by Site Staff
November 21, 2014
From left: David Comstock and Daniel Carusi
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David Comstock
Senior Manager of Learning Solutions, Edwards Lifesciences Corp.
Before Edwards Lifesciences Corp. launched Edwards University in 2013, training at the health care company mostly focused on compliance with a sprinkling of professional development for employees at the manager level and above. David Comstock of Edwards overhauled its learning and development team after projections showed significant growth was expected for the company by 2017. Since 2009, the company has addedabout 2,000 jobs globally, with more likely to be added in the next few years.
Starting in 2011, Edwards began to create a more formal learning team with resources centralized under a single leader. The company also sought state and federal grants to help. Finally, the corporate university website was launched and integrated with the company’s upgraded learning management system.
The corporate university contains three different colleges: the college of engineering, college of sales and marketing, and college of quality, regulatory and clinical. Each college’s curriculum is offered through e-learning and instructor-led courses.On average, the courses have received an 89 percent satisfaction rate from participants, and have yielded a 43 percent increase in material comprehension.
Edwards’ corporate office has agreed to fund construction for a new training center at its Irvine, California, headquarters.
Silver
Daniel Carusi
Vice President and Chief Learning Officer, Deltek
Motivated by financial constraints, a globally dispersed workforce and a shortage of high-potential leaders, Daniel Carusi of software and information company Deltek turned to electronic social collaboration and analytics to better identify its next-generation leaders.
Deltek’s talent and learning practice created three leadership development programs: Leadership Engagement with Awesome People, or LEAP; Leadership Accelerator Management Program, or LAMP; and Leadership Exploration and Discovery, or LEAD — all of which are intended to proactively address Deltek’s business challenges and take the company into the next five to 10 years.
LEAP is Deltek’s flagship leadership development program. LEAP seeks candidates who exhibit leadership skills and are known to inspire others through their thought leadership. At deadline, LAMP and LEAD were still under development.