ASTD "Champions of Learning"

Employee Learning Week 2008 was very successful! Thanks to all who participated. Here are a few glimpses at what your peers did to recognize ELW:

 

The Teachers Credit Union celebrated ELW by posting information in its online newsletter. The newsletter included information about Employee Learning Week and daily tools and tips on how to make learning prominent every day. The ASTD St. Louis Chapter held a special half-day workshop during ELW with 80 participants in attendance to hear nationally-recognized speakers, Jim and Wendy Kirkpatrick. The chapter emailed learning-related articles each day of the week to members and other learning professionals in the community. McCreight & Associates, LLC began using the ELW e-mail banner on all correspondence from late November through ELW. The company distributed personal learning tips each day on its Facebook page, and posted the South Carolina’s Governor’s ELW Proclamation on this site, too! McCreight & Associates also set up a Blog in conjunction with ELW. The Delaware Employment Law Blog posted an entry about ELW, recommending that it is a good time for organizations to start focusing on their training and development, if they haven’t already.

In addition to releasing an organizational skill matrix, Polaris launched workshops on a “learning framework” and the importance of learning for career growth. The company also launched “Project Blossom,” a six-week competency-building program to refresh employee skills through self learning, computer-based training (CBT), and video-based training. The Fort Worth Mid-Cities Chapter distributed buttons and posters to chapter members and asked them to submit stories on how they promoted the week in their companies or with their clients. Chapter president, Sharon Dera, was presented with a proclamation from Judge Whitley from the Tarrant County Commissioners Court in support of ASTD's efforts to recognize ELW. FORT WORTH MID-CITIES! ExactTarget hosted a New Employee Orientation program during ELW, and also hosted a professional development program for employees. The company hosted a meeting for all employees – including flying those in from out of state – to celebrate the accomplishments from the year. ExactTarget also launched a new website for employees called “Benefits U.” The ASTD New Hampshire Chapter created several tips for ELW and emailed them each day of the week. The tips included topics ranging from celebrating project success in advance … to spur enthusiasm among team members … to how to use Post-It Notes to focus ideas into a concrete structure … to tips on avoiding “death by PowerPoint.” The James G. Davis Construction Corporation produced and distributed a “pocket guide” to using the company’s Learning Management System. The company offered 10 educational events throughout ELW, with six of the 10 classes taught by Davis employees. And, the company rolled out five new online courses that can be accessed 24/7 through Davis’s LMS. Open Solutions University (OSU) had booths at several of its office locations. The booths provided an opportunity for employees to discover the learning and development opportunities available through OSU that could help them in their jobs and with future careers. ASTD Nebraska Chapter distributed several ELW communication pieces through its monthly newsletter and bi-monthly email. The chapter held its holiday social during ELW to recognize members’ commitment to workplace learning and performance. And, the chapter gave “Champions of Learning” certificates to member organizations that recognized ELW. Official proclamations for recognizing Employee Learning Week were secured from: Gov. Dave Heineman, State of Nebraska; Mayor, Mike Fahey, Omaha, Nebraska; Mayor, Donald Groesser, Ralston, Nebraska; and Mayor, James Blinn, Papillion, Nebraska. ASTD Nebraska Proclamation! For ELW, Rotary International created a magnet and distributed it to it 537 employees, along with an invitation to a meet-and-greet reception. During the reception, the company announced a new learning initiative for 2009 and a contest called the “Employee Learning and Development Passport Challenge.” The company posted an ELW proclamation on its portal site on December 8, and each day thereafter, posted a message about learning. Macy’s Systems & Technology sent an email to all employees announcing ELW and the special activities planned for Dec. 10, 2008. The company provided displays in the main building and annex that featured information on tuition reimbursement and the employee development services provided. Company associates participated in a “Wheel of Learning” game and drawing for learning-related prizes. Lutheran Home created and customized five self-study guides to educate employees on mandatory federal regulations pertaining to their facility. These study guides were available during ELW and after completing the study guide they took a quiz. A passing grade on the quizzes merited credit for the in-service requirements on their training record. Lutheran Home heavily promoted this event with flyers, a poster and a payroll stuffer. They also highlighted the upcoming event during their Town Hall meeting. An ELW partnership between the Corporate Development Team at the University of Phoenix, Columbus Campus, and the Central Ohio Chapter of ASTD resulted in a series of free workshops. The chapter provided a continental breakfast each morning and members of the Academic Affairs department at the university taught the workshops. Both organizations had classroom displays to educate attendees. The University marketing team promoted the joint effort to local media outlets, providing earned media advertising for both organizations. December 11 marked the debut of an ELW “Showcase” event by ASTD’s Heart of Illinois Chapter, which partnered with the