Wilmington-headquartered PPD has been recognized for the 10th consecutive year as one of the leading U.S. businesses for employee learning and development, according to a news release.

The global contract research organization was named to Training magazine’s Top 100 list, which "honors companies that demonstrate measurable results from effective employee learning and development tied to strategic goals," stated the release.

“PPD’s learning strategy is directly linked with corporate objectives and is laser-focused to help its business achieve critical priorities,” said Lorri Freifeld, Training magazine’s editor-in-chief, in the release. “In the last year, the company initiated landmark project delivery upskilling initiatives to supercharge the performance of the thousands of its employees delivering clinical trials. PPD’s training leverages leading-edge technology, measurement methods and collaboration for optimum learner experience and engagement.”

This year marks a milestone for PPD as it is the highest ranking the company has received on the list, ranking No. 39, up from the previous year's ranking at No. 49.

Training’s rankings are based on a variety of benchmarking statistics, including total training budget, percentage of payroll and the number of training hours per employee program, stated the release.

“Earning this recognition for the 10th year in a row underscores PPD’s commitment to achieving effective training and employee development outcomes that provide tangible benefit to our customers and their drug-development initiatives,” Jay Dixon, senior vice president of quality and enterprise learning at PPD, said in the release.

Rita Bragadesto, principal learning specialist at PPD, was also named by Training magazine as a 2020 Top 5 Emerging Training Leader, an honor that "recognizes training professionals who have been in the industry for two to 10 years and have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, business savvy and training instincts," stated the release.