Companies don’t buy training. What they’re really buying is the value of training. During a recession, this is more important than ever as none of us can afford to send our employees for a jolly day (or week) out of the office. However, studies show that well trained staff will be retained staff as there is an emotional investment in employee development and the practical payoff of technically confident workers. It is cheaper to train than it is to hire and staff retention increases. And with some training companies reporting record final quarters for 2009, this seems to bear out.

So, what is the value in training?

Great training leads to positive workplace changes and can be integrated into current management systems, ensuring all outcomes have a direct link to business processes. There is little point in sending a staff member on an Excel course if it is rarely used (and yet one of the complaints we hear as trainers is that the training is great, but the software might not be used for months). My own experience as a trainer and evidence from colleagues over the years helps to prove these points. Training as a reward system, to make employees feel as if money is being spent on them is rarely effective if they are unable to implement any of the behavioural changes they learned on their courses.  It is essential that the workplace can support the application of these new skills. If training is well planned, well executed and followed up correctly, this is where the value lies.

Training must be booked from a real development need and balance the effectiveness of hiring new staff with relevant skills against training existing staff. If your staff are taking time out of their day to help each other with spreadsheets, for example, break this time down using their daily rates. How much of this time is spent in not doing the “day job?” The cost of courses can be effectively offset against this, leading to increased user confidence and efficiency. As long as the needs of your organisation and the individual are aligned with each other, then training is of value.

Training can be the tool required to solve problems in the workplace and if it is appropriate training, you will continue to see the return on investment. Managers who are active in the booking of courses and the implementation of skills learned are the ones who really understand the investment made.This is when training turns into what it should be; an asset rather than an expense.

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