Learning and Development aren’t just important. They’re vital. We were looking for an organisation that has developed a learning and development strategy that positively impacts the business and its people.
The company that impressed us most was Carrington West, who won The Learning and Development Award this year.
We caught up with them to discover how winning this award will help them achieve their company objectives in 2022.
Why do you think you won the award, and how did you exceed the judges’ expectations? (you can talk about any specific initiatives or projects here).
From the moment we began our journey with the IIP back in 2015, we saw the accreditation and the awards as part of our journey to continual improvement, not a box-ticking exercise.
We were lucky enough to win this award last year, so we knew that we needed to showcase everything we were doing to improve upon an already market-leading programme to retain the title.
This year alone, our e-learning platform has been accessed almost 5,000 times, with over 6,000 content items (videos, articles, quizzes) viewed in individuals’ learning pathways.
As well as talking about the improvements we had made in our submission, all based on frequent feedback from our colleagues, this year, we had designed and implemented a leadership development programme.
The LDP was rolled out at the beginning of 2021 to upskill our managers and help equip them to manage their expanding teams. It is delivered through e-learning, coaching, mentoring, team-building and workshops led by world-class speakers.
It has already proved incredibly successful and popular based on the feedback we have collected, so we are extending the programme to include aspiring and future managers, with a new intake joining the programme in January 2022.
The winning moment. Where were you? Who was there? What was the reaction?
We watched the awards in our office, there was a big cheer, and everyone was very happy and proud!
How do you and your people feel about winning the award?
Winning an award is important to us as we like to share our successes with everyone in our company. This particular award win would not have been possible without our colleagues engaging and participating fully in our L&D programme.
They provide honest feedback which helps us refine and improve the programme, keeping it fresh, interesting, relevant, accessible to everyone and above all helps people be their best.
Who would you like to thank?
We’d like to thank all our employees who every day prove they are open to learning, give open and honest feedback, look for ways to develop their work and personal skills and give so much of themselves to help us achieve our vision.
We’d also like to thank the IIP for their ongoing guidance and support and frameworks that help guide our people strategy.
What impact will winning this award have on your organisation?
Our vision is to be the best possible employer we can be. We think we are doing everything the best way possible, but it is always nice to have some validation!
Winning this award will give us the impetus to drive our strategy forward and improve our programmes further.
We are in a period of growth, so it will help us communicate to future employees that we have a programme that works and will help them develop their careers.
If you could pass your secrets to success onto future entrants in your category, what would they be?
Use stats, demonstrate measurable results and responses, but most of all, tell your story!
How can you become the best organisation you can be?
Most of our winners are Investors in People Accredited, which means they hold one of our prestigious accreditations, which will be in wellbeing, people management or apprentices.
Their commitment to continuous improvement ensures they’re constantly improving work for their people and have a better chance of winning one of our awards.
