Detailed instructions for award essay
Awards will be presented to the corporate learning units that best illustrate – through an essay and other documentation – their corporate education strategies, best practices, and lessons learned. Additional support documentation – such as charts, graphs, brochures, etc. – should not exceed five documents. If available, videotapes/CD-ROMs may be submitted and will not count against the five-document limit (please submit only one example for each item). While additional documentation is encouraged, each eligible corporate learning unit must clearly demonstrate its best practices and lessons learned in the awards essay.

Each essay must contain the following three sections:

Section 1: Background of the Corporate Learning Unit
In no more than 500 words, applicants must describe the corporate learning unit, including background information on its: scope; vision and mission statement; and organizational structure. In addition, applications must describe:

• the system for funding the corporate learning unit's operations
• how the learning unit uses quality standards to create optimal learning experiences
• evidence of a learning culture that rewards employees, and their managers, for achieving learning related goals.

If applicable, discuss how the organization maintains its long-term commitment to employee learning and development, even during a slow economy.

Section 2: Award Categories
Applicants should select one or more of award categories under which their corporate learning unit's best practices fall, and describe each best practice in no more than 1,500 words for each award category. For each category, applicants must briefly address the challenges/barriers their organizations encountered prior to implementing the new corporate learning processes or strategies. See Award Category Criteria Below.

Section 3: Impact of the Corporate Learning Unit and Future Plans
In no more than 500 words, describe the overall impact (e.g. costs; voluntary employee turnover; productivity; customer satisfaction; generating new business; building or changing organizational culture; role in mergers/acquisitions) of the corporate learning unit on the organization over a sustained period. Applicants must provide quantitative data to illustrate the areas in which the corporate learning unit has had the greatest business impact. Finally, applicants must describe in detail their corporate learning units' plans for 2007-2008 and how those plans will potentially impact the organization (e.g. providing education opportunities to customers, becoming a profit centre, purchasing new e-learning technologies).

Award Categories

Category #1 Alignment: Furthering corporate goals through learning & development efforts
Download Alignment Application Here

Applicants must explain how the corporate learning unit links learning to the organization’s business strategies and plays a role in developing a common culture. Applicants must also explain how their work is an integral element of the organization’s strategies. Applicants may discuss structured workplace learning opportunities, in which work and learning are integrated through team projects, cross-training, rotational assignments, and problem solving exercises.

Judges will look for:

1. Systems and practices for ensuring that learning efforts directly support the strategic needs of the organization (e.g. governing boards)
2. Chief learning officer’s role in directing the corporate learning unit’s strategy
3. Practices for integrating training units’ strategies and pooling resources to reduce redundancies
4. Systems and practices by which the corporate learning unit staff identifies and prioritizes internal clients’ learning and performance needs (e.g. client relationship management, performance consulting, needs assessments)
5. Involvement of CEO or senior managers in the learning process (as instructor, subject matter expert, advocate for learning, etc.)
6. Ways in which the corporate learning unit helps drive strategic change throughout the organization

Category #2 Alliances: Making the best use of external providers
Download Alliances Application Here

Applicants must demonstrate how the corporate learning unit has created innovative alliances with external providers – such as outsourcing service providers, learning consortiums, trade associations, e-learning vendors, training vendors, and subject matter experts – to support or manage elements of education and training programs. Applications must describe how these alliances have enhanced the corporate learning unit's contribution to the organization as a whole. These alliances may be strategic or tactical relationships (i.e. a component of the learning function may be outsourced such as training administration (tactical) vs. an alliance may be established with a university to provide core elements of a leadership development program that has been customized to your organization’s needs (strategic). Applications must explain the corporate learning unit's practices for managing these alliances and driving their value over time.

Judges will look for:

1. Description of the business challenge your organization faced that caused you to explore the alliance
2. Processes or systems for choosing which learning products or services to outsource; breadth of services provided by external providers
3. Criteria and processes (e.g. requests for proposals) used to identify and select partners
4. Evidence of a best practice program developed in partnership with an external provider, focusing on design, objectives, level of customization, target audience, delivery method, management, etc.
5. Demonstration of how the alliance helped advance corporate learning strategy (i.e. reduce costs, generate revenue, speed delivery and retention rate of content, and/or create a learning culture within the organization)

Category #3 Corporate/College Partnerships: Working to address critical business challenges by leveraging the wealth of content and resources available through a college or university.
Download Corporate/College Partnership Application Here

NOTE: This award category includes partnerships with for “for profit” and “not-for-profit” higher education institutions. Applicants must demonstrate how the corporate learning unit worked with a college or university to address a specific business challenge. The solution offered by the college or university can include degree, certificate or specialized custom programs. Applications should describe why the organization sought assistance from a college or university, specific details for how the project was constructed in terms of project team roles, communications and coordination and any collaborative partnering techniques that contributed to the project’s success. The application should describe the willingness and extent to which the college or university needed to customize its current programs, the level of urgency required by the project and demonstrated through the partnership and overall cost and benefit discussion of sourcing the solution with a college/university partner.

