In last night’s State of the Union address, President Obama discussed the need for better worker training to support the growing science and technology sector. While we could debate the merits of government training programs, there is good news from the private sector: U.S. businesses spent more on employee training in 2010 than they did the previous year. 
SkillSoft, a provider of e-learning and performance support tools, sponsored a “State of the Industry” report by the American Society of Training and Development. The survey found that businesses spent $171.5 billion on employee training in 2010, up from $125.8 billion the previous year. This increase meant at 13.5% increase dollars spent per employee on training, though the number of training hours per employee remained flat, signaling an increase in costs for learning content. The data was collected from more than 400 companies, including 22 in the Fortune 500.
The report found that despite the current economic climate, the value of a highly skilled workforce continues to rise. Senior executives understand that a highly skilled workforce, and the continued development of those employees, can be a strategic differentiator in today’s competitive business environment. The data in the report, from more than 400 organizations across all major industries, demonstrates that learning and development is critical to drive growth and sustain a competitive advantage.
Not surprisingly, the survey also showed that technology – particularly mobile – is playing a larger role in delivering training to employees with 40.1% of formal learning hours delivered via technology-based methods. I’m a remote worker, so just about all of my training is delivered via a browser, be it a Web-based training module or dial-in conference with Webcast.
It’s good to see training is on the rise. Every company I’ve been a part of did an annual employee survey and invariably one of the top “concerns” is not enough training. Employees want to be able to do their jobs better and improve their skills. Companies should want to foster that yearning to learn and help wherever possible.
Of course, if training isn’t available directly from the company, that shouldn’t necessarily negate a worker’s ability to learn new skills. I started my professional life by learning print journalism skills, then adapted to the Web by figuring out some basic HTML by buying a book and using Google. The latter is a godsend for learning: I’ve used Google to figure out new tricks in video editing, Photoshop and WordPress setup. While formal classes would have been nice, sometimes the learning-on-the-go through search and discovery can be just as valuable.
What kind of training does your company offer and do you find it valuable? Leave a comment below or tweet your answer to @jmeserve.
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