Research has shown that transfer of skills taught in the classroom, or via distance learning, has limited impact on the job.
In 1979 Donald Kirkpatrick’s foundational work found that only 15% of skills taught in corporate learning & development programs transferred to the job. In 2005, a study commissioned by ASTD found the same degree of learning transfer!
Consider this. An employee goes off to training. Their supervisor/manager meets with them on return to the work environment and the following transpires:
Manager…“Tell me, how did the training go?”
Employee responds… “Fine. We covered a lot.”
Manager…“Great! Now let’s get back to work.”
This reflects that the manager has not a clue of (a.) what transpired at training, and (b.) what to expect as a result of having their employee attend the training program.
Our incorporation of Sustainability Guides™ into course design successfully remedies this by providing job supervisors with the knowledge of the training their direct reports complete, and more importantly, tools and guidance to enhance on-the-job coaching and evaluation of learned skills.
Key features of our guides include:
- A summary of program OPO™s, EO™s and learning objectives;
- An explanation of how the objectives relate to job performance;
- A tool to assess, evaluate and coach the application of skills and knowledge on the job.
When a training program is constructed using sound OPO’s, EO’s and LO’s, and followed upon with this style of training reinforcement, the results can be dramatic on individual job performance and productivity.