New for 2009

Award Sponsored by

This award is open to any organisation that can demonstrate that they have made a unique and innovative contribution to the delivery of learning services.  Judges will be looking for new or substantially novel ways of engaging learners, stimulating the creation and sharing of knowledge and accelerating organisational learning.  To be successful an organisation must clearly show how they have helped to create an environment which fosters learning in the workplace.  You will need to demonstrate how sustainable value is created.

Judging criteria

1. There must be a conscious attempt to modify, build upon or create new methods or processes to support adult learning.
2. There is a focus on both individual and group learning
3. The learning initiative achieves one or more of the following:
1. flourishes in an environment previously hostile or unreceptive to learning
2. is brought closer to the workplace and integrated with day-to-day work activity
3. generates spontaneous learning in response to the needs of the individual, group, process or organisation
4. is made available to a group of people who have not previously benefited from learning investment
5. engages learners in non traditional activities to produce new understanding

Applications that focus specifically on any of the following should be directed to more appropriate award categories (such as the Training Project of the year):

• The application of new technology to learning – unless it can be specifically shown to achieve the conditions set out above
• The creation of a new delivery medium unless it fundamentally redesigns the learning model
• The provision of Universal access to learning unless it can be shown that this also engages the disenfranchised in a novel and productive manner
• Content – unless it is structured or accessed in a way that was previously unimaginable.
• Development of e-learning modules and solutions, learning management systems and frameworks or portals – again there are other categories for these.

In particular, the judges will be looking for entries that focus on:

1. The learning process
2. The way people engage with the learning process and each other
3. The impact on the person or people that are doing the learning