GENEVA, Switzerland — Sept. 27, 2023 — The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has unveiled a set of recommendations aimed at standardizing the measurement of learning and development (L&D) effectiveness and outcomes.

Developed through the collaboration of experts in the L&D field, the ISO’s guidelines offer a standardized framework to empower organizations to make well-informed decisions and optimize resource allocation for maximum impact.

The ISO’s guidelines are meant to serve as a starting point for organizations looking to measure the outcomes of their learning functions more effectively. Tailored to accommodate a diverse range of industries, these guidelines address the unique challenges and requisites of various sectors, while simultaneously delivering a unified approach to quantifying L&D’s effectiveness.

“The ISO’s guidelines offer a common language,” says Ken Taylor, CEO of Training Industry, Inc., “that can help standardize the way L&D talks about and approaches measurement. This should help us move beyond measuring what’s easy to measure and open up a broader conversation about training’s outcomes.”

“These guidelines should serve to widen the aperture,” said Tom Whelan, Ph.D., director of corporate research at Training Industry, Inc. ”They give learning leaders a jumping-off point to start thinking about the wide array of available metrics, as well as how they can be useful (or not) to a variety of stakeholders.”

The ISO’s recommendations span from skill acquisition and knowledge retention to real-world application and overall organizational impact.

By adopting a universally recognized methodology to gauge L&D program effectiveness, companies can more confidently and systematically enable their employees for the future of work.

For more information on the ISO’s new guidelines, visit https://trainingindustry.com/articles/measurement-and-analytics/industry-coverage-iso-ld-metrics-standards-provide-long-awaited-framework-for-training-measurement/