Judges will look for:

1. Description of the business challenge your organization faced when it decided to seek assistance from a college or university
2. Level of customization or new program development required to address the business need successfully
3. Description of resources provided by the college or university to develop the solution and the nature and structure of oversight, coordination and project management activities to achieve the solution
4. Results and level of satisfaction with the solution developed through the partnering agreement
5. Any benefits offered to the organization’s work force as a result of attending a corporate training program offered through the partnership with a college or university

Category #4 Launching: Successfully beginning a new corporate university, leadership academy, or a newly branded component of the learning organization.
Download Launching Application Here

Applicants that have launched their corporate university or learning organization in 2006 must provide examples of the processes they used to create a strategic umbrella for learning within the organization.

Judges will look for:

1. System and practices for determining which services will be managed by the corporate university (e.g. governing boards)
2. Methods to incorporate business needs within the enterprise learning strategy
3. Strategies used to communicate the vision and philosophy of the corporate university and create a common culture across the organization
4. Methods used to get "buy-in" from senior leaders and employees
5. Extent to which the corporate university has provided a systematic approach to learning and the steps used to ensure a world-class learning organization was developed
6. Descriptions of centralized or decentralized approach to learning development and delivery

Category #5 Leadership Development: Implementing successful, high-impact learning and development programs targeted to managers, high potentials, and senior executive leadership
Download Leadership Development Application Here

Applicants must describe how the learning unit prepares current and future leaders to meet challenges facing the organization. Applicants must also demonstrate how the learning organization measures its success in identifying and retaining its leadership talent.

Judges will look for:

1. Evidence of a strategic, organization-wide, systematic approach to leadership development and executive development that supports corporate strategic initiatives and organizational transformation
2. Clearly stated leadership and executive competencies and behaviors to guide leadership development.
3. How well leadership and executive development programs enable participants to explore and address challenges and opportunities facing the organization.
4. Development of programs beyond the classroom that recognize the on-the-job nature of leadership and executive development
5. Ways in which senior executives personally involve themselves in the learning and development of direct reports and other managers.
6. Defined criteria for evaluating how leadership development has been effective and contributed directly to improved organizational performance

Category #6 Learning Technologies: Creating an effective learning environment through the use of technology
Download Learning Technologies Application Here

Applicants must describe how the corporate learning unit uses technology to support learning and development. Applicants must also demonstrate ways in which they have created a culture of learning that embraces new technologies and how they used those technologies to meet the needs of their internal clients.

Judges will look for:

1. Methods used to create a culture that 1) integrates work and learning and/or 2) encourages learning "anywhere/anytime"
2. Strategies used to educate the organization – from senior executives to employees – on the value and benefits of the new learning model
3. Quality of the technology systems and tools used to create the new learning experiences
4. Development of online support systems (e.g. competency road maps, skill gap analysis software, performance support tools, online mentoring, communities of practice, collaboration tools) for learners and the extent to which such systems provide "just-in-time" and "just enough" learning opportunities
5. Effectiveness in blending new learning methods with other learning (e.g., classroom, workshops, tutorials)
6. Benefits of developing new technologies for learning (e.g. savings, accessibility, global learning) and extent to which these technologies have measurable benefits such as enhancing the efficiency and capabilities of the learning unit, improving employee and organizational performance, etc.

Category #7 Marketing: Developing and implementing innovative communications and branding strategies
Download Marketing Application Here

Applicants must describe the innovative marketing strategies the corporate learning unit uses to encourage learning. Applicants must also demonstrate how marketing efforts have attracted clients to the corporate learning unit and raised its profile in the organization over a sustained period of time. Applicants may describe ways they have researched and analyzed the internal "market" for learning among employees and their managers.

Judges will look for:

1. Methods used to communicate the value of the corporate learning unit to employees, stakeholders, suppliers, and customers, as well as prospective employees and investors
2. Methods used for maintaining awareness of the corporate learning unit and the role technology plays in marketing the corporate learning unit's services and products
3. Development of a unique brand identity (e.g. slogans, icons, merchandise, newsletter, mascots)
4. Extent to which the corporate learning unit has received external interest or recognition of its services through its marketing efforts
5. Metrics that demonstrate the impact of marketing efforts

Category #8 Measurement: Creating tools and techniques to measure the value of an organization’s investment in learning
Download Measurement Application Here

Applicants must explain the measurement strategy the corporate learning unit uses to assess its impact on the organization. Applicants must also explain how they use measurement data and feedback to drive continuous improvement within the organization.

Judges will look for:

1. Performance measurement strategies that link learning to the goals of the organization
2. Metrics, systems, and tools used to demonstrate learning's impact on the workforce
3. Ways in which the corporate learning unit uses return on learning investment analyses, balanced scorecard, learning-related intellectual/human capital measures, or other innovative approaches
4. Evidence of improved performance within the organization based on quantitative and/or qualitative trend data

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