The rewards of awards

I began my career as a Learning Professional in 2006 and studied my Certificate in
Training Practice (CiTP) shortly after joining an in-house training team. Within the
first 6 months I was asked to support an experienced member of the team complete an
entry for a National Training Award. Having only just started my CiTP, this was a new
experience for me and I set about working on the submission as best I could. Terms
like Training Needs Analysis and Evaluation Strategy were all new to me and it quickly
became clear that it wasn't about cobbling together an entry on the back of a fag packet.
The submission needed research, planning and it needed to be well written showing
what value the learning programme had added in our business. I quickly picked up
something that has stayed with me ever since and that is we were telling a story. Where
we'd come from, where we were going, how we got there and what was the happy
ending. We went on to win the award in 2006; I can remember feeling elated, proud and
felt a great sense of team work and achievement.

Fast forward two years to 2008 and it was award time again. I was in a training design
role and had been involved in a large scale induction re-design. We felt we had an
exciting story to share and working as a team we set about entering the World of
Learning Awards in the Blended Learning Solution of the Year. I worked with members
of my team and stakeholders from the business to write about the journey we'd been
on, the changes we'd been through and the benefits these changes had brought. We'd
done new things, exciting things and challenged our traditional ways of doing things.
It served as a really useful reflection exercise as we revisited what went well and really
focused on the value we had provided. I wrote the story with help and contributions
from a great team and we went on to win the award. It was such a proud moment and
one I'll remember for a long time as it wasn't about collecting any physical award but
more the recognition and validation that what we had done had made a real difference
and had been recognised externally by the professional community. There was such
a feel good factor across the team for weeks if not months after we had won. Another
story had been successfully told.

Fast forward three years to 2011 and its awards time again and I was writing the entry
submission for a member of my team in the Training Journal Awards in the category
of Learning Professional of the Year. I had a story to tell and an opportunity to bring
a team together to reflect on and discuss a project that took over 12 months to deliver.
Every member of the team contributed however one person stood out and I felt proud
that I could call her a colleague and shout about the effort she put in over a long period
of time. We (she) managed to make the shortlist however missed out on the award this
time but it was another great experience.

Three awards three great experiences and whilst not all of them were successful, all of
them proved valuable to us as individuals, as a team and as a business. I'm now working
with DPGplc who are proud sponsors of the Training Journal Awards for the second
consecutive year. DPGplc were the organisation that I completed by CiTP with back in
2006 and looking back on my journey as a Learning Professional, awards have played
a large part in this journey. I could argue they've had a big impact on my career as from
the beginning:

  • I’ve understand the importance of planning
  • I've always looked to reflect on what went well
  • I focus on evidence, what the value is and business benefit
  • I know hard work does pay off
  • I’ve recognised the importance of team and individual strengths
  • I’ve understood the importance of telling a story
  • I've looked to celebrate personal and team successes


For me the rewards of awards aren’t just about the winning and taking a gong home
at the end of the night; I’ve also entered awards in the past and not made the shortlist.
However, each time it’s been a worthwhile process to go through and exercise in
professional development, the process of completing the entry has provided real
challenge which translates in to value at both personal and organisational level.

If you have already submitted an award and told your story then you know what I’m
talking about. If you are in the process of telling your story then I hope this post gives
you the momentum and energy to write with passion, creativity and encourages you to
focus on the process you’ve been through and the value your solution has added in your
business.

If you are still thinking about it, there is still time to submit an entry; you have until
5pm on the 16th July. You can find all the information you need to submit an entry and
any free resources, master classes and workshops for the Training Journal Awards here.

As sponsor, DPGplc are excited about supporting the judging process ensuring the best
of the best in the L&D profession are recognised and rewarded for their achievements.
For those that don’t make the shortlist this time I hope like me, you feel the value of
going through the process and you continue to tell your stories and celebrate your
successes. For those that do make the shortlist we look forward to seeing you on awards
night, it’s going to be a night to remember.

Mike Collins is Head of Community Development & Online Learning at DPGplc and
will be tweeting live from the awards night, you can also follow him @DPGplc &
@MikeCollins007

This post was first featured on the Training Journal Website which you can access here

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