Measuring Return on Learning Investment Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Learning and Development Managers, L&D Specialists and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-LD-147

Before you join: Participants should have experience designing, delivering, managing or supporting workplace learning programmes.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Learning teams are increasingly asked to show more than attendance, satisfaction scores and completion rates. Sponsors want evidence that programmes changed job performance, improved service, reduced errors, increased productivity or supported another business result. Producing that evidence requires disciplined evaluation design, credible data collection, careful attribution and financial calculations that finance colleagues can review. Poorly framed claims can damage trust, while overly complex studies can consume more effort than the decision justifies.

This course teaches participants to plan, conduct and report learning evaluations using the Kirkpatrick Model and Phillips ROI Methodology. Participants connect learning objectives to operational measures, design Level 1 to Level 4 evidence, assess behaviour transfer, isolate the effects of learning from other influences and convert selected benefits into monetary values. They calculate benefit-cost ratios, ROI percentages, net present value and payback period, while distinguishing financial benefits from important intangible outcomes. The course also covers data quality, sampling, comparison groups, confidence ratings, ethical reporting and governance.

Instruction combines short briefings with worked calculations, public-sector, banking, NGO and corporate cases, small-group analysis and structured review of evaluation plans. Participants use realistic data sets to build an evidence chain from programme inputs to business outcomes and practise presenting findings to senior stakeholders. Each participant leaves with a completed evaluation plan and ROI calculation model for a learning programme relevant to their work.

The course suits L&D professionals, HR analysts, talent teams, programme managers and business partners who already manage or support learning initiatives and need to make better investment decisions.

What you will be able to do

  • Design an evaluation plan linking learning objectives to operational and financial measures
  • Apply the Kirkpatrick Model and Phillips ROI Methodology to learning interventions
  • Develop Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 measures with valid evidence sources
  • Measure workplace application using observation protocols, manager reviews and work-product evidence
  • Estimate Level 4 business impact using baseline, trend and comparison techniques
  • Isolate learning effects using attribution methods, confidence ratings and quasi-experimental designs
  • Calculate benefit-cost ratios, ROI percentage, net present value and payback period
  • Present defensible ROI findings through executive scorecards, technical appendices and recommendations

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Build credible business cases for learning programme funding
  • Calculate and explain learning ROI using finance-recognised measures
  • Challenge weak impact claims with appropriate evidence standards
  • Lead evaluation conversations confidently with finance and operational managers
  • Produce senior-ready reports that distinguish results, assumptions and limitations

For your organisation

  • Improves funding decisions through evidence on programme value and cost
  • Identifies learning programmes that produce measurable operational improvements
  • Reduces spend on interventions with weak transfer or limited impact
  • Creates consistent evaluation methods across learning portfolios and business units
  • Strengthens finance, HR and operational alignment on capability investment

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can define the evidence required to assess learning investment decisions credibly.

  • Learning investment decisions linked to business measures and stakeholder evidence
  • Phillips ROI Methodology levels: reaction, learning, application, impact, ROI
  • Distinguishing efficiency metrics, effectiveness evidence, impact measures and monetary returns
  • Value chains connecting programme inputs, outputs, outcomes and business results
  • Stakeholder questions that determine credible evaluation scope before programme design
  • Ethical claims, attribution limits and appropriate use of ROI findings

Participants can create an evaluation charter with measures, responsibilities and governance.

  • Logic models linking learning activities to behavioural and operational outcomes
  • Evaluation questions framed with measurable decisions, users and evidence requirements
  • Success measures selected from strategic KPIs, service measures and risk indicators
  • Measurement plans specifying baseline, comparison, timing, ownership and reporting
  • Stakeholder map covering sponsors, finance partners, managers, participants and customers
  • RACI matrix for data collection, validation, analysis and decision approval
  • Evaluation charter defining scope, assumptions, exclusions and governance

Participants can design valid Level 1 and Level 2 evaluation measures.

  • Reaction measures aligned to relevance, confidence, intent and perceived utility
  • Learning objectives written using observable performance verbs and conditions
  • Knowledge tests designed with blueprinting, item difficulty and discrimination analysis
  • Skills assessments using rubrics, observation criteria and scoring reliability checks
  • Pre-test and post-test comparisons interpreted without overstating learning gains
  • Survey design avoiding leading questions, acquiescence bias and survey fatigue

Participants can measure whether learning is applied consistently in the workplace.

  • Level 3 application measures tied to critical job behaviours
  • Transfer climate factors assessed through manager support, opportunity and accountability
  • Behaviour observation protocols with anchors, sampling plans and assessor calibration
  • Manager follow-up guides for 30-, 60-, and 90-day transfer reviews
  • Self-report, manager-report and work-product evidence triangulated for application findings
  • Control-group designs compared with practical alternatives for workplace evaluations
  • Difference-in-differences estimates used when baseline and comparison data exist

Participants can connect learning interventions to credible Level 4 business outcomes.

  • Level 4 impact measures mapped to operational performance indicators
  • Leading and lagging indicators selected for service, quality and productivity
  • Baseline trends examined before linking changes to learning interventions
  • Contribution analysis separates training influence from concurrent operational changes
  • Control groups, trend lines and forecasting used to estimate impact
  • Confidence intervals and sensitivity checks communicate uncertainty in estimates
  • Negative outcomes and unintended effects included in impact reporting

Participants can select and document an appropriate method for estimating learning contribution.

