THE SHIFT AWARDS
Innovate+Educate and the SHRM New Mexico State Council are proud to join together as partners to announce the global SHIFT Awards. We see a shift happening: in the way organizations assess, identify, and develop talent, thus creating new opportunities for the existing and potential workforce.
The SHIFT Awards are designed to recognize employers who are shifting from traditional hiring, assessment, training and advancement methods to create new paths to employment, training and economic opportunities. These new paths may:
- Focus on invisible or otherwise overlooked populations
- Determine new and more relevant job requirements that expand opportunities to more candidates
- Create new methods of assessing candidate skill sets
- Provide innovative learning pathways to skill up current employees and candidates
- Develop a diverse, work-ready pipeline of talent
- Bridge the skills gap
WHO SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED?
Employers who have challenged the status quo when it comes to hiring and workforce development practices, creating programs with significant outcomes in regard to hiring or workforce development. We’re interested in innovations that connect unemployed and underserved Americans to new paths to employment, training, and economic opportunity that bypass traditional requirements. We are seeking programs that demonstrate high levels of creativity and provide a solution to one or more workforce challenges. Special consideration will be given to programs serving special populations (i.e. minorities, persons with disabilities, veterans, military spouses/partners, formerly incarcerated individuals, etc.). All employers of any size are eligible to compete in this program. Staffing firms who dedicate their efforts to special populations are also urged to apply. Employers who have partnered with workforce development practitioners, community services, schools or government agencies in developing their innovative strategies may enter on behalf of the partnership.
PAST WINNERS
WHY APPLY?
Employers are encouraged to self-nominate by completing the application process. Individuals with knowledge of an outstanding initiative may nominate an organization by clicking link below.
- Demonstrate and share your own SHIFT from traditional approaches to the use of innovative strategies to seek new employees, train your workforce, and close the skills gap.
- Inspire other organizations and build the momentum!
- Winner(s) will receive special recognition at the Close It Summit in Santa Fe, New Mexico, May 24 – 26, 2021.
- Winning submissions will be shared as part of an idea exchange on the CLOSE IT DistributED Ideation Hubs, Innovate+Educate and SHRM NM websites.
- Winners will be recognized in a press release.
In addition, Platinum award winners will be provided with one complimentary registration to the Close It Summit in 2022. The winner(s) will be announced at the awards presentation at the 2021 conference and on the CLOSE IT DistributED Ideation Hub for HR and SHRM NM websites.
AWARD CRITERIA
This is a multi-level award that recognizes fledgling projects to well-established implementations with measured results. We will consider size and scope of the initiative and the organization, potential or proven impact, partnerships or community involvement, and replicability. Additional consideration will be given to those programs that focus on special populations such as persons with disabilities, minorities, veterans, military spouses/partners, and formerly incarcerated individuals. Judges will consider the following:
- Why the program was created, the need and/or challenge to be overcome, and the
- How the program was implemented, who participated, and the methods used, including community partnerships, if any.
- Challenges encountered along the way, and how they were
- Responses and support from leadership and
- The program effectiveness and results achieved by implementing the
- The impact, if any, to the promotion of a diverse
THE DETAILS
Click here to access the application. The awards information and access to the application can also be found on the SHRM NM website.
Complete submissions deadline has now been extended to Friday, March 12, 2021 in order to be considered.
Our panel of judges includes business leaders and human resources experts.
Winners will be announced during the Close It Summit, May 24th– 26th at the Santa Fe Convention Center in Santa Fe, NM. The awards presentation will be hosted by Jamai Blivin, Founder & CEO, Innovate+Educate, and Sean Sullivan, Chief HR Officer, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Winners do not need to be present, however, each winning organization is entitled to one complimentary registration to the 2020 Close It Summit. Winners will be notified in advance. Winning submissions will be shared as part of an idea exchange on the Close It DistributED website and on the SHRM NM website. Winners will also be invited to submit a short video about their innovation that will be posted on the Close It DistributED Hub for HR.
Questions? Contact us at shiftawards@closeit.org
The SHIFT Awards deadline has now been extended to March 12, 2021!
