Employee Training that Sticks Isn't an Expense — It's an Investment
Budget cutbacks in your future? Let me guess — you’re thinking that cutting the employee training budget might be a good place to start. You might want to think again. According to ATD’s most recent State of the Industry report, the average U.S. organization spends approximately $1,200 per employee annually on learning and development. That may sound significant — but consider what you’re getting for it, and more importantly, what you’re risking without it.
Why does it Matter?
Very simply, effective training positively impacts the bottom line. Organizations that invest in employee development consistently report stronger performance outcomes — improved customer satisfaction, lower turnover, and better operational efficiency. The flip side is equally measurable: an employee who feels their institution won’t support their career goals is significantly more likely to leave. In financial services, turnover costs routinely exceed 50% of an employee’s annual salary when recruiting, onboarding, and lost productivity are factored together.
Do You Train to Test or Train to Learn?
In the short term, you can probably satisfy examiner requirements by training to test. In the long term, training to learn not only produces results examiners prefer, it also delivers:
Increased Loyalty: Good training increases employee loyalty, which drives customer loyalty. Loyalty leads to better staff retention and customer longevity.
Engaged Employees: When employees feel valued, they’re more engaged and less likely to leave. Focusing on development also surfaces skill gaps early, so they can be addressed before they become problems.
Boosted Innovation: Well-trained employees adapt more quickly to changes in the marketplace and bring more creative thinking to problem solving.
Better Candidates: Word gets around when you have a strong training program. You’ll attract stronger candidates when employee development is a genuine priority.
Training to Learn is Training that Sticks
The best way to achieve learning that sticks is through interactive, engaging, multi-format content that meets employees where they are. Research consistently shows that active engagement with material — through video, simulation, and game-based learning — produces significantly better retention than passive consumption. Learners who do something with information remember it far longer than those who simply read or hear it.
Great continuous learning shouldn’t feel like a punishment. It should feel like a perk. Investing in your employees’ development isn’t just a good idea — a well-trained staff serving your market is simply good business.
