US Companies Hike Training Budgets

In fact this year training budget hikes were four times more common among US employers than cutbacks, according to Training magazine’s Annual Industry Report.

Computer “Based”

Almost 40% of all employer-sponsored training in the United States today is devoted to teaching computer skills.

More than 80% of all corporate training is still delivered by live instructors, but not always with instructors in the same room as the students, as trainers in remote locations conducted 6% of “live” sessions. Thirteen percent of all courses were delivered via computer without instructor involvement.

Students interact online with other humans in 29% of all training delivered online.

More than $19 billion was allotted for outside expenditures, including customized training materials, seminars, conferences, and off-the-shelf materials. The largest increases in training expenses were at finance/insurance/banking, business services, and transportation/communication/utilities.

The purchase of training products and services from outside suppliers is still controlled by an organization’s human resources or training department more than half (60%) of the time.

The annual report details the formal training activity of US organizations with 100 or more employees, and is available at www.trainingmag.com .