Core Concepts
Corporate training programs often fail to deliver meaningful and lasting learning outcomes for employees.
Abstract
The author reflects on their 2-decade career at a bank, where they attended numerous training sessions, including classroom, offsite, single-day, and multi-day programs held at various locations. However, the author struggles to recall the specific content and purpose of these training programs, as well as what they gained from them.
This sentiment is echoed by Laszlo Bock, the former Head of People Operations at Google. Bock states that the average employee in the USA receives 31 hours of training per year, which equates to more than 30 minutes per week. However, Bock argues that most of this time and money spent on training is wasted, as he finds it difficult to point to anything he does differently today as a result of the training he has received over the years.
The author and Bock's experiences suggest that corporate training programs often fail to deliver meaningful and lasting learning outcomes for employees. The content and delivery of these programs may not be effectively designed to address the specific needs and challenges faced by employees in their day-to-day work.
Stats
The average employee in the USA receives 31 hours of training over the year, which works out to more than 30 minutes per week.
Quotes
"The average employee (in the USA) received thirty-one hours of training over the year, which works out to more than thirty minutes per week. Most of that money and time is wasted. .. If I look at my years in large and small professional environments, I'd be hard pressed to point to anything I do differently today as a result of training."