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The paper seeks first to present an overview of the corporate university landscape in Germany contrasting it with the US‐American corporate university market and, second, to outline the development in Germany during the last 15 years and to have a look at future trends such as learning alliances.

The comparison in the paper is based on empirical data of the largest corporate universities in the USA and Germany gathered by interviews with the heads of the institutions and by evaluations of data such as homepages, brochures, and presentations by the companies. In addition, reference is made to surveys and case studies published by other researchers.

The paper works out major differences between Germany and the USA regarding the educational level, target groups, strategic directions, partnerships, alliances with external vendors, accreditation, focus on internal versus external job market, and organisation that can be led back to the stronger strategic orientation of German corporate universities. It presents the business model of a learning alliance as a potential solution to the major challenges German corporate universities are facing.

Research data being based on interviews and corporate data risk being biased due to marketing purposes. Future research should include internal observations and evaluations.

The paper gives an example for a learning alliance in practice that could be of relevance for a larger number of institutions.

The comparative study helps to understand the US‐American and German corporate university markets as well as their specificities and investigates future developments.

The paper aims to review the latest management development across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

The paper finds that the first purpose of corporate universities is not education. Corporate universities build up specific knowledge relevant to the business. They create a workforce that suits the corporate strategy of the company. In a globalizing environment superior skills can bring sustainable competitive advantage. The development of corporate universities has been a direct consequence of increasingly strategic human resources. They offer a flexible concept that can adapt to the nature of the organization's business environment, react to market changes and competitive pressure.

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.