How an Organization saved $1 Million on Staff Training with HRDQ's RTL
Bradford R. GlaserThe Staff Development Unit at the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services recognized the need to train staff with high-quality training sessions, yet faced the challenge of implementing an effective training program within a reasonable budget.
- 90+ half-day courses
- Develop crucial soft skills
- Customizable training
Table of Contents
The Problem
Training staff is increasingly important for organizations, but it is expensive. Forbes states U.S. corporate training spending exceeds $70 billion, and the Association for Talent Development reports an average annual cost of $1,229 per employee.
The California Department of Corrections team reviewed their staff training and determined they needed breadth and depth to bolster their non-technical training program, and they also wanted to provide a "library" of developmental tools that could be launched quickly.
To make the most cost-effective training decision, the team decided to compare the cost of developing their own program with the cost of using HRDQ's Reproducible Training Library (RTL). The RTL offers more than 300 hours of customizable materials focused on critical soft skills, serving as a comprehensive curriculum of employee training on key topics.
The Process for Picking the Best Solution
The team compared the cost of creating their own staff training versus purchasing fully researched training already available. As a result, they noted they would save significant money by purchasing the RTL and modifying it, rather than developing the courses from scratch.
The staff development team broke down the cost of creating an entire training program in house – they looked at all working parts, like how based on industry standards, instructor-led training (ILT) development time is estimated at 114 hours per 1 hour of classroom time; eLearning (eL) development time is estimated at 210 hours per 1 hour of level 2 eL time; and how an instructional designer's hourly wage at mid-range would be $34.13. They added up the costs:
- 348 total hours x 114 hrs/hr = 39,672 hours
- 76.5 total hours x 210 = 16,065 hours
- 39,672 hours x $34.13 = $1,354,005
- 16,065 hours x $34.13 = $548,298
After all costs were tallied in an Excel spreadsheet, the team determined that building their own program would cost a whopping $1,902,303.
They compared this to the cost of HRDQ's readily available RTL, which cost $3,999 (as of the purchase date in 2017), plus their own customization costs (totaling $153,585), and they determined that purchasing the RTL would save them $1,744,719!
Not only would buying the product save them a lot of money, but it would also save them time – there would be no need to spend many months developing a new program. With just a bit of customization, the RTL would be ready to go. For the team, the answer was obvious.
The Decision
The staff development unit appreciated the ability to provide high-quality learning opportunities at a reasonable cost per person, without being "on the hook" to continuously buy assessments, workbooks, handouts, job aids, and more in the future. They also liked the unlimited permission/rights they received to print leader guides, participant workbooks, and other materials.
The staff development unit had used HRDQ materials in the past and found them well researched, designed for engagement, and easy to implement. The team's instructional designers then planned to modify the courses to add the organization’s branding and meet internal design and development standards.
The team identified 31 courses suitable for all staff, from entry-level to management. The organization designated these as the core skills employees should have.
They also identified seven courses for their analyst training series. Additionally, 31 courses are suitable for the leadership team, including first-line supervisors, mid-level managers, and senior managers.
Once the decision was made to purchase the library in the fall of 2017, the team planned to roll out the training the following year and deployed it to their staff in 2018.
How You Can Train Staff with the RTL
If you'd also like to save money and implement effective training solutions for your organization to train staff, check out the RTL. You can purchase individual titles, or you can purchase the complete collection, which offers 90+ courses.
Each RTL title is downloadable and customizable. You can add your logo, change titles, modify content, or combine materials from multiple courses to create the training course that's right for your organization. Learn more about the Reproducible Training Library.
