Measuring Employee Growth Training and Development KPIs

Targeting the metrics that matter, and what they can tell you.

Employee growth is the key measure of any training and development program’s success. Determining what to track and which metrics indicate real growth can be a real pain point for learning and development (L&D) professionals, especially for new or rapidly expanding programs.

 

Read on to learn what makes a reliable growth metric so you can ensure your programs are delivering real individual and organizational success.

  • Qualities of a reliable growth metric

     

  • How to establish L&D growth metrics

     

  • Training and development KPIs and what they mean

Qualities of a reliable growth metric

There is no gold-standard metric for success. Rather than apply the same blanket of KPIs across the board, it’s best to consider what you need the metric to tell you.

Reliable success metrics will demonstrate that your program:

  • Meets employee training needs

     

  • Helps employees meet growth goals

How to establish the best growth metrics for your L&D program

Since growth metrics are so dependent on the program, here’s a look at the process for determining which metrics will deliver the best results.

Identify training needs

Every employee training and development program begins with identifying a need.

 

These decisions are typically made in collaboration with stakeholders, such as department heads and individual team members.

illustration of someone giving a presentation

Define goals

Every employee training and development program begins with identifying a need.

 

These decisions are typically made in collaboration with stakeholders, such as department heads and individual team members.

illustration of a person studying, super imposed over a goals check list
example or a growth metrics showing evaluations and evaluators

Establish growth metrics

For decades, organizations across all sectors have utilized the Kirkpatrick Model for measuring training program effectiveness.

 

Reaction to the learning: How did participants react to the course? Did they enjoy it? Were there obstacles along the way? Was it relevant to their needs?

 

Knowledge: Are learners able to demonstrate they have gained additional knowledge, skills, or aptitude in alignment with program and personal goals?

 

Behavior change: Have learners been able to apply this knowledge to their everyday tasks? Are they demonstrating beneficial behavior changes? Were there any regressive behavioral changes?

 

Learning results and impact: How have program outcomes impacted business metrics?

Training and development KPIs and what they mean

Since growth metrics are so dependent on the program, here’s a look at the process for determining which metrics will deliver the best results.

Quantifiable metrics

Quantifiable metrics help report to the C-suite and validate program ROI. The list below is not exhaustive, but will hopefully help you navigate establishing quantifiable metrics for your training programs.

 

License activation: If you use an online learning platform, the number of activations will indicate how many of your learners are taking advantage of learning opportunities provided by your organization.

 

Ratio of training registrants: The number of registrants is less important than knowing the ratio of those offered the opportunity to those who have registered. A high score here means the value and urgency of the training are being communicated to learners.

 

Content views: These include courses, videos, documents, and other pieces of content attached to the online learning course. Content views are another excellent indicator of interest and participation.

 

Completion rates: This will give you insight into how many of your learners are completing courses recommended to them. If the completion rate remains low, this is an opportunity to reach out and determine the cause, such as a lack of time or uncertainty around completion timelines.

 

Continuing education units earned: If continuing education is required for licensing, this metric can help your L&D team keep track of an important compliance metric.

 

Number of IT tickets created before and after learning took place: This metric exists outside of your online learning platform but can tell you a lot about the success of technology-specific training.

 

Employee retention rate: Starting with onboarding, providing your workforce with quality learning opportunities increases employee retention. Effective onboarding has been shown to improve retention rates by 52% and productivity by 60%.

illustration of someone examining data on graphs

Qualifiable metrics

Understanding how your learners respond to training is an essential measure of a program’s effectiveness. This information is primarily gathered through pre- and post-training surveys, though there are other opportunities to gather qualifiable data.

 

Pre-learning survey: A survey of learners ahead of a training opportunity gives you a baseline for comparison with the post-learning survey. This will help you understand how much growth resulted from the training. 

 

A pre-learning survey should cover

  • The learner’s current level of knowledge about the training topic.

     

  • The learner’s understanding of the training program goals.

     

  • What the learner expects to gain from the training.

     

  • How effective other learning opportunities have been.

 

Post-learning survey: Conducting a survey upon completion of training can capture valuable feedback.

 

A post-learning survey should cover.

  • How the learner rates their overall experience with the course.

     

  • How supported the learner felt throughout the course.

     

  • The learner’s level of knowledge or aptitude upon completion of the course.

     

  • Suggestions for improving the training program.

 

Customer service changes: Where applicable, customer satisfaction is an excellent indicator of training success. If a training program significantly improves the customer experience, it is worth looking into what factors contributed to that success.

 

Morale: The vast majority of people simply want to do their job well. When they are repeatedly encountering difficulties, it can negatively affect morale. A successful training program should result in improved morale.

 

Creativity boosts: Problem-solving through frustrations at work takes a lot of energy and can cause a dip in creativity. If a training program has solved a common pain point, there should be a noticeable boost in creativity. 

 

Organizational culture shifts: Once learners start to realize the personal and professional benefits of engaging with learning opportunities, there is often a ripple effect outward to other members of the organization. Excellent learning opportunities can help foster a wider culture of learning.

illustration of someone working towards a new certificate with other certificates displayed on a wall

Online learning helps you capture the metrics you need

The landscape of L&D has changed dramatically in the past few years. Even before 2020, 90% of companies were already offering digital learning. 
Online learning platforms offer deep insights into how your workforce is interacting with your L&D programs, enabling rapid response and continuous improvement.

 

Learn more about how LinkedIn Learning can help you deliver relevant and effective training opportunities.

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