Life in PSTD — and how can you make the most out of it.

Allow me to, once again, welcome you all here in PSTD. You may be here for any of the following reasons:

• out of love for Learning and Development, you are seeking a conducive space to quench your learning thirst;
• your boss registered your company to support its learning needs;
• you are the boss, and you are after the training and development of your employees (kudos to you!) or;
• You are here to know more about the organization as an added value to your social affiliation.

Whatever your reason, we are grateful you are here and hope you find yourself in the right place. The Philippine Society for Talent and Development, or PSTD, is the country’s premier organization for Talent Development practitioners. Our members comprise private businesses, academic institutions, government agencies, non-government organizations, and individuals bound by a common perspective, passion, and purpose in developing talents.

If you are new here, I bet you are asking what else is in it for you here at PSTD after the registration and the listed benefits and exclusives. How can I make the most out of my yearly membership?

To start, you may explore the “calendar of events” posted on our website to see the scheduled programs and plan your budget. The training programs can be offered in different ways: online, hybrid, and onsite. One of the main goals of PSTD is to support your career growth; that’s why all training programs come with certificates. Should you pursue honing your craft in Talent Development, there’s a whole package of programs to become a certified Master Trainer.

There is also the monthly Tipanan – done in hybrid (online and onsite), wherein we listen to pressing and new topics that can help us advance in Learning and Development for our businesses and the workplace. We also hold a Training Summit and a National Convention. The National Convention is a 3-day Nationwide Convention to acquire business strategies, effective training methods, and tactics used by polymaths and award-winning coaches across the globe. Accumulate over 15 hours of masterclass content, exclusive interviews, and deep dives ranging from timeless topics to impending trends. Roundtable discussions also expand your network and connections with leaders, mentors, and coaches.

You may also look forward to the Gawad Maestro Awards, which honor and recognize individuals and organizations for demonstrating leadership and creativity in improving organizational performance through learning and development. Through the awards, awardees shared success stories from various industries and organizations. They will serve as a guiding light and beacon of hope for business leaders, communities, and future leaders of the Talent Development Practice in the country.

And if all of these still won’t fill your cup and if you are looking for a more dynamic engagement, you may get involved in any of the ten (10) committees that make the whole organization more exciting as it already is!

Suppose you have the talent and passion for improving things, such as expanding the members’ benefits and increasing membership applications and engagement. In that case, you may try signing up for the Membership and Fellowship Committee. While Chapter Development Committee is where you can indulge in networking and access talent development professionals in different regions of the country, you want to contribute this to society’s goal of developing new chapters.

Should you want to be actively involved in planning, hosting, and managing Tipanan events where you can pour your creative juices, you may sign up for the Tipanan Committee. You may also take up your event-planning skills up a notch by helping to make the National Convention more extraordinary each year, then sign up for the National Convention Committee. The Gawad Maestro Committee will allow you to be at the forefront of searching for talent development practices in the Philippines. You will also be the one to interview candidates and find out firsthand what they are doing that makes them successful in talent development.

If developing content through writing, publishing your written content, and research piques your interest, network with like-minded talent development professionals in the Research and Publications Committee. There is also a Digital Learning Committee wherein you can showcase your passion for the exponential growth of digital learning. And if you are a mentor or want to be a mentor as you build up resources in the country and your organization’s rich mentoring culture, sign up for the Mentoring Committee.

Your love for community work has a platform in our organization as well! If you believe in corporate social responsibility and think that PSTD can do something to contribute to the community, join the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee. And last but not least, if you have experience or want expertise in fund generation to support our organization’s initiative or have a network that society can access to generate additional funds, involve yourself in the Ways and Means Committee.

Signing up for any of these committees is easy, and the PSTD staff will be eager to help you. Out of all the committees and activities provided above, I am sure you can find your sweet spot. Whether you are a new member or not, we encourage everyone to join and get involved. Let’s make our membership worthwhile and memorable as we all learn, grow, and transform in Talent Development.

If you are already a part of a committee, why did you choose it? And if you are not yet part of any committee, which one would you be interested in?