Click links to see answers; click again to close section.
ASTD sources
Highlights from the ASTD 2008 State of the Industry Report
ASTD estimates that U.S. organizations spent $134.39 billion on employee learning and development in 2007. This amount reflects direct learning expenditures such as the learning function’s staff salaries, administrative learning costs, and non-salary delivery costs (including outsourced activities). Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. total ($83.62 billion) was spent on the internal learning function, such as staff salaries and internal development costs. The remainder ($50.77 billion) was allocated to external services such as workshops, vendors and external events. These types of informative statistics appear in ASTD’s annual State of the Industry report.
The State of the Industry report is ASTD’s annual review of trends in workplace learning and performance. The report includes data from ASTD BEST Awards Winners, ASTD Benchmarking Forum Members and other organizations from 2001 to date.
Noteworthy Findings
Despite troubling signs for the economy in the latter part of 2007, investment in learning activities remained strong from both a financial and operational standpoint.
- The average direct learning expenditure per employee in the consolidated sample of organizations rose to
$1,103 per employee in 2007, an increase of 6.0 percent from 2006.
- There is a consistent upward trend in technology-based delivery methods. E-learning now accounts for nearly
one-third of learning content made available.
- Formats such as simulations, instructional games, and social networking sites are becoming more widely used for learning.
- The leading content area remained profession- or industry-specific skills and information at 14.2 percent of learning hours in 2007.
The data reported represents input from companies using the Workplace Learning and Performance (WLP) scorecard, the ASTD BEST award winners, and the Benchmarking Forum (BMF) member organizations. Information about the data collection methodology is included.
ASTD members have access to a downloadable State of the Industry Report. Click here.
If you are not a member of ASTD you may purchase the report through the ASTD Store
ASTD Source
The "2007 Salary Survey: What Affects Earning Potential in Learning and Performance?", published in the February, 2008 issue of T+D magazine, reports that men and women in the profession are well-educated and well-compensated with an average annual income of $48,000.
Members can download this article free.Use the Salary Calculator, feature, a part of Careers, to determine your salary range. Enter your job category and zip code; next select the job title closest to yours. The Salary Wizard sends you a report with salary ranges for that position. Additional features include a Cost-of-Living comparison between two locations and a Job Assessor which helps you decide which job is the best match for you.
Other Sources
Training magazine publishes an annual salary survey each November.
Abbott Langer & Associate's salary surveys are fee-based and may contain information valuable to your industry group.
ASTD Sources
Consulting fees are based on program or project content, skill and expertise of the consultant, geography, client, and a host of other factors. Here are some sources that can help you determine your fees, whether it's best to establish an hourly rate or a project rate, and many other consulting questions:
Searching for a Fair Fee, T+D, v61 n5 p90-93 May 2007
The Business of Consulting: The Basics and Beyond, Elaine Biech, Pfeiffer, ISBN: 0787940216 (1998)
Flawless Consulting Peter Block, Learning Concepts, ISBN: 0787948039 (2000)
Consulting on the Inside, Beverly Scott, ASTD, ISBN: 1-56286-131-X (2000)
The Consultant's Calling, Geoff Bellman, Jossey-Bass, ISBN: 0787958476 (2001)
The Ultimate Consultant Alan Weiss, Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer, ISBN: 0-7879-55508-6 (2001)
ASTD Research
Develop or deliver customized training is $2,000 to $3,000 per day
Average training program from development to delivery is $12,000 to $21,000
Excerpted from: "What Things Cost" T+D, June 2002
Other ASTD Sources
Hourly - The range is from $55 to more than $150.
Per day - The range is from $250 to $10,000.
Excerpt from: "Shortcuts to Starting a Consulting Business"
Training & Development October 1996
Contact a local ASTD chapter to obtain local consulting rates.
Use ASTD's Consulting Practice Community discussion board to help answer your specific questions on fees. ASTD Learning Communities are open to all visitors.
Other Sources
Contact SHRM or other local professional association chapters or colleges and universities to determine local consulting rates.
The ASTD Job Bank posts job announcements for trainers, curriculum designers, and developers, OD specialists, and more. ASTD's Job Bank is the first place training and workplace performance professionals should explore for future career opportunities and growth. The number of employers posting job announcements grows every month.
ASTD Sources
Use ASTD's EXPO365, a electronic, searchable directory of training suppliers for your needs.
Contact a local ASTD chapter or a global network to obtain suggestions and recommendations for suppliers and consultants.
ASTD Sources
Contact a local ASTD chapter or global network and talk with members to see how they chose the training field.
To learn more about careers in the training and development field, visit the ASTD Career Center.
Newly revised, Career Moves by Annabelle Reitman and Caitlin Williams s a great resource for anyone planning to enter the Workplace Learning and Performance (WLP) profession. The revised edition focuses on how to use the ASTD Competency Model to prepare yourself for work in the field.
Training Development Time Estimates
First and foremost, these are estimates and estimates vary widely!
Course content, knowledge of the designer/developer, experience of the designer/developer, and the type of delivery method are among the factors involved in establishing how much time it takes to develop training curricula and programs.
According to ASTD sources, here are some ranges that can be helpful as you try to gauge development time:
Training Development Time
Course content, knowledge of the designer/developer, experience of the designer/developer, and the type of delivery method are among the factors involved in establishing how much time it takes to develop training curricula and programs. According to ASTD sources, here are some ranges that can be helpful as you try to gauge development time:
Delivery Method Development Time
Traditional classroom training
40 hours of development for 1 hour of instruction
Computer-based training
200 hours of development for 1 hour of finished hour of instruction
Video-based training
40-120 hours of development for 1 hour of instruction
Web/Internet-based training
Development times cited for other mediums are similar for delivery over the Internet
Source: The ASTD Media Selection Tool for Workplace Learning by Raymond J. Marx. 1999. Alexandria, VA: ASTD. ISBN: 1-56286-116-6
ASTD Sources
The BEST Awards recognize organizations that demonstrate enterprise-wide success through employee learning and development. According to Tony Bingham, ASTD's president and CEO, “The winners set the standard of excellence for exceptional learning practices, and demonstrate that a skilled workforce is vital to achieving results.”
Award winners was published in the October T+D.
Excellence in Practice Awards have been given for many years and identify organizations that have established training, learning, and performance practices. These best practices are categorized and written as case studies to be shared with other organizations.
Nominations are accepted for both new and proven practices in categories such as:
e-learning/Web-based learning technologies
performance
managing change
valuing differences
career development
organizational learning
technical training
training management
workplace learning and development
Read the criteria to apply for a training practice award.
Other Sources
Training magazine announces itsTraining Top 125 in its March issue.
Workforce Management magazine announces its winners of its Optimas Awards.
2008 State of the Industry Report is a valuable resource. The full report is available for download, free to members. Non-members can purchase the full report for US$ 995.00 from the ASTD Store.
Other Sources
Market data on past, current, and future training and e-learning expenditures is rarely free and is expensive to collect and analyze. Fees vary; current market information on the training industry may cost as much as $3,000-$5,000.
Gartner Group
IDC
Market Research.com
Simba Information