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…

Presents guidelines for starting a training department including reasons why corporations decide to establish one. Includes examples from many companies. (JOW)

Leonard Nadler, who created George Washington University's doctoral program in human resources development (HRD) in 1962, discusses definitions of HRD and its growth as a discipline. (JOW)

Looks at the best and worst workplace training ideas of the 20th century. Includes ideas that haven't happened, those that went from bad to good, ones that got lost in the shuffle, ideas to take into the next century, and those that are best discarded. (JOW)

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)

Analyzes the recent strong recovery of the seminar business, tracing it to renewed interest and the general economic recovery. Attempts to provide planning information for hardware, off-the-shelf materials, custom-design, outside services, and seminar/conferences budgets. (JB)

Describes how Docent, Hewlett-Packard, and Saba began country-wide training initiatives that targeted work force development; continuing education, and elementary education. Suggests that the challenges faced multiplied exponentially when dealing with Norway, the Philippines, and the Netherlands. (JOW)

Five organizations report promising payoffs from the scheme in which training becomes an adjunct to the selection and placement process. (WL)

Redesigning jobs, training, and retraining may be the most important economic challenge facing this country for the next decade. Training must support jobs that are really changing and retraining has to prepare people for jobs that really exist. (Author/JOW)

Describes a curriculum management approach to training that ties together employee career development, current performance needs, and future business plans in order to provide a coherent planning system for the conduct of industrial training. (LRA)

Older workers are seeking new training opportunities to expand their skill base or a schedule that allows them to grow into retirement. However, many businesses are slow or unwilling to accommodate flexible schedules or provide training. Harmony between these discordant viewpoints must be reached to take advantage of senior skills. (JOW)