4 April 2024

Cirque du Soleil – Rebuilding a learning culture

Project snapshot

Sector

Entertainment

Duration

2 years

People reached

4,000 employees

Focus areas

27 themes on team leadership, psychological health, team performance, interpersonal skills, and professional effectiveness

A shift toward autonomy and accessibility

In 2022, Cirque du Soleil reimagined its learning model with one goal in mind: making training more accessible and empowering employees to take charge of their own development. The HR team was looking for a solution that offered open access to soft skills content—along with hands-on experiences to help people put learning into practice.

They also wanted the flexibility to lead these learning moments internally down the line.

Meeting a wide range of needs

  • Cirque’s people are anything but typical. From performers to office staff and managers—spread across headquarters, global offices, and on tour—any solution had to reflect these very different realities.
  • Accessibility was also key: content needed to be available in both English and French to meet the needs of a diverse, multilingual workforce.

What we delivered

  • Heatmap survey to pinpoint skill development needs
  • Custom learning portal in French and English
  • Strategic coaching and support
  • Branded internal communications materials
  • Learning facilitation
  • Ready-to-use learning kits
  • Tailored client toolkit and reporting insights

From insight to impact

To get things right from the start, we began with a needs analysis, followed by strategic consulting and hands-on support from our project team. A heatmap survey gave employees a voice and helped shape the direction of the initiative—sparking engagement from day one.

From there, we co-created timelines and rollout plans. Regular check-ins kept everything on track. One of the many great ideas that emerged? Designing custom visuals and email templates to support internal awareness campaigns.

Bringing soft skills within reach

To make learning truly accessible, we launched a custom online platform featuring 27 themes on leadership, collaboration, well-being, and more—all available in both French and English.

Thanks to SSO integration, employees could explore content at their own pace, from anywhere in the world.

Creating a shared language across the organization

The results? Access to quality content combined with strategic communications helped create a shared vocabulary—and a culture of ownership around learning.

By using Boostalab content with our managers, we now share a common language. That lets me focus more on helping them apply the right solutions to their challenges.

Hélène Tabet

Associate Business Partner – Talent, Cirque du Soleil

abstract shape
These are tools I use regularly, and we’re even integrating them into our performance plans to help improve individual outcomes

Sara Bent

CRHA, Associate Business Partner – Talent, Touring Shows, Cirque du Soleil

abstract shape