Jiffy Lube International, Inc., was firing on all cylinders as it earned its first No. 1 spot on the Training Top 125. Keller Williams Realty, Inc., moved into the No. 2 spot (up from No. 41 last year), while CHG Healthcare Services inched up a notch to No. 3. Top 5 newcomers Capital BlueCross and Mohawk Industries, Inc., took Nos. 3 and 5, respectively. Farmers Insurance and Verizon were inducted into the Training Top 10 Hall of Fame after securing positions in the Top 10 for the last four consecutive years.
Some 27 new companies broke into the Top 125 this year. The majority of the companies are in the finance/banking, health/medical services, real estate/insurance, technology, and hospitality industries.
Here are some overall statistics from the quantitative analysis of the 2014 Training Top 125 applications:
- The mean revenue was $4.5 billion U.S. and $6.5 billion worldwide. The mean training budget was $24.3 million, representing 5.84 percent of payroll.
- The mean number of total employees trained per organization (including independent contractors and franchisees) was 31,079, with 16,577 trained in the classroom and 29,744 trained online. A mean of 451 courses were offered as instructor-led sessions; 1,709 were offered as online self-paced modules; and 165 were offered as virtual instructor-led classrooms.
- The mean number of full- and part-time trainers was 199 and 557, respectively.
- Some 99 percent of applicants have a tuition reimbursement program. A mean of 8 percent of eligible employees made use of tuition reimbursement programs in the last year. Median spend on tuition reimbursement programs was $400,000.
- Some 99 percent of applicants use employee satisfaction surveys, competency maps, and personal/individual development plans. Only 69 percent tie managers’ compensation directly to the development of their direct reports.
- On the evaluation side, 77 percent of applicants utilize Return on Value; 83 percent Return on Investment; 79 percent Balanced Scorecards; and 58 percent Six Sigma. The Kirkpatrick Levels of Evaluation are more widely used: Level 1 (99 percent), Levels 2 and 3 (97 percent), and Level 4 (95 percent).
- The average length of employee service was seven years, and the average turnover rate was 19 percent.
- Internal candidates filled a mean of 41.4 percent of job openings, while employees referred a mean of 26.4 percent of new hires.
While we are in recognition mode, I’d like to note that Training magazine is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2014. The first issue of Training was published in September/October 1964 by Gellert Publishing. Much has changed over the last 50 years—both in the world and the training industry—and Training magazine has been there every step of the way. And just like the training industry, we continue to evolve. Our new Training Day blog launched January 6. Recognizing everyone’s overflowing e-mail boxes, we combined our three e-newsletters—Training Top 125, Inside Training, and Tech Talk—into one streamlined, easy-to-read e-mail chock full of best practices and resources. Say hello to Training Weekly, which debuted January 8 and e-blasts every Wednesday. Visit http://www.trainingmag.com and click on the e-newsletters tab to subscribe today!