Professional Development Institute of Illinois Central College and the college’s Organizational Learning department. The day started with an early morning media appearance to promote the chapter and the ELW showcase. The keynote speaker for the event was Mr. Chris Glynn, President of Caterpillar University and Director of Talent Development. Two breakout sessions were offered and the afternoon keynote speaker was Ms. Gina Urgena, ASTD’s Director of Chapter Services. The day ended with some fun rounds of Speed Networking. In addition, a proclamation was secured from then-Governor Blagojevich for the State of Illinois, and from the Mayor of Peoria, Illinois. Training general employees on the new Office 2007 user interface (popularly referred to as the “Ribbon”) was tied to ELW when Sensis Corporation rolled out Ribbon Training classes on December 10, 2008. Prior to attending class, participants received a welcome packet that consisted of a welcome letter and a support process guide. Both the letter and guide sported the ELW banner. Sensis also created two internal websites to support the training, incorporating the ELW logo on both. New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union’s Training & Employee Development department 'planted the seeds’ for learning and showcased the value of workplace learning in the company’s ELW initiative. An ELW section on the company’s internal training portal was incorporated, which drove employees to the training web pages. The CEO and senior executives were involved in recognizing the value learning brings to the organization through videotaped comments that were posted on the ELW section of the website. Marriott held a Learning Development Roundtable for learning professionals. Their team greatly benefited from the insightful presentations, which spurred idea-generating conversation. The University Health System in San Antonio, Texas celebrated ELW by looking to the future while addressing the present. UHS posted a 2009 learning needs assessment survey on their intranet. In addition, they hosted several creatively-titled presentations including:  “Education Expo- Whole Latte Learning,” “iPod, uPod, Everyone is Podcasting,” “Leadership Development Imperative,” “Multicultural Sensitivity Series- Celebrating employee diversity at UHS,” and “Performance Leadership Academy Graduation.” The University of New Mexico provided multiple offerings in support of ELW. An ELW section incorporated on the website was noted in employee communication and brought employees to the training web pages. “Learning Snapshots” showcased some of the ongoing classes. “Learning Tips” were distributed via a listserv. UNM instructors were involved and recognized with a Lunch-n-Learn event. The ASTD Eastern PA Chapter’s Annual Celebration of Learning was a free-to-members event thanks to the award received from ASTD for the Chapter Excellence Awards. The chapter voted Meloney Sallie-Dosunmu the 2008 Learning Leader, and she was presented with this award at the Celebration of Learning. The chapter also posted an article on the importance of workplace learning in the Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal. Premier Bank engaged the topic of learning every day during ELW by sending out an “e-newsletter” highlighting a different program being offered. The ASTD New Mexico Chapter sent out an e-mail reminder to all of its member organizations about ELW. A brief overview of ELW was followed by the “who, when, where, why, and how” about the week. Reminding organizations that anything counts towards participating in ELW, the chapter encouraged everyone to participate. The ASTD Las Vegas Chapter held its 4th annual Tribute to Learning Event on December 10th, complete with awards spotlighting organizations and consulting groups who excel in the areas of creativity, innovation, and futuristic approaches to learning. Award categories were: Facilitator Delivered Training & Development Programs; Measurement and Evaluation; Diversity; Overall Best Consultant; and Overall Best. Winners received a plaque and a “Tribute to Learning Best Awards” winner logo to use on all company materials and website, and recognition on the Las Vegas Chapter website. Aegis Sciences Corporation celebrated ELW and learning by offering a menu of courses to their team members. Some classes, like Stress Management and Goal Setting, were offered in online and classroom formats. Others, like E-mail Communication and Chemical Right to Know, were offered online. Employees clearly took advantage of the training. The Chemical Right to Know class had a completion rate of 75%; Stress Management 31%; Goal Setting 25%; and Email Communication 18%. Starting in October, members and member organizations of ASTD’s Baton Rouge chapter were encouraged to plan ELW activities.  Proclamations were secured from the East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Melvin “Kip” Holden and Governor Bobby Jindal for the State of Louisiana on behalf of the Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and North Louisiana Chapters. Member organizations conducted activities, too. Neighbors Federal Credit Union’s training department visited each of its seven branches to showcase a new learning management system, provide information about leadership, learning and development opportunities, including books available from the company’s library. A “Learning Tip of the Day” was sent via e-mail to all employees.  Meanwhile, the Louisiana State University College of Education administration was provided a “Happy ELW” note introducing them to ELW and to T+D magazine. Elsewhere, Amedysis put the ELW banner on its Learn Center home page and in its corporate daily updates, introducing the Talent Management team, what ELW is, and useful resource tips.   