[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pzuNOKpP9U&wmode=window&h=315&w=560&h=315]
Not necessarily. Here’s a dissenting opinion: “I would be highly suspicious of any research that shows a direct correlation between continuing training and salary increases on a broad basis, but less suspicious if it was a correlation in a specific category of worker for a specific type of training,” says Ted Vass, an analyst at technology labor analysis firm Foote Partners. He tells Dice News:Training will only increase pay rates if it is directed at areas where an employer has already decided it is willing to pay for selected skills, knowledge and experience; defined to whom it is willing to pay that premium—which typically involves much more than simply acquiring skills and knowledge via training but actually proving that you are capable of doing something they value with that training; and has clearly communicated to workers the if/then proposition. There has to be a measurable ROI process in place. It’s fairly rare for employers to meet all three criteria. That’s why there has been this long history of wasting huge sums on training with little demonstrable or measurable value.Vass doubts that any survey can truly make the training/salary connection. “To show a direct correlation between continuing training and salary raises, you have to successfully isolate all the variables that contribute to pay increases so that you can look just at effect of training. I’ve never been able to successfully do that.” Vass does grant, however, that well-trained workers may accrue benefits outside of their actual salaries. “Our IT Skills and Certifications Pay Index has been making the clear case for 13 years that skills and certifications can get you higher pay, but it may not be in salary,” he says. “Often, the money is paid out as skills bonuses outside of the salary base that roll up with other variable pay into something called total cash compensation.”
