Bersin & Associates Announces 2012 Learning Leaders Program and Call for Applications

Program Recognizes Organizations for Excellence in High-Impact Learning, Leadership Development and Talent Management

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Jun 16, 2011, 12:36 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Bersin & Associates, the premier research and consulting firm empowering HR organizations to drive bottom-line impact, today announced the call for applications for the Bersin & Associates 2012 Learning Leaders Program, a research-driven program honoring innovation and excellence in critical areas of learning, leadership and talent management.

Organizations interested in applying can go to www.bersin.com/leaders to download applications. The deadline for application submission is September 16, 2011.

The Bersin & Associates Learning Leaders Program, now in its sixth year, will recognize winners in each of seven categories. The awards recognize organizations that have developed and implemented highly effective and efficient approaches to HR, learning and talent management resulting in significant business improvement. The program also has categories for providers of learning and talent management products and services whose customers have improved efficiency and effectiveness by using the latest technologies, content or approaches.

This year's categories once again align with current industry focal points and Bersin & Associates research. Organizations can apply in one or more of the following categories:

Learning Organization and Governance Excellence
Learning and Talent Initiatives
- includes recognized excellence in leadership development (specific program or initiative), learning operations, learning technology, and informal learning;
Leadership Development Strategy Excellence (overall approach); and
Vendor Innovation in Learning and Talent Management.

Each category (with the exception of vendor innovation) has three segments based on organization size: global enterprise, enterprise and mid-market. Applicants are evaluated along with peers in the same segment.

"As we enter our sixth year of this program, we have changed the categories to reflect the shifts occurring within organizations," said Kim Lamoureux, vice president of research, Bersin & Associates. "For example, last year's applicants demonstrated that they were more focused on securing and nurturing talent with the right mix of deep skills, global capabilities, innovative savvy, and first-line leadership skills -- themes woven throughout our research all year in detailed case studies, webinars and at our annual IMPACT conference."

Winning organizations and their learning and talent management programs will be showcased in a special awards issue of Elearning! Magazine, the media partner for the Bersin & Associates Learning Leaders Program. Winners also will be recognized and their programs featured on the agenda at the Bersin & Associates IMPACT 2012 research conference, to be held April 10-12, 2012 in St. Petersburg, Florida. In addition, Bersin & Associates will develop its annual Learning Leaders report on best practices, findings and observations collected during the evaluation process. Other program-related activities include public webinars featuring specific training and talent management topic areas and leaders.

Previous winners include organizations from around the world in a range of sizes and industries. For an in-depth look at past winners and their initiatives, download the free report, Learning Leaders® 2011: Lessons from the Best. In addition, Lamoureux will host the first in a series of webinars highlighting winners at 2 p.m. Eastern on July 26, 2011. The webinar, Road-tested Learning for Sales Team Productivity, will feature a guest speaker from Grant Thornton, named a Learning Leader in 2011. Grant Thornton was recognized for its LEADS learning and leadership development initiative. One element, the senior manager development program, has nearly doubled the business win rate for participants and represents nearly $12 million in additional revenue. Register now for the July 26 webinar, Road-tested Learning for Sales Team Productivity.

"We're proud to be in our sixth year as the Learning Leaders media partner," said Catherine Upton, publisher of Elearning! Magazine. "We continue to expand our coverage of the winning organizations throughout all of our channels – print, e-news and events. Providing in-depth coverage of the challenges faced by the winners and their learning and talent solutions continues to be very popular with our audiences, who draw on these examples for inspiration and guidance. We look forward to bringing them more proven strategies and approaches with our next set of awards."

Questions about the Bersin & Associates Learning Leaders Program may be sent to [email protected]

Those interested in learning more about Bersin & Associates and its WhatWorks® membership may email [email protected] or call (510) 251-4400.

For media queries, email [email protected] or call (510) 251-4400.

About Bersin & Associates

Bersin & Associates empowers HR and learning organizations to drive bottom-line impact through world-class research and consulting. The company's WhatWorks® membership gives human resources, learning and talent acquisition professionals the information and tools they need to drive change in their organizations as strategic business partners.

Bersin & Associates members use our insights and tools to benchmark themselves against best practices, design and implement programs across the HR and learning spectrum and select and implement systems. More than 5,000 organizations worldwide, including more than half of the Fortune 100, use Bersin & Associates research and consulting to guide their learning, talent and human resources strategies.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.
Josh Bersin
https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=82304

Kim Lamoureux
https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=91979

SOURCE Bersin & Associates