Fast Lane Wins Gold

Fast Lane, a leader in innovative training solutions, won a coveted Brandon Hall Group Gold award for excellence in the Best Advance in Competencies and Skill Development category.

The 2021 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards are given for work in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, Sales Performance, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Future of Work.

Fast Lane’s win was announced on August, 19th. The winners are listed at https://www.brandonhall.com/excellenceawards/past-winners.php

Dan O’Brien, Fast Lane’s President commented, “Our Services team has proven to be world class in content development many time over. This award is yet another indication of their excellence. We are proud to share this award with our partners at Google. It reflects the results of an engaging and successful partnership between two companies committed to excellence in training and education.”

The Workspace User Training was developed in a collaboration between Google and Fast Lane. Workspace User Training included eight courses (Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets (Basic and Advanced Topics), Slides, Drive, Google Meet, and Google Chat) that were designed to be delivered in either virtual instructor-led or OnDemand modalities.

Courses could be delivered together as a complete program or could be delivered individually focused on the needs of the organization adopting Workspace or the needs of an individual learning about a specific Google Workspace app. The design team took into consideration that not all organizations adopted Google Workspace in the same way. Organizations may adopt different security policies and other settings so not all users had the same accessibility into Workspace functions. To address these challenges, courseware was designed so it was easy to eliminate specific topics if the functionality was not available per a company’s IT policy. In the VILT, the speaker notes included written alerts that warned when students’ access was likely impacted by specific permissions.

One of Google’s main objectives for the training was to highlight the advantages of Google Cloud for Enterprise users, especially the ability to share and collaborate with others in real time.

To engage learners the course content moves between lectures about the app, demonstrations on how the app can be used, and learner practice with instructor feedback. At the end of each course learners apply what they have learned to address a business challenge. This approach enables learners to gradually develop their skills, build confidence, and work toward competency. As well, this approach to training highlights the advantages of Google Cloud for Enterprise users, especially the ability to share and collaborate with others in real time.

To ensure the courses had a common theme, the course content features a strong narrative that situates Google tools in the business context and addresses the needs of Enterprise users. Fast Lane used a fictional international bakery chain, On the Rise Bakery, to identify the value and application of Google tools in real-world business situations. The On the Rise leadership team characters and the characters’ individual priorities are woven throughout the eight courses. At the end of each course one of the On the Rise characters ‘asks’ learners to help them address a business challenge. By completing the challenge, learners not only synthesize what they’ve studied and practiced in the training, but also place Workspace in context so they can see its value in an everyday business setting.

“Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards in 2021 provide much-needed and well deserved recognition to organizations that went above and beyond to support their stakeholders during the unprecedented disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Brandon Hall Group COO and leader of the HCM Excellence Awards Program Rachel Cooke. “The awards provide validation of best practices in all areas of HCM at a time when they have never been more important to employers, employees, and customers.”

Entries were evaluated by a panel of veteran, independent senior industry experts, Brandon Hall Group analysts and executives based upon these criteria: fit the need, design of the program, functionality, innovation, and overall measurable benefits. Excellence Award winners are scheduled to be honored at Brandon Hall Group’s HCM Excellence Conference, Feb. 1-3, 2022, at the Hilton West Palm Beach, Florida. Select winners also will serve as presenters in breakout sessions, sharing their leading practices during the conference.

“We added several awards categories this year to specifically address critical needs, including how organizations addressed the new dynamics of work and embedded the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion in their HCM practices,” Brandon Hall Group CEO Mike Cooke said. “Winning organizations in all categories demonstrated a people centric approach while driving superior business results under challenging and unprecedented conditions. Demonstrating HCM’s impact on the business is what sets our awards apart.”

About Brandon Hall Group
Brandon Hall Group operates the largest and longest running awards program in Human Capital Management. As an independent HCM research and analyst firm, they conduct studies in Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Talent Acquisition, and HR/Workforce Management. These benchmark studies help organizations by providing strategic insights for executives and practitioners responsible for growth and business results.

Coupling the research studies with the best practice from the awards, Brandon Hall Group has helped more than 10,000 clients globally and more than 28 years of delivering world-class research and advisory. At the core of our offerings is a membership program that combines research, benchmarking, and unlimited access to data and analysts. Membership enables executives and practitioners to make the right decisions about people, processes, and systems, coalesced with analyst advisory services which aim to put the research into action in a way that is practical and efficient. Brandon Hall Group has also launched professional certifications for business and human capital management professionals to upskill themselves and gain credentials for career advancement. (www.brandonhall.com)

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