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In their second annual competition aimed at recognizing HR programs and initiatives that make a difference for the profession and the workforce in a very unique way, the editors of HRE announce their choices of the most noteworthy ideas launched in 2009.

Students don't understand the basics about HR. Universities aren't teaching HR properly. Companies are underwhelmed with talent coming out of college. Is there any hope?

Despite the rhetoric, HR executives often have little proof of the results of learning initiatives, even in the best of times. Now, with training budgets under the microscope, HR leaders must ensure there is accountability that training and development initiatives get the desired business results. Experts offer a results-focused approach to justifying training Investments.

The ability to think strategically and manage change effectively are hallmarks of good leaders. However, many leadership-development programs may be coming up short in these areas.

A group of seniors at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School sat down to discuss their thoughts about entering the workforce. Some of what they had to say may surprise you.

A majority of human resource directors surveyed recently confessed they would be hard pressed to agree on what leadership is -- although they agree that leadership training and recruiting is one of their top priorities. The task of assessing leadership -- and defining it -- is difficult for many reasons, but HR is uniquely positioned to minister to its definition and development.

The most pressing post-recession task for HR leaders at the nation's largest companies will be to focus their attention on securing and keeping the talent capable of executing new business strategies.

As blogging has gone from quirky to mainstream over the last few years, more and more HR blogs have emerged. So who are these bloggers and what's there to gain for HR executives?

Holding down healthcare costs by intensifying efforts to change employee behavior requires HR leaders to articulate what's driving cost, what the opportunities are for improvement, what needs to change and how success will be measured. Here are some of the important elements of a successful employee-engagement approach.

HR executives whose companies appear on a "Most Admired" list exclusively recalibrated for HRE share insights into how they're successfully tackling global-leadership challenges.

In the online recruiting game, many believe niche boards, job aggregators and social networking will soon reign supreme. Others, however, aren't so sure, contending that the big job sites are taking the necessary steps to prevail.

Demographic shifts as well as the impact of the recession have the potential to cause a critical knowledge loss in the workplace. A company's sustainable long-term growth requires a formal and proactive strategy -- supported by senior management and woven into the cultural fabric of the organization -- that maximizes knowledge retention and knowledge transfer.

New economic realities and new technologies have joined forces to change the modes, messages and priorities of HR communications.

Competency models -- long used to deliver leadership goals to employees worldwide -- can also help determine succession plans and solve other talent-management challenges, but only if they're created and integrated correctly.

Why is it so hard for HR professionals to be accountable for mistakes and faulty judgments? All professionals are reluctant to admit they are less than perfect. And everyone is apprehensive about the consequences of making mistakes. But there is evidence that HR professionals may be a little more adverse to admitting mistakes than other professionals.