IITD was proud and honoured to sponsor the UFHRD International Conference ‘Towards Evidence Based HRD Practice: Bridging the Gap’ in Cork last week.

It was wonderful to see 350 HRD professionals in attendance to hear great keynote addresses, symposiums, and parallel sessions highlighting innovative approaches to stretch our knowledge of HRD.  The collaborations between practice and HRD research and IITD’s ongoing activity in bringing this to our members demonstrates our commitment to knowledge that makes a positive difference to individuals and organisations.  We are looking forward to further strengthening our member offer based on the fruits of new relationships forged, and to sharing some of this knowledge through IITD’s Calendar of Events throughout the rest of the year.

It is gratifying to see the calibre of thought leaders which exist in Ireland as was evidenced by the keynote addresses of Prof David Collings, DCU; Prof Michael Morley, UL;  and Aidan Lawrence, HP; and that the HRD community in Ireland is attractive to international speakers like Prof Sandra Robinson, Uni of British Columbia.  It also demonstrates the appetite which exists among HRD professionals to hear and reflect on the knowledge shared to ensure they are effective in their field and well placed to create the optimum learning culture in their organisations.

We would like to thank Dr Ronan Carbery and the team in UCC for all their work in organising such a great event and for supporting our involvement.