EPAM Systems (EPAM), a long-standing Microsoft customer and partner, helps its clients engineer the future using Microsoft cloud solutions. The company fosters employee cloud competencies through participation in the Enterprise Skilling Initiative (ESI), for which it has received numerous awards for its strong learning culture. 

The programme, accessible in several formats, has already provided over 2,500 engineers with 5,500 Microsoft Cloud certifications. With the right skills, EPAM employees can feel empowered and better meet the clients’ growing digital needs.

By providing mentoring programmes, unlimited upskilling opportunities, and product engineering opportunities, EPAM, a leading provider of digital transformation services and products, invests in its people and award-winning learning culture. 

“Our client works with us because we deliver results,” starts Dmitry Tikhomirov, Vice President, Head of Cloud Technology and Delivery, EMEA & APAC at EPAM. “And we are able to do that because we invest in our people — from technology and platforms to learning and education.”

EPAM’s business strategy strongly emphasizes learning, allowing employees to grow and stay engaged. 

“We work to understand the business objectives of each department and map corporate learning solutions to those objectives,” reveals Irina Kureichyk, Director of Learning & Development at EPAM. “This way, we can offer our clients the most up-to-date, high-quality skills and services.”

EPAM decided to participate in Microsoft ESI, which offers practical, interactive training and certification in Microsoft Cloud technologies for Microsoft customers after recognizing the demand for experts in advanced digital and cloud technologies.

EPAM’s certification journey with ESI started in 2019 when the first 250 engineers signed up for training across Microsoft Cloud technologies (Azure, Security, Power Platform). Initially, on-site certification events and in-class experiences were planned; however, the pandemic compelled a quick switch to online learning. However, there was no interruption during the transition.

“We had a learning platform where we built a learning path, integrating courses from Microsoft,” explains Kureichyk. 

“By combining our strengths with Microsoft, we can help our clients achieve their digital transformation goals, increase their technological agility and deliver game-changing digital experiences to their customers,” said Dmitry Tikhomirov: VP, Head of Cloud Technology and Delivery, EMEA & APAC, EPAM System.

All certification paths are role-based but open to anyone meeting the course requirements. “We offer all learning formats provided by Microsoft, from self-paced courses and virtual classes to expert advice provided by colleagues. That flexibility makes learning easier to accommodate for our employees and keeps them motivated,” continues Kureichyk. To distinguish and engage learners, EPAM also uses gamification and badges.

Resilience comes from EPAM’s commitment to skill development. “In spite of global challenges, we continued to make skilling initiatives our top priority,” recalls Kureichyk.

The region’s most significant Microsoft certification initiative, over 2,500 engineers from 14 countries in Central and Eastern Europe have obtained over 5,500 certificates. This achievement shows EPAM’s outstanding cloud expertise. Certificates offer its employees a chance to move forward or refocus on their careers. 

“We’ve seen people move from engineering or development roles into UX roles or change their career path from testing to software development,” says Kureichyk. “This allows us to retain valuable talent.”

EPAMers are eager to develop their skills to meet the evolving market demands so employers do not just fuel the drive for continuous learning. Along with Microsoft Training Days and other joint learning initiatives, the company participates in the Enterprise Skilling programme and the Cloud Skills Challenge.

“The technology landscape is changing every three to four years, so we need to keep our skills current continuously,” comments Tikhomirov. “Through our combined efforts with Microsoft, we can help our clients on multiple fronts, from achieving digital transformation goals and increasing agility to delivering innovative solutions,” he says. “Equipped with cloud competencies, our engineers can continue to support our clients in navigating market shifts and disruption, providing them with strategic resiliency and the innovation to thrive.”