At Tata Consultancy Services UK & Ireland, ELW was deployed with the help of a network of more than 90 learning champions. ELW initiatives included: mailers and fliers on ASTD’s ELW sent out to Learning Champions; “Learning Times!” featured ‘Your Workplace Learner’; a Learning Fair was launched at Visa Europe Services Project and fairs were conducted at other projects thereafter; a Managerial Effectiveness Program was held; “Learning Tips” in the form of mailers and fliers were sent out to associates by the learning champions; and a Learning Artifacts Competition was rolled out for ELW. Those who observed ELW by participating in the Learning Artifacts competition were given additional points on the LearnEx Scoreboard. ASTD’s Central New York Chapter highlighted learning on its website by announcing ELW and noting an ELW Proclamation by the Onondaga County Executive. The chapter created a separate web page covering general ELW information.  ELW was celebrated with a Sharing BEST Practices program during which winning projects/programs by the 2008 CNY BEST winners were highlighted to educate other members. One of the members of the Central New York ASTD Chapter, Human Development Associates offered a free “Brainstorming Techniques and Divergent Training” session during ELW.  The group also included a notice about ELW in their email signatures. The Inland Northwest Blood Center marked ELW with an email announcement entitled “Share your learning experiences.” It stated: ASTD has designated the week of December 8-12, 2008 as “Employee Learning Week.” It invited everyone to submit a description of an active learning event they experienced since December 1, 2008. The company received some valuable descriptions of learning events which inspired them and fueled design plans for upcoming training events. PM Alumni Day of 2008 was a signature learning event sponsored by Siemens Management Institute saluting Siemens’ most valuable human asset – project managers. Held in Siemens’ Beijing, China headquarters, PM Alumni Day allowed Siemens’ project managers to share experiences and network. Best practices and live project sharing from both internal Siemens groups and external project management practitioners were highlights. Enthusiasm was also generated by the participation of senior management in China and program representatives from Germany. Marvin Windows and Doors of Warroad, Minnesota celebrated its first ever ELW in 2008. Marvin’s goal for the week was to highlight the connection between learning and achieving business results. Intra-company education was facilitated by a Learning Expo in which each department highlighted the work they do at Marvin and how learning enriches their job effectiveness. Employee testimonials on the value of learning were posted on the company’s Intranet. Short educational “learning sessions” on topics like “Adult Learning Styles,” “Generational Differences,” and “Owning My Learning” were offered throughout the week. Baosteel Group Corporation, the most competitive steel producer in China and the 5th biggest steel producer in the world, takes its training and development seriously. Baosteel changed its Education and Training Center to the Talent Development Institute. On average Baosteel’s 110,000 employees receive 48 hours of training each. During ELW 2008 Baosteel posted impressive training statistics. 215 programs and 881 hours of training were provided. Almost 24,000 Baosteel employees were involved in formal training during ELW, including C-Level leaders. The Charlotte Chapter of ASTD, in cooperation with Bank of America, created a one-day conference and learning event for its members. Approximately 280 people attended the event. Positive feedback was exceptional and driven by the fact that 12 concurrent sessions on three tracks were offered, 80 companies and 20 sponsors presented information on their products. The opening Keynote address was given by Elliott Masie, a member of President Obama’s Transition Team. Proclamations were secured from the Mayor of Charlotte and the Governor of North Carolina. To mark the 60th Anniversary of the Central Iowa Chapter’s existence, two proclamations were secured from the state. One declared December 1-5 ASTD Week and the other declared December 8-12 Employee Learning Week. In addition 7 cities and one county joined the state in declaring their partnership in recognizing the value of employee learning. The Chapter also held an ELW Idea Contest. The winning submission was the “12 Campaign.” The campaign taught people that if they invested just 12 minutes a day toward honing their skills or learning something new they would invest 52 hours into learning and personal development by the end of the year. Rather than making learning a “once in a while” event, this campaign taught that learning should be a daily pursuit. The University of Maryland University College recognized Employee Learning Week with a host of activities and workshops that fell under the theme "Learning Outside the Box." The week focused on various learning techniques and styles including experiential learning and action learning. The week kicked off with an internal networking fair that enabled staff and faculty members to meet colleagues and learn more about the functioning of individual departments. UMUC conducts a large amount of its daily business vie e-mail and phone, so the fair provided a wonderful opportunity for employees to put a face with a name.   The Central Oklahoma Chapter of ASTD celebrated ELW for the first time by throwing a Holiday Networking Party which allowed members to get to know each others’ areas of expertise. A daily e-newsletter containing a different training or development theme was sent to members, encouraging them to think about that theme in relation to their own organization. Themes included Innovation, Customer Service, Safety, Communication, and Quality.

