Top 20 Companies in Training Outsourcing Announced - but where’s the learning?

This post was written by Jacob McNulty

Professionally my circles encompass both the competencies traditionally linked with a CLO (i.e. strategy, outsourcing, etc.) and the world of progressive learning & development (i.e. communities of practice, action learning, etc.). 

Given all of the research and data out there showing the impact of the more informal approach to learning it’s ironic to me that these two worlds rarely overlap…but they don’t.

That was reinforced yesterday when Trainingoutsourcing.com announced the “2007 - Top 20 Companies in the Training Outsourcing Industry.”  When you look down the list they are mainly software-based training content providers.  This is no fault of trainingoutsourcing.com - they are clear on the metrics that it takes to make the list.  I’m wondering about the buyers.  If 80% of learning comes from the informal side of the house, where are the outsourcing purchases associated with it?

Granted, it is the ‘training’ outsourcing industry and not ‘learning’ outsourcing but that should just be semantics in 2007.  It seems that, regardless of the data that shows what’s effective, people want something tangible.  The components of informal learning are a little grayer, a little messier, tougher to predict and certainly more difficult to price appropriately.  It is possible though.  I know because I’ve done it. 

Oh well - forgive the rant because this is actually one of the things that I enjoy about being in the field that offers the more progressive approaches to something.  It’s not an easy sell and I like that.  I feel like we are the little guy (looking at the list linked above I’d say that’s an appropriate feeling) and there’re many mindsets to be changed before our wares are in the mainstream…and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Tags: business training, corporate training, development, informal learning, learning, Learning Outsourcing, learning portfolio, learning strategies, organizational learning, outsourcing, outsourcing services, outsourcing solutions, professional development, Training Outsourcing, workforce development