A report finds that Canadian organizations modestly increased funding for training, learning and development between 2010 and 2012.
The Canadian organizations surveyed in The Conference Board of Canada’s Learning and Development Outlook spent an average of $705 per employee, compared with $688 per employee in 2010.
Despite this modest increase, overall learning and development spending is down nearly 40% from its historic high of $1,207 in 1993. Over the past 20 years, spending has declined in both the public and private sectors and in organizations of all sizes.
“Although we are observing slightly higher increases in spending in the most recent survey, it is unlikely that expenditures on learning and development will rise to levels seen in the past without a stronger organizational commitment to enhancing learning environments,” says Donna Burnett-Vachon, associate director, leadership and HR research.
Those who invest more in learning and development are the organizations that are being rewarded with higher levels of employee performance, customer satisfaction, and quality products and services compared to their competition, she adds.
The report notes that 60% of Canadian organizations consider leadership development a strategic priority, yet only about one-third rate their leadership development practices as being effective.
The study also shows that organizations continue to rely heavily on informal learning and are putting more emphasis on e-learning, especially in areas such as online social networking.
The percentage of organizations with strong learning cultures that frequently or always use social networking has more than doubled in the last two years.
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