How do you measure the return of a training?
How do you measure the return of a training?
'The participants were very satisfied.' That's a nice result, but not an answer to the key business question: did the training actually change anything? An evaluation right after a training usually measures satisfaction, the quality of the trainer, the relevance of the content, the venue, and the materials. That is useful data, but it does not yet tell you what employees still know or actually apply weeks later. For that, you need a longer measurement cycle.
From satisfaction to outcome
You can look at training results on different levels: how was the training experienced, what did participants learn, what do they still know later (retention), do they use what they learned in practice (behaviour), and does that behaviour ultimately affect relevant business results? This aligns with broader approaches in which training impact is measured not only right after the training, but also later in the learning process and in practice.
Why knowledge retention is an interesting KPI
Say a hundred employees take a training and all score highly right after. That tells you something about their knowledge at that moment. Test the same core topics again four weeks later, and you get additional information: which knowledge was retained, and which topics have faded? That makes knowledge retention a valuable in-between KPI, alongside the classic satisfaction score.
A useful approach works with multiple measurement moments:
- Right after the training: knowledge level
- After 2 weeks: knowledge retention
- After 6 weeks: knowledge retention and application
- After 12 weeks: knowledge retention and behaviour
That gives a far more complete picture than a satisfaction score of 8.4 alone. Terra Trainingen already measures concrete results this way with Stiqqo, see the case study for the first figures.
What training providers can do with this
For a training provider, this creates an opportunity to deliver more value. Not 'here's your certificate, see you next year', but 'we help you actually retain what you learned over the coming weeks'. That makes the service more concrete, measurable, and longer-lasting, and shifts the ultimate question from 'how many people attended the training' to 'what did this training actually change', a much more interesting question for a director, HR department, or L&D manager.
Conclusion
The return of a training does not start when someone fills in an evaluation form. It starts by measuring what happens afterwards: what sticks, what gets applied, and what changes in practice. Measuring that gives you far more insight into the real value of learning.