World-class training quality is a complete waste of time… if it is not reinforced on return to work

Following on from training initiatives needing to be ‘Outcomes-driven’ and for there to be clear Accountability and proactive Collaboration, the fourth key element, Reinforcement, is one of the most powerful drivers of learning transfer but often almost completely overlooked.

Generally, the last day or session of a training course has marked the end a learning intervention.  As a result, whether a learner does transfer learning from a training event into the workplace, changing their behaviours so as to improve their performance, is frequently left to their own choice. They are left to sink or swim, and while research indicates that around 70% do try out the new ways, these good intentions tend to dissipate when the first hurdle is reached.  The usual reaction then is to regress to the old way of doing things; ingrained habits are hard to break. This is a key reason why less than 20% of formal learning is actually applied on the job.

Dramatic reduction of learner regression can be achieved through two systematic strategies which together provide learners with positive reinforcement of both the learning itself and their own motivation.