3 Canadian firms place on list of top 125 training organizations

Average training budget represents 4.52 per cent of payroll

Three Canadian companies have made the list of the best 125 organizations for training and development by Training magazine in the United States.

The Economic Insurance Group came in sixth place while Allied International Credit ranked 78th and William Osler Health System 110th.

The list includes ranking based on myriad benchmarking statistics such as: total training budget; percentage of payroll; number of training hours per employee program; goals, evaluation, measurement, and workplace surveys; hours of training per employee annually; and detailed formal programs.

Now in its 12th year, the 2012 Training Top 125 is the only report that ranks companies on training and development.

The mean revenue for applicants was US$11.3 billion worldwide and the mean training budget was US$145.5 million, representing 4.52 per cent of payroll.

The mean number of total employees trained per organization (including independent contractors and franchisees) was 41,890, with 18,462 trained in the classroom and 38,438 trained online. A mean of 557 courses were offered as instructor-led sessions; 1,494 were offered as online self-paced modules; and 113 were offered as virtual instructor-led classrooms.

Some 94 per cent of applicants have a technological infrastructure to support the delivery and management of training.

Some 97 per cent of applicants use employee satisfaction surveys, and 98 per cent use competency maps and personal/individual development plans. Only 64 per cent tie managers’ compensation directly to the development of their direct reports.

“The best learning and development organizations support business initiatives tactically and help drive strategic change,” said Lorri Freifeld, editor-in-chief of Training magazine. “The 2012 Training Top 125 organizations did just that — and provided ample proof of their training effectiveness.”

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