Training and the Bottom Line

Training and the Bottom Line

Myth: “Training has little effect on the bottom line. Clients are wasting their money by investing in it.” However, as reported by

ASTD (ASTD 2004 State of the Industry Report): “Organizations are linking learning to performance and the bottom line, and they understand the relationship between creating a skilled workforce and achieving enterprise-wide success.”

ASTD reports: “Employee learning and development is taking center stage as business leaders increasingly understand that a highly skilled, knowledgeable workforce is critical to achieving growth and success. In its 2006 State of the Industry Report, the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) finds that leading organizations increased learning investments in two key areas: annual expenditure per employee and learning hours.”

The majority of training activities are spent in the design and delivery of learning programs, however, our clients value business linkage the most (Trolley, 2006). Thus, we have to spend more time showing how training, development, and educational programs provide a real difference to the business. While the design and delivery of learning programs are important, it does us little good if the rest of the organization sees our activities as transactional rather than value-added. Trainers MUST spend more time showing how we do indeed improve performance and how our activities add value.