I'm wondering how many organizations are still using a set target of minimum number of training hours per employee per annum to guide their training uptake. You know what it looks like: Each employee will undertake a minimum of 40 hours training in one year -or something similar.

It strikes me that this kind of target is a real anachronism. Doesn't the amount of time each person needs to spend in training each year depend on the strategic and operational objectives of the business? I see this kind of minimum target as being akin to the HR Manager declaring a minimum weight for everyone's work clothes. What would we think if the HR Manager announced that every employee is to wear a minimum weight of clothes of x kg/lbs? Wouldn't we think he/she was a bit loopy?

How could one minimum weight capture the needs of short trim people, large tall people, people sensitive to the cold, those sensitive to the heat, those working in offices near the equator, those working at much higher latitudes, those working in air conditioned offices and those working outdoors? And yet we issue that kind of pronouncement when it comes to training. Are you using this kind of training target in your organization? And if so, how are you using it?