You already know that training your staff, your customers and your partners will positively impact your business results. In this article, we will list some of the metrics you want to be looking at when assessing the value of your training initiatives, and what KPIs directly link training to corporate success.

According to most dictionaries, we know that when there is something missing from a situation that prevents it from being complete or satisfactory, we can say there is a gap. A knowledge gap is a difference that is related to expertise, skills and know-how. It occurs when there is a significant disparity between what an organisation needs and the current capabilities of its staff.

When someone’s pursuit of knowledge is “ongoing, voluntary and self-motivated”, it can be called lifelong learning. Lifelong learning takes a holistic approach to education and development, actively encouraging people to learn throughout their entire lives while enhancing their human potential as a whole. Lifelong learning is different from continuing education of job-based skills development: it has a broader scope and more creative outlets, such as online tools and courses.

Regardless of the innumerable benefits a sales academy can bring to your company — and there sure are plenty —, if you fail to prove the impact such an academy will have on the business, it may be difficult to get the necessary buy-in to establish it in the first place.

Creating and fostering a learning culture is quite different to simply having your Learning and Development team deliver a set of training courses. It means creating an environment where knowledge and best practices are shared between employees and teams as a constant practice. Fostering a learning culture is acknowledging that there is a growth mind-set at the core of your company's values.