Training should be more integrated with recruitment, CIPD says

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Learning and development processes and systems could be better integrated with recruitment and other aspects of HR management, research has found

Sixty four per cent of the companies responding to the Learning and Development Report 2014 from the CIPD and Cornerstone OnDemand said that they believe that while learning and development processes are integrated into other aspects of HR management, there is still room for improvement.

The research also found that businesses are putting more emphasis on monitoring, measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of training. Along with closer integration of development activity with business strategy, this is one of the top two changes anticipated by HR professionals in the next two years.

“What’s good for people is good for business and organisations are starting to wake up and realise that by measuring the success of L&D,” said Ruth Stuart, learning and development adviser at the CIPD, and author of the report. “Perhaps the upturn in the economy has reduced the urgency to drive large scale cost-saving changes. Instead it’s put greater emphasis on businesses ensuring the efficient use of their L&D resources and planning a sustainable future through integrating L&D with business strategy and evaluating outcomes.”

Reflecting the increasing emphasis on evaluating training, the survey revealed that the number of organisations measuring return on investment from L&D practices has increased from 26% to 48%.  And, over 50% say business knowledge and commercial awareness is critical to success in L&D/OD.

The research also revealed that the median annual training budget per employee has dropped from £303 last year to £286, but this masks considerable variation within and across sectors. As in previous years, the median training budget per employee is lowest in the public sector (£238).

Vincent Belliveau, senior vice president and general manager EMEA at Cornerstone OnDemand, added: “Learning activities need support not only the individual’s goals and development but also those of the business. This can only be done by integrating HR at board level, agreeing meaningful metrics and understanding the impact of learning through measurement and evaluation.”