Engineers Australia’s Graduate Program has been recognised at the 2020 LearnX Live! Awards, picking up a Platinum award for Best Blended Learning Model.

LearnX Live! is an international awards program that recognises multiple fields within learning, development and talent management across the corporate, education and public-service sectors. The awards are run by the LearnX Foundation, an independent non-profit organisation that operates to amplify the impact of workforce education.

The Graduate Program is an 18-month professional development program focusing on the skills and knowledge young engineers need to transition effectively into the working environment. It is delivered through a mix of education practices including experiential and social learning, interactive webinars, workshops, curated self-paced study materials, and coaching and support.

This award recognises the outstanding work of Engineering Education Australia’s education team who design and deliver the Graduate Program that was launched in 2017.

Lead by Education Manager, Jason Fletcher, the team have been working behind the scenes updating the program to integrate current best practice education design and keep the content relevant to the needs of graduates today.

“The project has been an unmitigated success, with the workshops and online components blending seamlessly to create an effective and enjoyable learning experience”, Fletcher said.

The feedback received from participants has been overwhelmingly positive with 95% of participants saying they would recommend the course to a colleague or friend.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic travel and training restrictions, the face-to-face elements were swiftly converted online complete with virtual classrooms, interactive e-learning elements, and pre-recorded videos to blend with the existing online components.

“Some of our clients have indicated that they wish to return to face-to-face workshops once the restrictions have lifted, so we'll offer the face-to-face and online blended program again. For others, they'll have an effective distance-based program that participants can access online, giving us, our learners, and our clients, the best of both worlds, which is what blended learning is all about.”

The Graduate Program is also a Finalist for another education industry award; the Australian Institute of Training and Development (AITD) Excellence Awards 2020 for Best Blended Learning Solution.