Transfer of Training

Transfer of Training to the Workplace

“Transfer of training”, as it relates to workplace training, refers to the use put by training participants of the skills and knowledge they learned to their actual work practices. (Note that it is sometimes referred to as “transfer of learning”.) Why is this considered so important for managers and training professionals? Consider the following two workplace training scenarios.

John, the Executive Director, caught a number of employees smoking in the lunchroom in spite of the company's no-smoking policy. He instructed the Human Resources department to send all employees on a training session covering the no-smoking policy. Two weeks after the training session, John exploded talking with the Human Resources Manager, "I found a Production Team Leader smoking in the Foyer. That training cost us a packet. You were supposed to fix the problem!"

In another company, a new inventory system was installed. Employees in the Purchasing Department were sent off to learn the new software. One month later, the Purchasing Manager finds that only two out of the twelve Purchasing Officers are using the new system. The expected cost savings have not materialized and the Purchasing Manager resolves to take issue with the Training Manager at the next weekly meeting.

Does this sound familiar? Experts estimate that somewhat less that twenty percent of training investments lead to some organizational benefit. This anomaly is commonly referred to as the "problem of training transfer". Why is it that such a small proportion of training ends up being used back in the workplace? With increasing marketplace competition, leaner resources and a greater focus on tangible outcomes, more and more managers are asking this question.

How can you increase the transfer of training in your organization? For any given training program, you will need to look into three areas:

training participant attributes (intelligence, attitudes)

training program...