Preparing employees for the immediate work in front of them is a challenge. While most companies are still mastering effectively training their own workforce, some, such as "Training" magazine Top 10 Hall of Famer The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, have set up for-profit academies open to the public. When Ritz-Carlton won the national Malcolm…

Even in an industry where rapid change is the status quo, it takes a special kind of company to handle the training challenges posed by a major corporate acquisition and massive product rollout. No one has ever accused Verizon of thinking small-scale when it comes to training initiatives, but over the last year, the telecommunications giant…

The best learning and development organizations support business initiatives tactically "and" help drive strategic change. Verizon did just that, earning it the No. 1 spot for the first time on the Training Top 125. Verizon and the other 2012 Top 125 winners continued to invest in training, collectively dedicating a mean of 4.52 percent of their…

Provides empirical evidence that significant investment in work force development leads to increased shareholder value. Suggests that management should heed the evidence when considering cutting training and development budgets. Profiles 11 companies' stock performance and discusses their training and development initiatives. (JOW)

Limitations of accounting or budgeting practices can confuse a company's long-term investment in training and development. Companies disciplined enough to invest in their people can achieve significant long-term returns. (JOW)

The author presents results from a survey of organizations in the United States with 100 or more employees, regarding their spending on formal training of their employees. The national investment in employer-sponsored training remained fairly constant. About 68 percent of training dollars paid for training staff salaries. (CH)

The eighth annual report presents the results of a comprehensive survey of training and development in organizations in the United States with more than 100 employees. Along with breakdowns of dollars spent on employer-sponsored training and types of training, this year's report features an analysis of remedial education in the workplace. (JOW)