How are you connecting the data you collect (after a learner finishes courses, etc. ) to a "Return on investment" for your company?

There's a lot that goes into connecting the effectiveness of training to the org's bottom line. One challenge is that training interventions aren't always connected to the business data, such as increased sales, etc. And training is only one part of the process that impacts performance.

I think at the front end, performance based courses should be tied to a metric. From there you can show some impact. For example, if you did a pre-assessment of skills and then a post-assessment you can say that the training produced this result. The key is identify the metric and then ensure that training can impact it.

Another avenue is the cost of training. There's a lot of compliance and explainer type training that isn't going to have a performance metric. I'd look at the cost to hire that training out and the improvements in delivery/efficiency/production.

We produced 50 courses and delivered it to X people. It cost this much. If we didn't have our group and had to hire this out it would cost X.

We cut training time. We cut delivery costs. There's a lot of ways to show cost-effectiveness to something like the training to which is more of a fixed cost to the organization. They have to have one, but you want it to be the most efficient and cost-effective one it can be.

Ultimately, a lot of it is also internal alignment. Instead of being order takers, get a seat at the table and help steer the investment in training. That gives you more visibility and also shows you're a business partner and not just a cost center.