I have heard from a few folks already about the plans they have to celebrate Employee Learning Week in their companies, organizations, and ASTD chapters. It is so exciting to see folks getting psyched about promoting the value of learning! Remember there are lots of tools on the Employee Learning Week website - including downloadable logos, public service announcements to send to your local radio stations, and press release templates to announce your activities to your local press. You'll find everything at www.employeelearningweek.org. Remeber to send me an email, letting me know what you've done to celebrate ELW and we will send you a Champion of Learning certificate to recognize your efforts! You can email me at kfyfe@astd.org.

Tags: employee learning week, chapters, champion of learning, astd, elw

Categories: ASTD in the News | Chapters | Government | International | Membership

Came across this great story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune that talks about the value of belonging to associations. The article is targeted at healthcare workers, but the reporter states that professional associations outside your given industry add value to your career too. Laura French's story "Associate with Success" states:

"Training and education is another career track of interest to healthcare professionals. The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) has more than 130 chapters in the U.S. as well as members in more than 100 countries. ASTD offers the only certification in the training and development field: Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP). Visit www.astd.org for additional information."

Nice to see a reporter making the connection that professional associations add real value! And the reference to the CPLP credential by a reporter indicates that certification is growing in prominence and recognition.

Tags: astd, cplp, training, development, chapters

Categories: ASTD in the News | Chapters

When it comes to evaluating the effectiveness of training, most organizations admit they could do a better job, according to a new study released by the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD). The study, Value of Evaluation: Making Training Evaluations More Effective, found that only about one-quarter of respondents agree their organizations get a “solid bang for the buck” from their training evaluation efforts.

The study, conducted in partnership with the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), is based on responses from 704 individuals in high-level positions in business, human resources, and learning. Eighty two percent of respondents worked for companies headquartered in North America, and 40.5 percent were employed by multinational or global organizations. 
 
The study found that the five-level Kirkpatrick/Phillips model of learning evaluation is the most commonly used evaluation tool. Findings show that almost all organizations (92 percent of respondents) use the first level of evaluation which measures participant reaction. The use of the model drops off dramatically with each subsequent level, with very few organizations (17.9 percent of respondents) using Level 5 evaluation—return-on-investment for training. Findings also show that for organizations that effectively evaluate at Level 4, which measures business results, there is a positive correlation with marketplace performance.

Other key findings in the report include:

• The Brinkerhoff Success Case Method is the second most widely used evaluation method. About half of respondents used some version of this method, which highlights individual training success stories to communicate the value of learning.
• There are several barriers to the evaluation of learning including metrics that are seen as too difficult to calculate, isolating training as a factor that affects behaviors and results, and lack of leadership interest in training evaluation information.
• An average of 5.5 percent of training budgets is spent on evaluation, and organizations tend to spend the largest share of their evaluation budgets on Level 1 (reaction) evaluations.

Also included in the report are recommended actions for learning professionals:

• Don’t abandon evaluation. Learn to use metrics well as they are associated with evaluation success and overall organization success.
• Establish clear objectives and goals to be measured from the outset of a training program. For example, if measuring at Level 3 (behavior change) identify and measure the behaviors that should change before and after training.
• Collect data that is meaningful to leaders. Recognize that this type of data is not primarily found in participant reaction (Level 1) evaluations.
• Indentify the key performance indicators to be measured. When evaluating results, focus on metrics such as proficiency and competency levels, customer satisfaction, employee perceptions of training impact, business outcomes, and productivity measures.
• When choosing a Learning Management System, investigate the evaluation tools available with the system.

The report, Value of Evaluation: Making Training Evaluations More Effective, shows conclusively that organizations struggle with evaluating whether their programs meet the business needs of their organizations and whether they are meaningful to employees and business leaders. By delineating what organizations are currently doing, and identifying best practices and recommendations for improvement, ASTD hopes this report will help learning professionals and their organizations become more proficient and strategic when evaluating learning.

To access the full report, go to www.astd.org/content/research.

 

Tags: astd research, evaluation, roi, kirkpatrick model, phillips model, brinkerfhoff model, training evaluation, level 1, level 3, level 4, level 5, business impact

Categories: ASTD in the News

Despite the roughest economy in decades, organizations showed a commitment to learning and development, spending $130 billion in 2008 - or roughly $1,068 per employee. That's one of the big findings in the just-released 2009 State of the Industry Report from ASTD. The numbers are down a bit from 2007, but the news is not glum. Read the press release here for more data. Or you can access the full report at www.astd.org if you are a member of ASTD -- and why wouldn't you be with great research like this?

Tags: state of the industry report, learning and development expeditures, training budgets, research

Categories: ASTD in the News | Government

Love it when our local chapters make news! It's great exposure for them and increases the brand value of ASTD as a whole. Read the article "Rochester networking becomes important business talent" in the Democrat and Chronicle!

Tags: astd, chapters, genesee valley, networking

Categories: ASTD in the News | Chapters

Hot off the presses! It is confirmed that Jeffrey Zients, the nation's first Chief Performance Officer, will be speaking at the upcoming conference hosted by The Public Manager and the American Society for Public Administration. The conference will be held November 2-3 in Washington, D.C. For more information on Zients, see the press release. To HEAR him speak, go to the conference. Register at www.thepublicmanager.org/2009conference. Early bird registration has been extended until October 30!

Tags: the public manager, conference, chief performance officer, government, public sector, barack obama, jeffrey zients

Categories: ASTD in the News | Conferences | Government | Public Policy

Just put out a press release noting the continued gain in confidence of learning executives. For the second quarter in a row, LXs are optimistic about continued growth in the learning function. All the info is in the third quarter Learning Executives Confidence Index. You can read the press release here. Or read the full report here.

