Every day we hear more grim news about the economy, and many organizations are cutting non-essential spending. Often, one of the first items crossed off the budget is staff training. The reasoning is that training is a luxury, like a store-bought latte, that can be done without in lean times.

While there’s no doubt that belt-tightening is in order for many of us, we think of training as an investment, not as a luxury. Sort of like a flu shot, training for GIS staff can reduce the likelihood of a high-impact illness (i.e., operational breakdown) down the road, when you least need or expect it. Trained staff are not a guarantee that nothing will ever go wrong with your GIS program or the business operations that rely on the GIS, but training does instill a measure of confidence that your program is healthy.

So what is the training return on investment (ROI)? Or, perhaps we should think in terms of return on instruction. These are not findings from a rigorous scientific study, but below are some benefits I thought of while sipping this morning’s latte:

• Training increases staff efficiency—it’s not uncommon to hear students who have learned a single software task in an Esri instructor-led class excitedly claim they will now save hours on the job.


• Training increases staff productivity—a natural result of increased efficiency, productivity increases when tasks are completed more quickly. More tasks can be completed in less time.


• Training increases staff knowledge—this may seem obvious, but knowledge is more than the sum of the topics covered in a class. Knowledge is the synthesis of different concepts and skills learned over time, which enables a person to recognize and act to prevent errors and reduce liabilities.


• Training leads to new business opportunities—again, a natural extension of the previous benefit. When staff are well trained, they are freed to be creative and see possibilities for information products and workflows that may not have been apparent before the training. Interacting with peers in class by exchanging ideas and experiences certainly helps realize this benefit.

Training is not a cure for financial ills and won’t save a GIS program that has systemic flaws. It can, however, help bolster the bottom line in the long run. Especially in lean times, investing in the people who work with the GIS is a good strategy for earning the organizational benefits expected from the GIS.

To help organizations keep their staff knowledge and skills up to date, Esri offers a variety of training and educational products.

• Instructor-led training allows staff dedicated time to focus on learning with the ability to ask questions and participate in class discussions.


• Instructor-led Online Classroom training also provides expert instruction and peer networking opportunities, and has no associated travel costs.


• Web courses offer an excellent value to those who prefer to learn at their own pace.


• Training seminars and Instructional Series podcasts are available at no cost.

Check them out in the Course Catalog. You may find that aha! tip that’s going to save you hours of work. Sorry, lattes not included.