Why Being an IACET Award Winner Matters
Award nominations – they might be a lot of hard work and the chances of winning might seem slim, but as Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” In the past few months, I’ve received e-mails soliciting award nominations from several organizations,. How do you decide what nominations to go for? One nomination stands out and should be one that you highly consider: the IACET Awards!
In July 2010, leading the way for Urban Engineers, Inc., I took a shot and submitted an award nomination form! At that point, we had been an IACET AP for a couple of years and already saw a tremendous improvement in our training program because of our AP status – so much so that we wanted to apply. Thankfully, we were recognized that year for our accomplishments as an Approved Provider – with the 2010 IACET Exemplar Award for Internal Training. It was such an honor, and one that we continue to appreciate and uphold the standards of a high-quality continuing education program.
What have been the benefits?
- Recognition: Recognition in the industry, recognition by peers, and recognition by people who take training at your organization. Students like to know they are taking the best courses, anywhere! And an IACET award shows others how excellent your programs are and they get results
- Morale: What greater morale is there in a team, than one that receives recognition for its training excellence? Award recognition really inspires more quality and a desire to take your training to higher levels!
- Networking: Since Urban received this award, I personally have become very involved in IACET at all levels! It was a way to meet people and get to know others at IACET – and get my foot in the door to IACET Committees.
- Best Practices and Success Metrics: Just as in other industries, we at Urban try to make sure we are measuring our progress with industry-wide high standards. We see the Best Practices of good training programs, and want to follow suit or exceed the best practices. It helps you to measure the value of what you do, and continue the best practices. Implementing best practices and measuring the value of your training (and determining what those metrics are) are what make a great training program! As Peter Drucker said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.”
So…..What are you waiting for? IACET is excited to receive your nominations!
IACET awards honor deserving individuals, innovators, projects, and programs that have significantly contributed to the field of continuing education and training. IACET members are invited to submit self-nominations or nominations for other individuals and/or AP programs. The deadline for nominations is Friday, June 5, 2015.
Carol C. Martsolf, PE, LEED AP
ICSD Member