Organizations spend millions of dollars on employee training each year, but many struggle to see a measurable return on investment. The challenge is not the lack of training, but rather the lack of application. Simply exposing employees to new information does not mean they will retain the knowledge or use it in their daily work.
As Meghan Cipperley, Senior Vice President of Learning at Data Society, explains:
“Training without uptake will get you no return on investment. It has to be personalized. If they don’t reflect on it, they don’t apply it.”
This statement aligns with decades of research in adult learning theory, which shows that training is most effective when it includes active engagement, real-world application, and follow-up reinforcement. Without these critical elements, training is just another box to check—one that does not provide the ability to drive meaningful business results. Linkedin’s 2025 Workplace Learning Report found: “Only 36% of organizations fall into the career development champions category with robust programs that yield business results. Another 31% have career development programs with limited adoption, and 33% have no initiatives or are just getting started.”
Numerous studies have demonstrated that learning happens through doing, not just listening. The National Training Laboratories’ Learning Pyramid suggests that while passive learning methods, such as lectures and reading, result in only 5-10% knowledge retention, active learning techniques, such as discussion and practice, can increase retention rates to 50-75% (NTL Institute).
Similarly, the Kirkpatrick Model of Training Evaluation, one of the most widely recognized frameworks in corporate learning, emphasizes the importance of follow-up assessment. Meghan Cipperley explains:
“The philosophy that I was talking about—where you check in with folks three to six months later to talk about the return in their job performance—that’s the Kirkpatrick Model. It basically means you measure the level of learning uptake at different intervals. Interval one is the day they leave the classroom. And then it goes all the way up to the end spectrum, which is when you check in and figure out what changed because of that training.”
This evidence suggests that companies need to rethink how they measure training success. Instead of focusing on attendance and completion rates, organizations should implement robust criteria over the course of time to track how well employees apply new knowledge to their roles.
To make learning stick, companies need to integrate personalization, real-world application, and long-term reinforcement into their training programs. Here are three key strategies:
Training is only valuable if it leads to real behavioral change and improved performance. Companies that focus on application, personalization, and reinforcement will see greater returns on their learning investments.
Want to build a training program that drives real impact? Contact Data Society to design a learning experience that ensures skills are applied, not forgotten.
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