Employees invited to compete in the Summer Games

From: Human Resources

Human Resources’ Talent Development team is inviting all faculty and staff to compete in our first-ever Summer Games – a professional development event where employees can learn, compete, and earn digital badges in five categories.

The summer months provide a great opportunity for employees and teams to focus on their own development, learn new or hone current skills, prepare for career advancement, and encourage employee engagement and retention. 

Dates and qualifying events

The Summer Games event will be held May 20 – Aug. 23.

Professional development providers from across the university are partnering together to sponsor and list qualifying events, which have been collected into five “ring” categories: Creativity/Innovation, Cultural Competencies/Inclusion, Institution/Education, Leadership, and Technology.

Development events must be sponsored by a Virginia Tech department, office, or group and listed on the Summer Games roster to qualify.

Registration and participation

Employees interested in competing in the Summer Games should complete the registration form; they will then be added to the dedicated Summer Games Canvas site. Development events and activities can be selected from the roster under each “ring” category in the Canvas site.

Participation will be tracked through self-reporting in the Canvas site. As development activities are reported, employees will be rewarded with digital badges from Canvas. Employees will be able to monitor their progress throughout the games. Teams are encouraged to compete together; simply complete the registration form.

NOTE: Employees who wish to participate in learning development activities that require time away from their regular work should discuss and work with their supervisor first to clear participation and ensure proper coverage for their role or team. 

What earning badges mean

In addition to the knowledge gained by completing development activities, employees will earn digital bronze, silver, and/or gold badges as they complete and report development activities. Participants may also earn badges for participating in all five categories to become a Hokie-lympian, Champion, Powerhouse, Flag Bearer, and/or Torch Bearer. These badges can be published on social media sites, including LinkedIn, and displayed in your email signature. 

See the Summer Games site for more information on how many events and categories must be completed to earn badges. 

Adding a development event

If a department, office, or group is interested in adding an event to the Summer Games roster, complete this event form. 

Watch for more information on the Summer Games closing ceremony where we will celebrate all our top-earning Olympians and all that our employees accomplished during the games. For questions about the Summer Games, contact vttraining@vt.edu.