PLANSEE got the KNEWLEDGE National Award

The national award for the “Encouragement and Development of Life Accompanying Learning in the Occupational Context” is a distinction granted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs to companies and nonprofit organizations making an exceptional contribution to the continuing education and development of their employees’ competencies. The presentation ceremony was held on November 16, 2005, this year for the first time in the headquarters of the Federation of Austrian Industry on the Schwarzenbergplatz in Vienna.

This national award granted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs is also financially supported by the Ministry of Education, the Austrian Chamber of the Economy as well as the Chamber of the Economy of Lower Austria, the Austrian Chamber of Labor, the Federation of Austrian Industrialists, the Institute for the Promotion of Trade and Industry of the Austrian Chamber of the Economy, Ernst & Young, the Austrian National Bank as well as Casinos Austria. Prestigious educational establishments, such as the WIFI (Institute for the Promotion of Trade and Industry), the GfP (Union for Employees, Kick Off, die esche, the PEF Private University for Management, the KMA (Knowledge Management Austria), Harramach & Partner, Kaiblinger & Partner, the Hernstein International Management Institute and the MCV (Cartel of Student Leagues), make a total of EUR 50,000.- worth of vouchers for education available to the prizewinners. In addition, the companies that won the award receive leather-bound certificates from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the futuristic cup produced by the technical college for machining and processing of glass in Kramsach/Austria.

The companies and nonprofit organizations had been invited to compete in three different categories: workforce up to 100 employees, 101 to 500 employees or more than 500 employees. Among the shortlisted contestants, the KNEWLEDGE judging panel chooses the winners of the national award, the nominations and the winners of the special prices. The judging panel is made up of Prof. Dr. Norbert Kailer (University of Linz), Prof. Dr. Ursula Schneider (University of Graz), Dr. Monika Thum-Kraft (ibw = Institute for Research on Qualifications and Training of the Austrian Economy), Mr. Hermann Hannawald (retired staff manager) and Ms. Helga Stattler (former head of the Hernstein Institut). Evaluation criteria are the comprehensiveness of human resource development derived from or rather in accordance with corporate objectives and business strategy, the integration of human resource development into corporate planning, the inclusion of different target groups into continuing education, the realization of the approach as well as surrounding circumstances, evaluation of and reflection on the realization.

From left to right: Prof. Dr. Ursula Schneider (panelist of the KNEWLEDGE jury), Dipl.-Ing. Stimmer, Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Allmer, Fr. Mag. (FH) Hechinger, Mag. Charwat, Hr. Dr. Thurner (Head of  Strategic Human Resource Management of the Verbund group), Ms. Kindl, Mr. Mitter, Mag. Johanna Ettl (Chamber of Labor), Ms. Leiß and Mr. Bartsch, both from the PLANSEE GmbH, Mag. Bernhard Stieger (GfP), BR Komm.-Rat Sonja Zwazl (chairwoman of the Chamber of the Economy of Lower Austria), Mag. Markus Beyrer (Federation of Austrian Industrialists)

1999, on the occasion of the first KNEWLEDGE award to the PLANSEE company, the magazine "trend" wrote, "In the Lechtal Alps on Tyrol's second largest lake, a high-tech company that has been keeping up its human resource development for decades is to be found". Even so, since then a great number of changes have taken place at PLANSEE. During the last two years the sphere of action has expanded far beyond the Reutte headquarters. With the increasing internationalization of the PLANSEE Group – at present 6,500 employees at 57 locations – also the objectives and the priority plan of human resource development have been tailored to the requirements of an international corporation.
The explanation of the KNEWLEDGE judging panel:

• Since 1999 (when PLANSEE won a KNEWLEDGE award for the first time) the company’s international executive manpower development has been markedly accelerated, and is now in line with the state of the art.
• Has evidently overcome the merger very good.
• All employees are integrated into the measures of further development, which are really made-to-measure.
• Professional evaluation.
• “Anything that’s good and dear is processed absolutely professionally, operationally completed and coordinated.”

Contact:
Gabriela Leiß, PLANSEE GmbH
gabriela.leiss@plansee.com