SOURCE American Society for Training and Development http://www.astd.org
Walter Derzko
Idea Lab
wderzko@pathcom.com
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ASTD Survey Highlights Training Patterns By Sector: In The 1998 ASTD
State of the Industry Report, ASTD reports what recent research reveals
about companies' investment in workplace learning and the effect that has
on performance. The data are from ASTD's Human Performance Practices
Survey, conducted recently in partnership with the Times Mirror Training
Group, Development Dimensions International, the Forum Corporation, and
the
U.S. Department of Labor. Data was collected from 540 randomly selected
firms with 50 or more employees.
Industry-by-industry highlights from the survey include:
Extraction and construction -- These are the mining, oil exploration and
extraction companies; refineries; chemical plants; construction companies;
contractors; and stone producers. These companies have few internal
trainers and use a lot of apprenticeships and union-delivered training.
They experienced notably improved performance in 1995 and 1996.
High technology -- These are pharmaceuticals; computer and communications
manufacturers; biological and physical researchers; and software
designers.
These companies represent the leading edge in training, compensation, and
quality practices. They have large internal training staffs and spend the
most money per employee of any industry group. They also use learning
technologies to deliver training more than other companies in other
industry groups.
Finance, insurance and real estate -- These include banks and other credit
institutions; insurance companies; securities brokers; and real estate
companies. They spend a lot of money on training and have a lot of
in-house
trainers. They do a lot of computer, sales and product training and are
heavy users of computer based training. Business services -- This is a
diverse industry group made up of business- to-business and professional
service companies. Possibly due to their diversity, they don't have
consistent or exceptional practices, except for a larger-than-average use
of computer based training and computer training.
Heavy manufacturing -- This industry group is comprised of metal
fabricators; mills; foundries; and manufacturers of machines, including
turbines, industrial equipment, motor vehicles and aircraft. They are
complex workplaces with heavy use of high performance work practices,
quality initiatives, and apprenticeships. A large portion of total
training expenditure goes to external providers, including educational
institutions.
Heavy users of computer based training, these companies predict the
largest increase in total and outside training expenditures.
Light manufacturing -- These are manufacturers of food and beverages;
textiles; furniture; fabricated wood; plastics and medical instruments;
and paper and pulp mills. These companies are most dependent on
outsourcing, with the largest percentage of total training expenditure
going outside and the second largest percentage of outside dollars per
employee. Their use of delivery technologies isn't heavy, though they
predict more use of computer based training and intranets in the future.
Transportation, communications and public utilities -- These are the
power, water and gas utilities; trucking and warehousing companies; and
telephone companies. With a lot of safety, technical, and customer service
training, these companies have higher-than-average expenditures. They're
characterized by leading-edge training practices and a high use of
computer based training and other technologies.
Health care -- This industry is made up of hospitals; clinics; doctors'
offices; and home care companies. They train a large number of employees
in advanced work practices and safety and quality training. However,
expenditures for training, and outside training in particular, are low.
They seldom use delivery technologies for training, using instead
non-training employees and product suppliers. As a whole, they have
experienced performance problems and a recent decline in training
expenditures.
Customer service -- These are the retail stores; restaurants; hotels; and
other nonprofessional consumer services. These companies have a large
percentage of part-time employees and low average salaries. They teach
primarily customer service and orientation training. They have the lowest
training expenditures of any group and are light consumers of outside
training services and training technologies.
--"Walter Derzko" <wderzko@pathcom.com>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>