, 2026

12:00-12:45 pm, MT / 2:00-2:45 pm, ET

Skills gaps are widening, and employees are asking for growth they can't always find in generic, one-size-fits-all training. For a lot of organizations, that leaves a hard question: keep buying training off the shelf, or build a workforce university of your own, one designed around the actual skills your employees need to grow.

In this fireside chat, Ryan Lufkin, VP of Global Learning Strategy at Instructure, sits down with Lydia Ripplinger, who built an internal training university from the ground up to answer that question for her team at Redmond. They'll walk through the case for building in-house, the goals she set and the results she's seen, and the tools and tracking that keep the program running day to day.

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What You’ll Take Away from This Webinar

A real roadmap, not a pitch

Hear the actual case for building in-house training, straight from someone who's done it.

The groundwork that mattered

Learn the early decisions and first-phase choices that set the program up to work.

Live Q&A with the experts

Bring your questions. Ryan and Lydia will answer them in real time.

Speakers

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Ryan Lufkin

VP of Global Learning Strategy

Ryan Lufkin

VP of Global Learning Strategy

Ryan Lufkin is the Vice President of Global Academic Strategy at Instructure, where he works to enhance the academic experience for educators and learners, worldwide. With over two decades in the edtech world, Ryan has experience with every major technology platform that institutions use to deliver education, from the LMS to the SIS, and all the systems in between. A well-known thought leader in the edtech industry, Ryan is a podcast co-host, frequent media spokesperson, and speaker at industry conferences and webinars. Ryan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations/Communications from the University of Utah and certificates in Data-Driven Marketing and Brand Management from eCornell.

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Lydia Ripplinger

Training Coordinator, Redmond

Lydia Ripplinger

Training Coordinator, Redmond

Further reading

Investing in an LMS for workplace education

Building an internal university starts with the right foundation. This piece breaks down how a skills-first LMS supports onboarding, credentialing, leadership development, and continuous learning.

Read the blog

Ready to put it into practice?

The webinar covers the why. Canvas Career handles the how: helping organizations track real skill development, connect learning to business goals, and prove impact beyond completions.

See how it works