See what your peers did to recognize Employee Learning Week in 2007!

Oracle recently launched a Human Resources website for its employees during ELW. The site included a robust learning and development portal. The Public Library of Charlotte, NC hosted a blog for ELW while also working with Mayor McCrory to proclaim December 3-7, 2007 as Employee Learning Week in the city CHAMPION OF LEARNING! The University of Texas at San Antonio deployed an institution-wide training needs assessment during Employee Learning Week among other events The ASTD Central New York Chapter appeared on the local newspaper’s blog discussing ELW CHAMPION OF LEARNING! Todd Zaitzeff shares technology tips with the Central Illinois community at its pre-ELW EDUCATE event

PROCLAMATION! The City of Bloomington, Illinois recognizes Employee Learning Week with an official proclamation Governor Phil Bredesen presented an ELW proclamation to Lee Ann Smith and Caitlin Stewart-Congdon of the ASTD Middle Tennessee Chapter Network Solutions held a Learning Fair (with snacks!) to connect employees with local colleges and universities while providing access to Tuition Reimbursement information The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) offered a variety of opportunities to get employees excited about professional and personal development PROCLAMATION! The ASTD Northeast Wisconsin Chapter reached out to 6 counties in Wisconsin in an effort to have December 3-7 proclaimed as Employee Learning Week The Las Vegas Training and Development team for Harrah’s Entertainment created brochures highlighting many popular course offerings for Harrah’s employees CHAMPION OF LEARNING! Just Born offered a Lunch & Learn Session on Mental Fitness and an Open Enrollment Workshop on Creating A Professional Image Drajica Tomovic was honored by Jacque Burandt at the University Health System recognition event held in San Antonio, TX during the week The ASTD Cascadia Chapter in Oregon created a blog where members could discuss their ideas for ELW. The group also used Free Rice as a great (and fun!) way to get excited about continued education while also helping the UN in the fight against hunger The University Health System held an Education Expo in San Antonio for ELW PROCLAMATION! The ASTD North East Central Gator Chapter received a proclamation from Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan of Gainesville, FL. Lee County, FL also received a proclamation declaring December 3-7, 2007 as Employee Learning Week   The ASTD Greater Cleveland Chapter set up a website for members to post their ideas regarding training and the workplace learning profession CHAMPION OF LEARNING!

 

See what your peers did to recognize Employee Learning Week in 2006!

The ASTD Northeast Florida Chapter honors excellence at their Excellence in Employee Development Awards.

Rep. David Leibowitz, Rep. Jose Menendez, and Rep. Frank Corte present Ms. Jacque Burandt with a proclamation recognizing ELW from the State of Texas.

The ASTD San Diego Chapter awards its members at their 2006 ELW Celebration.

Lee County, Florida's Board County of Commissioners passed a resolution in 2006 showcasing Employee Learning Week.

The ASTD Fort Lauderdale Chapter honors Elyse Sitomer with two "Champion of Learning" trophies for her company, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.