  • Isolation methods ranked by credibility, feasibility, cost and stakeholder acceptance
  • Participant estimation collected using confidence ratings and conservative adjustments
  • Manager estimates validated against operational records and independent judgments
  • Expert attribution panels document assumptions, evidence and agreed contribution percentages
  • Regression analysis distinguishes training effects from tenure, volume and seasonality
  • Experimental and quasi-experimental designs selected for material investment decisions
  • Audit trails record data sources, calculations, exclusions and approval decisions

Participants can value verified operational improvements using transparent monetary assumptions.

  • Benefits converted using standard values, cost avoidance and revenue contribution
  • Productivity gains monetised from time saved, capacity released and wage rates
  • Quality improvements valued through defect costs, rework reductions and warranty claims
  • Risk reduction valued through expected loss, probability and consequence estimates
  • Human-capital measures monetised without claiming unsupported causal relationships
  • Benefits forecasts discounted using net present value and payback period
  • Intangible benefits documented separately when credible monetary conversion is unavailable

Participants can calculate learning costs, financial returns and investment measures accurately.

  • Fully loaded programme costs include design, delivery, participant time and systems
  • Cost categories reconciled with finance records, invoices and payroll assumptions
  • Shared costs allocated using transparent rules and documented allocation bases
  • Opportunity costs estimated without double-counting productivity or capacity benefits
  • Cost-benefit ratio, benefit-cost ratio and ROI percentage calculated correctly
  • Spreadsheet models test assumptions through sensitivity and scenario analysis
  • Finance review checks calculation logic, currency treatment and reporting conventions

Participants can communicate ROI findings clearly, proportionately and credibly to decision-makers.

  • Executive scorecards distinguish outcomes, impact, ROI, confidence and limitations
  • Evaluation dashboards present leading indicators alongside verified financial benefits
  • Data visualisation selects charts matched to comparison, trend and distribution
  • Technical appendices document methods, calculations, source data and assumptions
  • Claims calibrated to evidence strength, avoiding false precision and causality
  • Board briefings address investment choices, risks, trade-offs and recommended actions
  • ISO 30414 human capital disclosures considered when reporting learning measures

Participants can establish a practical roadmap for evaluating priority learning investments.

  • Programme selection matrix prioritises evaluations by spend, risk and strategic importance
  • Evaluation roadmap sequences quick wins, pilot studies and high-value analyses
  • Data governance defines access, retention, confidentiality and quality controls
  • Manager engagement plan secures observation data and transfer support
  • Finance partnership plan aligns valuation assumptions and approval checkpoints
  • First evaluation plan specifies questions, measures, methods, owners and milestones
  • Personal application plan schedules stakeholder conversations and implementation actions

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Learning ROI evaluation charter template
  2. Kirkpatrick and Phillips measurement planning model
  3. Workplace transfer measurement checklist
  4. Business impact attribution decision tree
  5. Learning ROI calculation spreadsheet model
  6. Executive ROI reporting scorecard template

Who should attend

  • Learning and Development Managers — need credible evidence for programme funding decisions
  • L&D Specialists — need practical methods for evaluating learning transfer and business impact
  • HR Business Partners — need to connect capability initiatives with business performance measures
  • Talent Development Managers — need to prioritise investment across leadership and skills programmes
  • People Analytics Analysts — need structured evaluation designs and defensible learning data
  • Programme Managers — need to report outcomes from large-scale training initiatives

Skills and tools covered

Learning evaluation designImpact measurementFinancial benefit valuationROI calculationAttribution analysisExecutive reporting

Tools and standards

Kirkpatrick Model, Phillips ROI Methodology, Logic Model, ISO 30414

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings, worked examples, case analysis, group exercises, calculation practice and application planning. Participants assess realistic learning initiatives from banking, public service, NGO and corporate settings, selecting measures, testing attribution claims and converting verified outcomes into financial values. Facilitated discussions examine common reporting failures, data limitations and stakeholder objections. Participants develop an evaluation plan for a current or planned programme, receive structured peer review and refine their assumptions for workplace use.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience designing, delivering, managing or supporting workplace learning programmes. They should be comfortable reading basic business metrics such as cost, productivity, quality, service levels or employee turnover, and using spreadsheets for simple calculations. Familiarity with surveys or learning management system reports is useful but not essential. Participants do not need prior knowledge of the Kirkpatrick Model, Phillips ROI Methodology, statistics, accounting or finance. Advanced econometrics, specialist data-analysis software and formal research qualifications are not required.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have experience with workplace learning programmes and basic familiarity with business measures. No prior ROI, finance, statistics or formal evaluation qualification is required.

Bring details of a current or planned learning programme, including its purpose, audience, costs and any available performance data. A laptop is useful for calculation work and developing your evaluation plan.

It is designed for L&D managers, specialists, HR business partners, talent teams, people analysts and programme managers. It is particularly useful for professionals who must justify learning spend or report outcomes to senior stakeholders.

This course goes beyond satisfaction surveys and completion measures to address workplace application, business impact and financial return. It includes attribution methods, monetary valuation, cost analysis and ROI reporting for investment decisions.

You will have an evaluation plan and calculation model that can be adapted for a priority programme. The course also provides methods for agreeing measures, evidence sources and valuation assumptions with operational and finance colleagues.

The five days contain approximately 32.5 contact hours, normally delivered from 08:30 to 16:30. Time is divided between evaluation design, measurement methods, attribution, financial analysis, reporting and application planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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