Tighter Budgets Driving Virtual Learning

Like most investments in 2009, corporate learning and development (L&D) spending dropped sharply in 2009, according to “The Corporate Learning Factbook 2010: Benchmark, Trends and Analysis of the U.S. Training Market.” The study found that L&D spending dropped by 11 percent in 2009 — the largest drop reported since Bersin & Associates began analyzing the market in 2001.

“The past two years have been a wakeup call for L&D,” says Josh Bersin, president of Bersin & Associates. “In order to survive, they’ve had to improve alignment with the business, centralize learning functions and focus on those training initiatives with the highest impact. As a result, they’re in a stronger position today — as the economy stabilizes and improves — to help their organizations gear up for new programs to support growth.”

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