Awards will be presented on Friday, March 26th 2010.

You have put a lot of effort into training and development this year.
You are proud of your achievements!
But how does your company compare to others?

The IITD National Training Awards aim to recognise organisations which demonstrate best practice and an ongoing commitment to training and development.
Awards have a very real place in the success of organisations; they enable recognition and celebration of hard work and dedication in a way that standard qualifications do not. The National Training Awards are an opportunity to benchmark your training and development in real terms. Behind every successful National Training Award entry there is a story to tell about investment in people and the benefits it brings.The judges will be looking for entries from organisations on both a national and local level which can demonstrate that their training and development initiatives have had real impact on the organisation and its employees.

The Institute is delighted to have the continued association of Harvest Resources with this event. Harvest Resources is a valuable affiliate of the Institute and has contributed greatly to the success of this event over the past number of years.

Applications are invited in the following categories:

Company Training Award
- SME's 1-50 employees
- All companies 51 - 250 employees
- All companies 251 + employees
- Public Sector
- Voluntary & Community Sector
 
Networks & Groups Award
In recognition of the unique co-operation that is now taking place between organisations who are working together in networks and groups around the country to develop training solutions to meet the demands of their industry the judges are making a special award in a ‘Networks & Groups’ category. We would like to hear about the activity and achievements or your network or group.

Learner of the Year Award
The ‘Learner of the Year’ Award will be presented to an employee whose professional development has made a significant contribution to the company’s performance and to his/her own personal development.

The Pearse Walsh Award for Innovation in the Transfer of Learning to Employees
The ‘Pearse Walsh Award’ has been created for individuals and/or teams, to acknowledge innovative transfer of learning to employees.
The winner will receive a specially commissioned ‘Pearse Walsh Award’ and a prize of €1,000. In addition to this the winner will be awarded with a company prize of €5,000 free consultancy time. Click here for more information  http://www.harvest.ie/default2.asp?active_page_id=66 

Criteria
The judging panel for the IITD National Training Awards 2010 will assess entries on the basis of:
• Level of training and development activity relative to the size of the company.
• Resources and investment in training relative to the size of the company.
• Scope of delivery, quality and practice.
• Innovative developments/initiatives in training and development.
 
Panel of Judges
• Sexton Cahill, Past President, IITD
• Kate Lawler, Director, Agnition
• Ray Bonar, Past President, IITD
• Sean Heading, Manager, ETOS
• Jenny Hayes, Head of Management Training, IBEC
• Carl Blake, Senior Programme Manager, Skillnets
• Amanda Cahir-O’Donnell, Managing Director, Tio Consulting

Rules
1. The closing date for entries is 5pm on Monday, February 22nd 2010. Entries cannot be accepted after this date.
2. The Appendices should be submitted on company headed paper and attached to the official entry form.
3. The IITD National Training Awards are open to all companies operating in Ireland regardless of size, nationality, turnover or nature of business.
4. Departments and divisions of organisations may not enter separately from the organisation to which they belong. The aim of the award is to recognise those that are actively training and developing all their people and therefore the award is made to the whole organisation.
5. Entrants agree to co-operate fully with the judges and their representatives. As part of the judging process, short listed companies may be required to meet with the judges to discuss their submission during February 2010.
6. The judges may or may not elect to present an award in each category. The number of awards presented will be at the discretion of the judges. Their decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
7. Entry submissions will not be returned to participating companies.
8. Feedback on submissions will be provided to companies upon written request to the IITD.

Application Forms
IITD Training Awards 2010 - Expression of Interest Form - please submit in advance of final submission so that we can keep you informed of any updates.
Company Training Award
Learner of the Year Award
Networks and Groups Award
Pearse Walsh Award

The closing date for applications has now passed.