Most Learning Experience Platforms (LXPs) are marketed around two main use cases: mass content creation via user-friendly tools, and the curation of third-party content into structured learning journeys. The last few months I’ve been supporting ASML’s Research & Development function with deploying their LXP in a rather different way.
With over 15,000+ engineers spanning both hardware and software, working on a multitude of advanced optical and mechatronic modules, along with their application software and operating systems — the real challenge is different. How do you quickly and effectively support the constant cycle of knowledge needs for new hires, employees switching domains or roles, and those moving across complex project environments?
The solution is to use the LXP as a structured, strategic backbone. A rolling network of content curators, or ‘knowledge experts’, supported by learning professionals, build templated learning pathways that are all part of a master plan—one that will eventually encompass full engineer and architect learning journeys.
There are many players making this work, including my colleagues in the R&D Academy. My role is to act as the interface between the technical colleges (each representing a different knowledge domain) within R&D, and the central product team managing ASML’s various learning systems—of which the LXP is one.
This is where my knowledge of learning tech comes to play. Knowing how learning systems operate, what they should be able to do, and being able to decipher stakeholder needs. The trick is to be clear on what you want to achieve. For me it’s about the big picture, being able to manage large quantities of curated content and maintain it effectively. So it’s about protocols, consistency of approach, ease of use, as well as showing content curators what’s possible, and what good looks like.
Too often, vendors pitch LXPs as platforms for hosting third-party content. But that misses the real value: capturing and scaling what the organisation already knows. ASML’s R&D Academy have a different approach. By using the LXP as a structured, strategic tool for internal knowledge sharing, they’re building a dynamic learning hub—one that truly aligns with how technical organisations need to grow and evolve.
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