2008
West Sussex County Council

2007
Belfast City Council

Award Sponsored by


This Award is presented to a training department within a public sector organisation providing IT training to internal clients. Candidates should demonstrate consistent high quality and innovation - both in terms of content, client support and instructional techniques. In particular, the judges will be seeking clear differentiators from other entrants to the Award, evidence of innovation and client endorsement, and a strong proposition in response to the challenge "why this year?"

Your submission

You are requested to structure your submission in a way that covers the sections below; each section will be assessed by the judges during the short-listing phase and you will receive the judges' assessments for each section. There is a maximum of 3,000 words per submission - you are warned that only the first 3,000 words of your submission will be read.

• Overall Description - a brief description of the training department and its mission within the enterprise including summary metrics and key performance indicators.
• Client Engagement - consider the following points within your submission: who are your key stakeholders and how do you liaise with them?; how do you identify skills needs within the different lines of business?; how do your key users evaluate the effectiveness of the service you deliver?; what evidence do you have that you are meeting specific client needs and achieving client satisfaction?
• Product Development/Adaptation - it is recognised that most training departments rely on external sources for product development; but opportunities for adaptation and personalisation of standard product have increased dramatically and are to be included within this section. Consider the following points within your submission: describe your notable achievements within this area over the last twelve months; what evidence do you have that they were successful?; provide information on client endorsement of your processes and your achievements.
• Service Delivery - in this section identify both the qualitative and quantitative elements of service delivery and draw out examples of both innovation and client endorsement to highlight to the judges your credentials within this area.
• Post Evaluation & Follow-up - what is your process for post event follow-up and what have you achieved through this process within the last twelve months?
• Staff Development - identify the processes for staff development within the department (for both training professionals and other staff) and the benefits gained from these practices within the last twelve months.
• Business Management - what evidence can you provide that the department is managed professionally and ethically and is operated on a sound financial basis?
• Business Contribution - what evidence do you have that the department has enabled the organisation as a whole to benefit from the programmes and initiatives that have been implemented over the last twelve months?
• Achievement - what do you consider to be your core achievements within the last twelve months and why do you believe that this is the year that your department should be the Training Department of the Year?
• Additional Comments - (NB this section is optional and although it will not assessed as part of the feedback process, it will be considered as part of your submission). In this section please add any additional points that you feel the judges should consider in evaluating your submission.