Advocating for learning and development can often feel like an uphill battle. According to LinkedIn, just under 60% of L&D experts say they have a seat at the strategic table. Struggling to be heard is only half the story—even if you do have a seat, there’s no guarantee the C-suite will always listen.
Too many executives believe employee education starts with onboarding and ends with compliance. But training goes far beyond a check-the-box exercise. Invest the proper time and money into employees’ training and development, and you’ll see dividends in employee engagement, performance, and job satisfaction.
Struggling to make the case for education? Employee training statistics can help you show the value of your efforts. In this article, we’ll share some of the most striking statistics from recent L&D studies. Incorporate them into your next leadership presentation, and make a business case that’s too good to pass up.
Why Does Employee Training Matter?
Traditionally, companies have viewed employee training as a means of mitigating risk or minimizing waste. Invest in security training, and you can teach employees how to protect sensitive data and defend the company from breaches. Invest in employee onboarding, and you reduce the time needed to get someone up to speed with your products, tools, or values.
But that definition of training is limiting. Sure, training can help protect your business, but it can also propel your business forward. Investing in learning and development opportunities is also an investment in employee enablement. By providing education that explains not just how to do a job, but how to excel at it, you can instill confidence in your employees and empower them to rise to their full potential.
This education can take the form of live or in-person formal training. It can also be offered through online, self-paced courses through platforms like LinkedIn Learning.
Top Employee Training Statistics to Show ROI
Want to expand your training efforts, but need approval from senior leadership to make it happen? Here are some employee training statistics to help you make the case for education:
Learning and Development Statistics
L&D experts, rejoice. As tough as it can be to get buy-in from the C-suite, there’s a groundswell of momentum behind your efforts. Demand for employee training programs and EdTech platforms is only increasing, which signals a promising future for employee education.
Here are some notable stats that support learning and development programs:
- From 2017 to 2021, U.S. venture capital funding in education has risen from $1.3 billion to $8.3 billion (6x growth). (McKinsey)
- 55% of employees say they need additional training to perform better in their current role. (SHRM)
- 35% of companies say they currently lack access to the right training content to deliver effective L&D. (SHRM)
- 53% of HR managers say their workforce faces a skills gap. (SHRM)
- 51% of HR managers say employee training is their main way of closing the skills gap. (SHRM)
- In 2023, the average company’s L&D budget increased by 5.4%. (Training Industry)
Workplace Training Statistics
Even as L&D budgets increase, most organizations have trouble determining exactly how, when, and where to invest that money. Compliance training only goes so far. To get real ROI out of an education program, companies must invest in programs where dedicated educators—not just HR—play an active role in talent development.
The data speaks for itself:
- U.S. companies invest $200 billion annually in corporate training, yet studies show that only 10% of that training drives tangible results. (HBR)
- The most common type of employee training is compliance training. (SHRM)
- The most common owner of employee education is HR. (Intellum)
- HR is more than twice as likely to feel burned out compared to a dedicated education team. (Intellum)
- 32% of workplace educators agree with the following statement: I feel like I am capable of making a greater impact, but I lack the resources I need to succeed (people, budget, time). (Intellum)
Employee Retention Statistics
Education doesn’t just help employees perform—it also gives them a reason to stay. Today’s talent values jobs in which they can learn new skills and accelerate their careers. And that starts with comprehensive training and self-service learning.
Advocate for education and reduce employee turnover with these employee training statistics:
- 8 in 10 people say learning provides them with a sense of purpose at work. (LinkedIn)
- 7 in 10 people say learning improves their connection with their company. (LinkedIn)
- 76% of employees say they are more likely to stay at a company that offers continuous training. (SHRM)
- 56% of companies with formalized education initiatives report improved employee retention, compared to just 21% of companies with ad hoc education efforts. (Intellum)
- Companies are twice as likely to report improved employee retention rates when they use an education platform designed for multiple audiences (62%) compared to a platform designed to educate just employees (30%). (Intellum)
Bottom Line Statistics
Employee training doesn’t have to be mystifying. At Intellum, we’ve explored the benefits of education and found tangible business results any executive can get behind.
Here are just some of the business benefits of employee training, as discovered by our research:
- 43% of companies report increased revenue since implementing an education program.
- 60% of companies with curriculum-based education initiatives report increased revenue since starting their program, compared to just 22% of companies with ad-hoc education efforts.
- Among companies that experienced increased revenue, those that valued scalable learning were most likely to see increased revenue.
- 27% of companies report reduced support costs since implementing an education program.
- Companies whose education team an executive sponsor backs are twice as likely to exceed their business goals.
How Intellum Helped Allied Universal Build a High-Value Training Program
Allied Universal is the globe’s leading security provider. The seventh-largest private employer in the world, Allied supplies companies and their employees with best-in-class security. If you’ve ever walked a college campus, badged into an office building, or simply enjoyed the amenities of a town or city, you’ve likely interacted with an Allied professional as well.
With more than 800,000 employees, Allied Universal thrives on scale. To deliver effective education while managing training costs, the company needed a platform that could grow alongside its business, adapt quickly to changing needs, and provide detailed data tracking so educators could measure success.
Enter Intellum. In 2009, Allied implemented our learning management system as part of a broader training initiative called EDGE (Educate, Develop, Grow, Engage). Through a blend of eLearning education and face-to-face training, Allied has equipped its security professionals with the knowledge and best practices they need to provide unparalleled service.
Fast forward 14+ years, and our partnership with Allied Universal is still going strong.
What sustains the relationship?
At Intellum, we’ve designed our platform to scale alongside our clients’ businesses. Whether you’re looking to create accessible eLearning content, deliver engaging webinars, or build a certification for your product, we’re committed to making your L&D efforts easier and more effective. Deliver timely, relevant training to your employees—no matter the current need—so you can keep them engaged, empower them to succeed, and drive results.
For Allied Universal, those results have ranged from reduced safety incidents to increased client and employee retention rates. The EDGE program is going strong, with more than 270,000 active users completing 580,000+ courses per month. The global leader in security only continues to innovate, and we’re proud to be a partner.
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It’s clear investing in employee development is worth the time and effort. If you’d like to dig deeper into ways to grow your employees through education and training, our blog is a great start.
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