What does it mean to win a Learning Award?

Winning a Learning Award is about more than just the accolades.

Year on year, we witness people and companies go on to accomplish outstanding things as a result of their success at the Awards.

Behind me on the screen are just some of the hundreds of people who have won Learning Awards over the last 24 years…

And tonight, you have the opportunity to join these people and, we hope, go on to emulate or even surpass their success. Perhaps one day, you’ll come back and win the Colin Corder Award for Outstanding Services to Learning.

But let’s be clear, irrespective of what you go on to achieve after tonight, we owe it to ourselves to recognise that just being here today, in this room as a finalist, is an outstanding achievement.

You should all be justifiably proud of the innovation, hard work and determination you have demonstrated to make it this far.

By becoming a finalist, whether as an organisation or individual, you have proven that you are leaders in your industry.

So, before we go on to announce our winners, let’s all take a moment to congratulate all the finalists for their exceptional contribution to learning and performance this year.

The competition this year was fiercer than ever.

So, let’s take a look at what the judges decided made the difference for our winners.

This year, there were 6 key aspects that really made the difference:

· Passion

· Creativity

· Innovation

· The creation and implementation of successful learning cultures

· Effective learning design

· Measurable business impact

Tonight, we will see fantastic examples of each of these in the people and businesses amongst us.

Now, every year since the LPI was established, it has been our passion for Learning and Performance to be represented at the top table.

This year, we can say with more confidence than ever, that we are finally there at that table. Learning is now being recognised for the essential role it provides, not just in internal contexts, but for organisational and individual growth.

But how did we get here?

In recent years, AI, automation and other technologies have emerged, and been seen as a threat to Learning and Performance. We have witnessed skilled jobs in Finance, HR and Legal all fall victim to ‘the machines’, and understandably learning looked to be next in line.

But these proclamations have proven to be premature. As we now know, Learning reconnected with its human soul and realised that irreplaceable qualities such as critical thinking, adopting new outlooks, teamwork and creativity can all join forces with technology to forge new advances in the field and become more holistic with its approach.

The Learning Awards is a perfect illustration of this point.

I am proud to say, that in this year alone, the Learning Awards has doubled in size, signifying the continuing growth and staying power of Learning.

But it is changing…

L&D functions shifting from the past and embracing new technology has proven to be imperative for the modern high-performing organisation.

Therefore, to accommodate this shift, we have introduced two brand new categories for 2020,

The Learning Platform of the Year and The Learning Impact Award.

We feel that these categories are much needed representations of both the technological advancement in L&D and the business imperative that is efficacy.

Of course, the technological shift that we are experiencing throughout Learning and Performance comes as no surprise. We are far past the point of no return when it comes to the need for digital transformation.

But the adoption of technology alone is not enough.

The real powerhouse in measuring and creating success in modern learning can be singled out to one single thing: DATA.

Data has assumed a critical role in learning.

We are now rightly seeing comprehensive learning strategies being developed utilising data as the core foundation, rather than simply being a symptom of their post-learning analytics.

Without data there is no narrative, no context and no adding value..

And the data we are getting at the LPI is clear and provides a clear message – commit to learning or be left behind.

With this monumental change in perception, now is the time for us to push forwards and take responsibility.

We are all here tonight, to recognise the pioneers and the leaders among us…people whose work acts as an inspiration to us all.

Equally, we must all continue to be aspirational, because with the right approach, we can transform organisational performance, individual performance and ultimately, the world around us.

For the full listing of finalists and winners simply click here

Submissions for the 2021 awards close on the 25th September – for more information simply click here

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