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Sharing session

HKIHRM-backed conference brings training and development insights from the US

Locally based HR professionals unable to attend this year’s American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) International Conference in the US need not worry.

They still have the chance to attend the ASTD-HKIHRM (Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management) 2013 Post-Conference Sharing Session in Hong Kong on November 18, where they can hear from several key speakers from the US event and update themselves on the latest HR trends.

The event programme features a session that will focus on company winners of ASTD Excellence in Practice Awards. Representatives from winning companies will explain the steps involved in the planning and execution of various training and development initiatives. They are also likely to highlight the importance of a commitment to staff development in the broader pursuit of service excellence and long-term sustainability.

A special webinar will allow internationally respected experts in the area of corporate learning and talent development – including Alfredo Castro, president of MOT Training and Development, and David Vance, executive director of the Centre for Talent Reporting – to share their thoughts and insights. They are expected to touch on everything from workplace innovations and training of new hires to effective measurement and reporting methods. A Q&A session with speakers and networking opportunities will round things off.

The range of topics and level of discussion make the event an essential date for HR directors, chief learning officers, learning directors and managers, and training and development specialists.

“It will be like a condensed version of the ASTD annual conference and I recommend that any professional who wants to be up to speed should be there,” says Francis Mok, president of the HKIHRM. “Also, it is in line with our belief that effective training and development is vital to improve knowledge and skills and make best use of the talent in different organisations.”

Acting as both bridge and facilitator on this occasion, the HKIHRM has advised on the format and selection of topics, so that practitioners can learn what is happening in other parts of the world and prepare for change.

“We have to ensure the quality and diversity of speakers, so the professionals attending benefit from a good mix,” Mok says. “In recent years, for example, there has been much greater emphasis on total talent management – from recruitment and training to engagement and retention – and companies should make sure they are ready.”

Alfredo Castro, president of MOT Training and Development and the author of 10 well-regarded business books, will be one of the participants in the webinar. He will address the subject of “Management Development: Innovating Learning in a New Workplace”. In particular, he intends to look at the challenges facing companies which need leaders capable of overseeing organisations with a global reach.

“Considering the changes in our society, both social and economic, we have to figure out how to develop and prepare leaders for the future workplace,” Costa says. “[We have to understand] the main trends that will influence and impact leadership development, with new cultural and multi-generational factors to consider.”

Another of the speakers, David Vance, the US-based executive director of the Centre for Talent Reporting, will talk about talent development reporting principles (TDRP), specifically how HR professionals must adopt clear standards and targets to gauge the effectiveness of training programmes and other talent-management processes.

“I will set out how to run learning like a business,” Vance says. “Accounting, for example, has standard measures which are internationally accepted, but learning and development does not have them. With TDRP, we are trying to bring the same kind of standards to HR to help deliver planned, measurable outcomes efficiently and effectively.”


WHEN AND WHERE
Date  November 18, 2013
Time  6pm-10pm
Venue  Star Room, Level 42, Langham Place, Mong Kok
Contact  2837 3834