Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management, recently announced that Merck, a leader in health care and pharmaceuticals, has launched Energy University to educate its employees around the world on energy efficiency.

Energy University is a free online program, featuring more than 350 educational courses that provide product-neutral information and guidance for improving energy efficiency within an organization.

Merck will first use Energy University as an internal training tool for its Global Energy Network for Improvement in Usage and Supply (GENIUS) teams, with the goal of educating employees to make smarter choices in energy efficiency. The online courses can help Merck’s 70,000 employees realize more than 30 percent energy savings within their building, facility or private residence.

Tom Pagliuco, director, Global Energy & Sustainability Center of Excellence, Merck, said: “Whether an employee is interested in simply learning more about energy efficiency or would like to take advantage of new opportunities in the energy management field, Energy University offers tools and information for everyone — at no cost.”

The Energy University program will also provide employees with the opportunity to become certified as a professional energy manager (PEM), an industry recognized certification provided by the Institute of Energy Professionals.

David Reed, energy services director, buildings business, Schneider Electric, said: “The best resource for reducing an organization’s energy usage and costs is its employees. Our Energy University program provides the necessary tools to support companies from every industry in their efforts to effectively grow employees’ sustainability knowledge and skills. This will not only benefit the environment, but an organization’s bottom line as well.”

Within the Energy University learning platform, Schneider Electric has created four distinct development paths for Merck with different courses for specific groups of employees.