Tags: learning executives, confidence index, research, learning function

Categories: ASTD in the News

ASTD is at the forefront on a lot of issues and leads on a lot of trends - especially on the technology front. Under President and CEO Tony Bingham's leadership ASTD started a virtual conference initiative with this year's TechKnowledge conference. The virtual offering was a hit and led to an expanded virtual offering for the International Conference & Exposition held this spring in Washington, D.C. We put out a press release about the virtual conference which led to call from a reporter from Association Meetings during the conference. Lo and behold the publication found the idea of virtual conferences so intriguing they called back and wanted to know more about it since ASTD is definitely at the forefront in using this platform to meet member needs.  The result is this story "Six Elements of a Virtual Conference" which features Anthony Allen, ASTD's Director of Digital Media, very prominently. The very cool photo in the article is courtesy of our friends at The Photo Group.

Tags: astd, tony bingham, techknowledge, international conference and exposition, virtual conference, digital media, anthony allen

Categories: ASTD in the News | Conferences | TechKnowledge

Just put out a press release announcing the new issue of The Public Manager, which comes out October 15.  Good content regarding networking and collaboration among government entities. This quarterly journal is must-read material for everyone working in the public sector AND those working in non-profits or for contractors who deal with the public sector.  We put the press release out this week because EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION for The Public Manager's upcoming conference ends NEXT WEEK. If you haven't registered yet, go to www.thepublicmanager.org/2009conference and get the good rate. There will be a big announcement about a high-profile government official speaking at the conference coming in the next couple of days. Stay tuned!

Tags: the public manager, public sector, conference, networking, collaboration

Categories: ASTD in the News

ASTD announces that 39 organizations from Canada, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, and the United States are winners in the 2009 ASTD BEST Awards competition. Sun Microsystems, of Santa Clara, California, holds the first place ranking. The 2009 ASTD BEST Award winners are recognized in a special section of the October issue of Training + Development (T+D), ASTD’s monthly magazine, and were honored during a reception on October 1 in Washington, D.C. Many of the winners participated in the “Learn from the BEST” event on October 2 to share best practices during roundtable presentations and networking time.

The BEST Awards recognize organizations that demonstrate enterprise‐wide success through employee learning and development. According to Tony Bingham, ASTD’s president and CEO, “The ASTD BEST Award winners set the standard of excellence for exceptional learning practices, and demonstrate that a skilled workforce is vital to
achieving results. They use learning as a strategic tool and have the support of senior leaders who champion a learning culture.”

Through an online application, the 2009 BEST Awards received entries from 93 organizations in 10 countries. These organizations submitted quantitative and qualitative information to ASTD about their learning and development practices and programs. Their applications were assessed by members of the BEST Awards advisory committee, a group of experts in the learning and development field.

More information about the 2009 ASTD BEST Award winners may be found in the October 2009 issue of T+D magazine and online: www.astd.org/best. ASTD would like to thank the following sponsors of the 2009 BEST Awards: Platinum Sponsor: Booz Allen Hamilton; Silver Sponsors: General Physics Corporation, Learn.com , and SkillSoft.

The 2009 ASTD BEST Award winners and rankings:

1. Sun Microsystems, Santa Clara, California
2. MTR Corporation, Hong Kong, SAR, China
3. SCC Soft Computer, Clearwater, Florida
4. DPR Construction, Inc., Redwood City, California
5. BB&T, Winston‐Salem, North Carolina
6. VF Asia Limited, Hong Kong, SAR, China
7. Highmark (an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
8. BJC HealthCare, St. Louis, Missouri
9. Datatel, Fairfax, Virginia
10. Trust Company of the West, Los Angeles, California
11. Luxottica Retail North America, Mason, Ohio
12. La Quinta, Irving, Texas
13. Robert W. Baird & Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
14. Gables Residential, Atlanta, Georgia
15. Wipro Limited, Bangalore, India
16. T. Rowe Price, Baltimore, Maryland
17. LarsonAllen, Minneapolis, Minnesota
18. University Health System, San Antonio, Texas
19. CSC, Falls Church, Virginia
20. Reliance Industries Limited, Jamnagar Refinery Division, Mumbai, India
21. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, New York, New York
22. Infosys Technologies Limited, Bangalore, India
23. Reliance Industries Limited, Dahej Manufacturing Division, Mumbai, India
24. CIGNA Corporation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
25. Suzlon Energy, Ltd., Pune, India
26. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, Mumbai, India
27. Prescription Solutions, Irvine, California
28. Whirlpool Corporation, Saint Joseph, Michigan
29. Barilla America, Inc., Bannockburn, Illinois
30. Fallon Clinic, Worcester, Massachusetts
31. InterContinental Hotels Group, Atlanta, Georgia
32. Mayer Electric Supply Company Inc., Birmingham, Alabama
33. TELUS, Vancouver, British Columbia
34. G4S Wackenhut, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
35. sanofi‐aventis U.S., Bridgewater, New Jersey
36. Brown‐Forman Corporation, Louisville, Kentucky
37. United Overseas Bank, Singapore
38. Grant Thornton LLP, Chicago, Illinois
39. Cbeyond, Atlanta, Georgia

In addition, nine companies on this list have been BEST ASTD Award winners for three years or more. They are: BB&T, CSC, Gables Residential, Infosys Technologies, MTR Corporation, Reliance Industries, sanofi‐aventis U.S., TELUS, and Wipro Limited.

Tags: astd, best awards, training and development, workplace learning, best practices, learning culture, tony bingham, t+d, skilled workforce

Categories: ASTD in the News | Chapters | Membership