Annual Survey of the Training Industry

The Annual Survey highlights the Training Industry status. We need to create Rainbow Creators but budgets have been cut. How do we exceed retrun on expectations as Jim Kirkpatrick calls or provide greater value to the end user. Some key points from the Bersin survey.
The Bersin & Associates Annual Training Industry Survey is interesting; visit their website for more details. Some salient points:
In 2009, the faltering U.S. economy continued to take its toll on training organizations. Companies cut their L&D budgets by another 11 percent from 2008 levels, with median spending falling to $714 per learner. Combined with the budget reductions that occurred in 2008, training budgets have fallen a total of 21 percent over the past two years. Spending was down across all company size categories. Small companies cut their L&D spending by 10 percent; midsize companies cut 11 percent and large companies cut 12 percent of their L&D spending.

Many L&D organizations also shed jobs in 2009. The median L&D staff fell from 7.0 staff per 1,000 learners in 2008 to 6.2 in 2009. Small businesses reduced their training staffs by four percent, while midsize firms cut five percent and large companies cut eight percent of their L&D headcount.

These budget and staffing figures show that large businesses have taken the hardest hit in 2009. Large companies generally have more “fat” to cut, with more L&D program offerings and more L&D staff playing specialized roles. Although they are often slower to respond to economic changes, they are assessing – and cutting now. As part of these cost-cutting efforts, many large companies are centralizing their training operations and moving toward a shared services model.

Appointment

I have been honoured with the appointment as a Director of the Human Reources Development Corporation by the Honourable Minister of HR, Government of Malaysia. It gives me an opportunity to contribute to the development of human capital.

The Human Resources Development Council manages the Human Resources Development Fund and aims to support human capital development. For more details visit their web site.

A quote to remember

Do not let others perceptions of you become true for you

Leadership

If you can inspire someone to aspire to do, to be and to become great, you are a leader. Quincy Adams

A Smile means a lot

Rainbow Creators make a huge difference, they touch people.

In service language, Mr. Sim Kay Wee, former Chairman of Service Quality and Senior VP of Singapore Airlines used to say more service does not equal to better service.
I have enjoyed travelling Emirates Airlines in the past but today was a nightmare.
They did everything to ensure I had a nightmare experience. I travelled with them London Dubai KL. Obviously I chose not to fly business but economy given the current economic climate. I realised that economy passengers are punished severely.

What they did were a few simple things?
• Forgot my lunch for 4 hours
• Served me a quarter glass of mango juice and the follow on never came
• Too busy to serve coffee
• Gave me a bag - this was meant to be service recovery - sewing kit, comb, razor, opened box of chocolates
• They had great make up and looked real pretty

What they did not do?

All the things a Rainbow Creator would have done:

• Smile
• Say Sorry
I wish they had just smiled and said sorry. That would have gone a long way.
Guess life is challenging. Customers have fw rights. Starve and then get out at the airport and buy a decent meal at Burger King.
Emirates Airlines would do wll to learn from the fast food restauarants on customer service.
I real hope they learn well and look after customers well. Otherwise they may not have many of them left.

Saudi Arabia

I have been with Dr Abdul Hai and Omar, my delightful companions in Riyadh. I have learned so much about the local culture from them.

I happened to read the Gulf News - the article Blue Sky Thinking was all about the Rainbow Creators who are introducing low cast airlines and changing the way airlines operate here.

Inclusiveness

I happened to work with a CEO of a major Insurance company in Malaysia, who happens to be a good friend too. 

His Secretary looked Chinese but the name sounded Malay. My colleague and I asked her if she was Malay and her answer shamed us. 

She responded: I am a Malaysian and a human being.

Her ability to look beyond race and at how we can promote the value of the human spirit stumped me. While she was an ethnic Malay, my colleague was Chinese and I was Indian, her ability to reflect human values even though she was young thrilled me. There is still goodness left in this world. 

She is a Rainbow Creator.