{"id":18350,"date":"2016-09-07T18:35:25","date_gmt":"2016-09-07T16:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.igmanagement.it\/?p=18350"},"modified":"2023-06-27T10:47:57","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T08:47:57","slug":"90-of-new-skills-are-forgotten-after-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.igmanagement.it\/en\/2016\/09\/07\/90-of-new-skills-are-forgotten-after-training\/","title":{"rendered":"90% OF NEW SKILLS ARE FORGOTTEN AFTER TRAINING"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A snapshot of the present, to outline the future of companies.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A study conducted by Josh Bersin of Deloitte – a leading HR consulting firm – highlighted that in 2014, overall US spending on corporate training increased by 10% over the previous year, to a figure of around $75 billion (it is believed that more than $140 billion was spent worldwide in 2014: the US, in essence, is the country that has invested the most in training applicable to the business world). According to the authors, this positive trend has been going on for a good five years, with constant average increases of 10% year on year.<\/p>\n

Josh Bersin explains how the amount of investment made in corporate training is a good thermometer of economic activity: when companies slow down, training expenditure is often cut, and as soon as business picks up again, resources are reinvested in training, both in sales and in the development of top and middle management.<\/p>\n

Investing in training is therefore a reflection of a company’s well-being: it shows its proactive attitude and desire to innovate, its ability to stand out firmly in the global market.<\/p>\n

This would seem to be comforting news. But there is an ‘Achilles heel’, a weak point, that needs to be taken into serious consideration.
\nResearch conducted by Eduardo Salas, professor of psychology and programme director of the Institute for Simulation & Training at the University of Central Florida<\/a>, found that roughly 90 per cent of the new skills acquired during training can be almost completely forgotten by participants within a year of training, unless specific follow-up training is carried out to recapitulate the topics covered and accompanied by evaluation tests that measure what has been learned and remembered.<\/p>\n

According to Prof. Sales, apparently, what happens before and after a training course is therefore just as crucial as the actual learning.
\nMost companies wrongly assume that if an unskilled worker undergoes training, he or she can immediately be ‘transformed’ into a skilled, diligent and experienced worker right from the start. But it is often the training methodology that makes the difference, coupled, of course, with the participant’s motivation to learn and get involved.
\nChecking the learning after the training phase is an indispensable advantage: to safeguard the results, checking whether the content learnt by the employees is transformed into real competences – maintained or developed over time – is crucial.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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What are the most effective training methodologies, and how much are the investments made by Italian companies to develop their resources? <\/p>\n

A research conducted by ASFOR in 2015 (XI ASFOR research on the Demand for Managerial Training<\/a>) highlights how companies present in Italy follow two-speed paths with regard to investment in training, depending on the market in which they operate: “…companies focused on the domestic market struggle to keep the resources allocated to training unchanged…there is instead a type of company that has increased investment. These companies have two characteristics in common: they are engaged in the process of competitive repositioning in global markets and are implementing a rapid growth path in which change, internationalisation and innovation are integrated.<\/i>“<\/p>\n

A longitudinal study conducted by ISTAT (period taken into consideration: 2005 to 2010) and published on 1 August 2013<\/a> highlights a paradox between the opinions of Italian top managers regarding the recognised usefulness of training and the real investment made in corporate training itself: companies seek out quality training, especially in emotional and relational skills, and recognise its benefits in terms of concrete results; but conversely, a good 44.1% of the same companies avoid training their employees, as they consider them to be already sufficiently qualified (at least 82.6% of these companies), or look for employees who have already been trained previously and elsewhere to be hired (28% of the sample declare this). Here are the data that emerged from the study:<\/p>\n

\"istat-a\" \"istat-b\"<\/p>\n

Complicating matters, a report by the World Economic Forum 2016<\/a> – which examines the employment, skills and workforce strategy for the future – shows that five years from now, more than a third of the skills (as many as 35%) that are considered important in today’s workforce will be subject to change, i.e. considered secondary:<\/p>\n

\"10-skills-2020\"
\nSource: ExpoTraining Observatory<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

How, then, can one respond to the new demands that may emerge from the global market if one decides to disinvest in the training and continuing education of workers? <\/p>\n

If we add the data concerning the physiological mnemonic forgetting that occurs as a result of learning (highlighted by Prof. Eduardo Salas’ research described above), how can we finally ensure that what was previously learned is not forgotten by employees, and how can they themselves cope with the new demands that will be indispensable in the business of the future, if they do not receive support and backing from companies?<\/p>\n

There is therefore a need to change the Culture of Training, drawing on methodologies that draw on studies and research in the field of learning and development psychology, in order to maximise results and contain collateral costs for companies.<\/p>\n

Maximising is important, but only if it is accompanied by focusing on quality: the results of good training have a marked impact on a company’s results.
\nTherefore, choosing which skills to develop and the most effective training methodology is an investment that always pays off.<\/p>\n

What do the largest multinational companies look for when they choose to invest in training? <\/p>\n