Learning Café
Beyond the Silos: Uniting Learning Across Academia and Industry
This Learning Café explores how learning practices in academic and corporate environments can inform and enrich one another. Drawing from our shared experience as Product Training Managers in a global organization, combined with research in Educational Sciences, the session invites participants to reflect on how people learn in universities versus in the workplace, and how we might meaningfully bridge the two.
In small groups, participants will use flipcharts, markers, and sticky notes to map out common learning approaches in both settings. They will then explore creative ways to connect them. For instance, how might reflective academic methods be adapted for workplace training? And what can formal education borrow from real-world, hands-on corporate learning?
Throughout the session, we will share practical insights and real examples, with a focus on how mindset and technology can trigger collaboration across different learning environments. This interactive, visual session is designed to spark discussion, surface new ideas, and offer participants tangible strategies they can take back to their own contexts.
Cleopatra Hammad
Global Product Training Manager, ABB
Cleopatra Hammad is a Global Product Training Manager at ABB, where she designs and delivers learning experiences for the global sales audience. She has previously worked as an instructional designer for universities across the UK, Europe, and Australia, creating online courses in areas such as data analytics, digital marketing, and programming languages. Cleopatra is currently pursuing a PhD in Educational Sciences at the University of Oulu in Finland, where her research explores how collaboration is triggered in technology-driven learning environments. Her passion lies in bridging academic and corporate learning to make training more meaningful, collaborative, and relevant across sectors.
Maria Kuchina
Product Training Manager, ABB
Maria Kuchina is the Product Training Manager at ABB, where she designs and delivers product training initiatives for a diverse global audience, ranging from technicians to sales teams. With a Master’s in Industrial Management and a background in the industrial sector in various engineering roles, Maria brings both technical depth and a learner-centric mindset to her work. She is passionate about reimagining technical training—making it more engaging, interactive, and far from boring. At ABB, she works to transform traditional learning formats into dynamic experiences that drive real impact. Maria is committed to shaping the future of digital learning through innovation and learner-centric approaches.