"80% of training budgets are wasted", says Tony Hughes, CEO of Huthwaite International

The issue of how best to utilise learning and development tools has been a topic of much debate recently, so much so that the discussion has finally reached the Boardroom. 

With more and more Boards opting out of the traditional method of 'classroom style' learning and promoting self-service techniques, Tony Hughes, Chief Executive of Huthwaite International, tells Executive Grapevine why he believes executives are throwing their development budgets down the drain.

“For training to deliver long-term business benefits it needs to lead to a sustainable change in behaviour,” explains Hughes. “Overall I think about 80% of training budgets are being wasted.

"60% because, unless companies use coaches and offer reinforcement methods to refresh and embed the training, any benefits from the training will be short-lived. The other 20%, I think, is being wasted because companies are also not measuring what is happening at vital points, not only straight after the training but also on a longer-term basis.”