There are lots of organizations for professionals who are training executives, but did you know there’s one that caters strictly to those in the tech industry?
That’s right. Say hello to CEdMA, the “premier organization for training executives and managers within technology companies.” If you’re a training exec or manager in a tech company, or you’re on a path to such a position, this organization is here for you.
CEdMa was founded in 1991 by a handful of training managers from such companies as Intel, Hewlett-Packard, and Sun Microsystems. They decided to form an initiative to focus on the specific needs of training pros in the tech field.
Today, CEdMa has over 250 members from 80+ technology companies. It’s a not-for-profit professional association run by volunteers. And they’re international! The group’s sister association, CEdMa Europe, was incorporated in 1993 and meets regularly.
Is This the Group for You?
According to their web site, you qualify for CEdMa membership if you’re a manager in a training organization within a tech company that provides formal education programs in support of your company’s products and services.
Networking & Professional Development
If you sniff around their web site, you’ll see how much they offer their members. There’s an “Ask the Members” section, where you can post a question to the entire membership and benefit from their insights and experience. There are SIGs (Special Interest Groups) that meet primarily through webinars, for an exchange of information on specific topics. Recent SIGs have focused on Certification, E-Learning, Training Metrics and Benchmarking, Using Training Partners, Selling & Marketing, and Curriculum Design and Development.
There’s a lot of information available to CEdMa members, including training business data, trends and benchmarks. Professional development is a primary benefit of membership.
Upcoming Annual Conference
CEdMa hosts two annual conferences. The locations for these spring and fall events move so that the group can better serve their growing membership.
Their upcoming spring conference in Sunnyvale, CA is next Tuesday and Wednesday, April 28/29. Attendees registered to date hail from companies like Marketo, Apple, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, PTC, Dell, Kronos, and Oracle. President Jesse Finn is the VP, Global Education and Learning, for Marketo, Inc., and notes in her blog that the conference keynote on Actionable Gamification will be delivered by Yu-kai Chou, a gamification pioneer.
Other sessions will cover these topics:
- Training Organization Maturity Model
- Leveraging Authorized Partner Programs for Delivery
- Agile Course Development Techniques
- Trends in Validating Skills/ Competency
- Using the LMS in Transformative Ways
- Education and the Customers for Life Organization
- Education Sales Models
- Blueprints for Successful Pre-Sales Training
The good news is that you don’t have to be a current CEdMa member to register for their conference – so if you’re a training executive or manager for a company within the tech industry, this will be an event worth attending.
OnFulfillment will be at the CEdMA conference on Tuesday, and we hope to see you there!
