Bersin & Associates Announces 2007 Learning Leaders Program and Call for Applications.

Program Recognizes Innovation and Excellence in Critical Areas of Corporate Training; Also New Category for Vendor Innovation

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Bersin & Associates, the only research and advisory firm solely focused on What Works[R] in enterprise learning and talent management, today announced the call for applications for the Bersin & Associates 2007 Learning Leaders Program, a research-driven program designed to recognize innovation and excellence in critical areas of corporate training.

Organizations interested in applying may go to www.bersin.com/llawards for information and to download applications. The deadline for application submission is September 7, 2007.

The Bersin & Associates Learning Leaders Program will recognize up to 18 organizations which have developed and implemented highly effective and innovative approaches to employee learning and development resulting in significant business improvement. Organizations may apply in one or more of the following categories: (1) operational program excellence, (2) leadership development excellence, (3) initiative excellence, (4) technology excellence and (5) organizational management excellence. Each category has three segments based on organization size: global enterprise, enterprise, and mid-market. Applicants are evaluated along with peers in the same segment.

The Learning Leaders Program features a new category for 2007, called Vendor Innovation. This category, designed for providers of learning-related products and services, will recognize innovation in technology tools and platforms as well as business processes and approaches. While innovative offerings are often very new, Bersin & Associates is seeking solutions that are market-tested and proven to provide high levels of value.

"We were very impressed last year with the quantity and quality of applicants, which came from a range of organization sizes and industries," said Josh Bersin, president of Bersin & Associates. "We know the program provides value on many levels. Many applicants told us that they used the detailed criteria included in our applications for auditing and benchmarking their programs. Winners told us that their teams gained significant levels of credibility and internal recognition through the program. And we believe the entire industry will benefit from the webinars, articles, and soon-to-be published report highlighting the winners and their best practices."

"The application process for Learning Leaders was a very useful exercise for us," said Andrew Collingwood, Manager of Learning, Technical Sales and Support Training and Enablement for Symantec. "It not only provoked discussion among the senior management team about the criteria for success, but provided us with a useful framework for auditing our technical training business," he explained. Symantec was named a 2006 Learning Leader in the Organizational Management Excellence category for its technical support training.

The winning organizations and their learning programs will be highlighted in a feature story appearing in the January 2008 issue of Elearning! magazine, the media partner for the Bersin & Associates Learning Leaders Program. In addition, Bersin & Associates will develop a comprehensive report on best practices, findings, and observations collected during the evaluation process. All applicants will receive a complimentary copy. Other program-related activities include a series of follow-on public webinars featuring specific training topic areas and leaders.

The fourteen Learning Leaders Program winners for 2006 range from large, public companies and global brands to smaller, private organizations. Representative winners include Alcalel-Lucent for company-wide leadership training, The Children's Place Retail Stores for online sales training for store associates, marketing agency Digitas Inc. for strategic business training for up-and-coming executives, and the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations for revamping its learning and development program for nuclear power plant safety. For a full list of the 2006 Learning Leaders winners, go to:

http://www.bersin.com/llawards/2006_winners.asp.

"We're pleased once again to be the media partner for this program," said Catherine Upton, publisher of Elearning! Magazine. "Since the beginning of the year, we've provided feature articles and web seminars that have given our audience an inside look at the 2006 Learning Leaders winners and their best practices. These case studies outline critical business problems and effective strategies and techniques--solutions our readers need to be competitive and high performing. We look forward to working with the 2007 winners to share their training success stories throughout 2008."

About Bersin & Associates

Bersin & Associates is the only research and advisory services firm focused solely on research in enterprise learning and talent management. Bersin & Associates' WhatWorks[R] research and research-based services are designed to deliver actionable direction and to help improve operational effectiveness and business impact.

Bersin & Associates research members gain access to a comprehensive library of best practices, case studies, benchmarks, and in-depth market analyses designed to guide professionals in making fast and confident decisions. Research areas include planning and strategy, learning programs and delivery, talent management, technology and infrastructure, and measurement and analytics. Member benefits include in-depth advisory services, access to proprietary webcasts, on-site analyst visits, and strategic workshops. For more information, go to www.bersin.com or call 561-455-0622.

About Elearning!

Elearning! Magazine, e-zine, Elearning! e-news, Elearning! Alert, Elearning! Virtual Events and Web site are produced by B2B Media Company, a privately held trade publishing and electronic media company. Elearning! brands are produced by B2B Media Company's trade publishing unit. To learn more, visit: www.elearning.b2bmediaco.com.