Research by CIPD has found that almost half of employers (48 percent) now measure financial return on learning and development schemes, up from 26 percent last year. The median budget for L&D programmes stands at £286 per employee. Pip Clarke, Business Development Director at a&dc, commented on the findings. “The results are extremely encouraging for everyone involved in learning and development. Professionals in this arena have been crying out for financial measurement to be put on schemes and with the numbers rising we may be able to begin to see trends appear.”

“It’s vital for the ongoing improvement of learning and development schemes,” Clarke continued. “By measuring ROI, businesses will be able to identify programs that aren’t working or ones that are performing particularly effectively and design a strategy around this. We believe that organisations will begin to note real, financial differences by developing effective L&D schemes that can benefit both the employee and employer. What we may see in time are professionals in L&D having to develop financial reporting skills to be able to effectively transmit the value of their work. This too, can only be a good thing, any scheme that means individuals have to develop wider skill sets can only be advantageous for the business and the individual.”