1 min read: There is an abundance of research that suggests the likelihood that employees attending training at work actually apply the training on the job is between 5-20%. I decided to conduct a study whereby individuals attending a real training at a major US corporation were offered a few additional work environment resources to see whether they would increase the chances the training was actually used on the job.
In comparison to a control group (normal training), individuals who received the behavioral intervention were statistically more likely to use training on the job afterward.
What was added? Their managers set expectations beforehand, formally touched base during the training with real feedback on their performance and set goals along the way. The environmental resources used to increase training transfer far outweigh the time wasted attending training that is never used - and only took a bit more time strategizing on the front end.