OpenSesame becomes Workday's first embedded learning partner

OpenSesame has expanded its partnership with Workday, becoming the company's first embedded learning content partner. The arrangement gives Workday customers native access to OpenSesame content across the Workday Talent Suite.

OpenSesame's course catalogue will sit inside several Workday products, including Workday Learning powered by Sana, Workday Skills Cloud, and Workday Talent Optimization's Career Hub. The aim is to connect skills data, training content, and career development tools more closely within the same software environment.

Workday customers can add OpenSesame through their existing Workday relationship instead of going through a separate procurement process with another supplier. The expanded offering also includes pre-curated content packages for healthcare, manufacturing, retail and hospitality, financial services, state and local government, higher education, and technology and media.

OpenSesame said its content is available in more than 70 languages from more than 170 publishers. Customers can access more than 60,000 curated courses, along with tools to create and customise training.

Customer base

The announcement highlights how workplace learning providers are seeking deeper integration with human resources software as employers respond to changing skill needs. Companies are increasingly looking for ways to connect workforce data with training programmes and internal career paths, particularly as automation and artificial intelligence reshape job roles and workflows.

Materials accompanying the announcement gave different figures for the size of the shared customer base. One section said more than 150 joint customers already use the two companies' products, while another said more than 200 do so today.

The companies also cited internal performance figures tied to the partnership. OpenSesame said Workday customers using its content record a 93% course completion rate, while joint customer FHI saw a 46% increase in employee retention through connected learning across the two platforms.

Executive comments

Don Spear outlined OpenSesame's view of the tie-up.

"Strengthening our partnership and expanding our offering in the Workday ecosystem is a forging step for OpenSesame," said Don Spear, Chief Executive Officer, OpenSesame. "Workday is where thousands of organizations engage their people daily, and we are now the content partner that expands and completes that experience. For our joint customers, it means less complexity and better learning outcomes through the tools they already use every day."

Rebeca Mesa, Vice President of Partnerships at OpenSesame, said the arrangement reflects demand for simpler buying and deployment models.

"This partnership reflects how many organizations want to buy and deploy learning today," said Rebeca Mesa, Vice President of Partnerships, OpenSesame. "Through a single relationship with Workday, customers now have access to the skills intelligence, the learning platform, and the content they need to develop their workforce."

Broader shift

The agreement reflects a wider shift in the software market, with content providers moving from stand-alone services toward embedded roles inside larger platforms. For employers, that can reduce friction in finding, assigning, and tracking training, while tying learning activity more directly to talent management systems.

In this case, the content sits alongside Workday tools used to identify skills, manage learning, and support career development. That matters for companies trying to move staff into new roles or update training programmes quickly as business needs change.

OpenSesame said the partnership also extends to organisations using Workday ecosystem partners, broadening access to its catalogue across the wider Workday environment. The focus is on helping employers connect skills intelligence to learning outcomes within systems employees already use.