Linnaea Newman

Spending on Employee Training Remains Stable

According to Leah Carlson,
Employee Benefit News

"Corporate investment in employee training has remained constant, while technology use in training programs has grown, partly due to the expanding size and scope of some businesses.

That’s the main message from the American Society for Training & Development’s latest report. The organization’s survey of 344 employers yielded these key findings:

• Technology-based programs were expected to account for 29.4% of employee training last year, up from 23.6% the previous year.
• Employers expected to spend about $812 per employee on training last year, which is similar to previous years.
• Employers expected to provide about 30 hours of training per employee last year, up from 26 the previous year.
• Management, IT and business practices were among the most common training topics last year.

A recent EBN Quickpoll garnered similar results. About 32% of respondents said they use technology very often to deliver training programs, while 38% said they use it sometimes, and 30% said they don’t use it.

Brenda Sugrue, ASTD’s senior director of research explains, “Investing in employee learning continues to be a priority for business leaders. 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. … The perceived and demonstrated value of training is increasing.”