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(AND VICE-VERSA) ROBERT H. VAUGHN, PH.D.

Professor Emeritus of Management and former
Dean of Business, Lakeland Community College, Ohio
It happens all the time to department chairs in a college. You have External training may be provided by consultants, colleges, trade
an extra class to cover, no one to teach it, and a colleague suggests schools, vendors, suppliers, industry associations, and a host of
an individual for the job who “teaches that in industry.” You have a other sources. Te problem for the organization becomes one of
short deadline, so afer meeting the person and guiding her or him fnding and selecting from among viable options. It is a growing
through the hoops of your institution’s adjunct hiring process, you market for our schools and our faculty! So, there is no question
turn the individual loose in the classroom. that colleges and individual professors have many opportunities

Or, as chair, you receive a call from a local business: “Our to provide training to organizations. Te main question is,
company needs some training in [fll in the blank], and we how prepared are they to provide a quality learning experience
wonder if you or one of your faculty can help us out?” focused on the needs of the business as well as the trainees?
Sometimes these stories have happy endings, sometimes not, How is training different from education?
but most ofen we are not really sure. Colleges and businesses Training requires providing information and direction in a
operate in two quite diferent environments, and it takes a planned and structured manner to an organization’s employees,
Janus-like quality to succeed in both. customers, or clients. It teaches how to accomplish specifc
Tis article begins with an overview of organizational training tasks related to organizational needs and objectives by focusing
today, then covers some of the major diferences between the on facts and procedures, but seldom on concepts unless they
college and business or industry learning environments, and are essential to applying the facts and procedures. Training
fnally makes some suggestions for moving between the two. should lead to permanent behavioral change and measurable
improvement in job performance.
How large is the training industry? Education is a far more general category. It includes the oferings
United States business and industry surpassed $164 billion in by public and private schools at all levels. Education is essential
1
direct cost spending on formal employee training in 2012. Of to functioning in society at large. It encompasses both general
this amount, $18 billion was for tuition reimbursement and $46 concepts and specifc facts, and leads to improved understanding
billion was for external services, of which colleges or their faculty and sometimes to improved skills, as well as a diferent way of
can claim a signifcant portion. Companies in the United States thinking about and approaching issues. Figure 1 compares some
spent, on average, over 3.5% of payroll on training, a number of the key diferences between learning in an academic setting
which has almost doubled in a decade. 2 and receiving training in an organization. 3

1 2013 State of the Industry Report, American Society for Training and 3 Vaughn, R. 2005. “Te Professional Trainer: A Comprehensive Guide to
Development, December 2013, p. 7. Planning, Delivering and Evaluating Training Programs.” Second edition. San
2 Ibid., p. 13. Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishing. Modifed slightly from pp. 4-5.

6 LEADERSHIP Vol. 20.2 Fall 2014

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