It may often feel like a waste of time when you have 101 other things to do, but the appetite for corporate learning in America is growing rapidly, with employers now spending on average more than a $1,000 a year on each employee.
A study by learning and talent management firm Bersin & Associates has concluded that employers spent seven per cent more on corporate learning last year than in 2005.
Total spending on training grew from $51.1 billion in 2005 to $55.8 billion last year, with spending on products and services up to $15.8 billion, from $13.5 billion two years ago.
Learning technologies were now also being widely used by companies of all sizes, it found.
Six out of 10 employers said they used virtual classroom technologies, and four out of 10 used learning management systems.
Around three out of 10 said they used application simulation and rapid e-learning tools, and 14 per cent used learning content management systems. The average spending per learner was now $1,273, with the highest spending sectors being technology, where it was $2,763, and the lowest retail ($519), the survey found.
Sales training and management/supervisory training were the programmes most in demand, and more companies were outsourcing their needs to external learning specialists, it added.