Top Employee Training and Development KPIs to Measure

Why does measuring training effectiveness matter?

Because what gets measured gets managed. And when an org-wide initiative is managed well, it turns into a data-driven function that drives growth and engagement and ensures a tangible return on investment (ROI).

Yet, many companies struggle to prove the ROI of their training efforts. This is where Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for training and development come in.

KPIs serve as the critical bridge between training activities and business outcomes, offering a structured way to quantify success, identify areas for improvement, and demonstrate value to stakeholders.

Ready to turn your training efforts into measurable wins? Let’s dive into how KPIs can elevate your L&D strategy.

What Are KPIs in Employee Training and Development?

In the context of learning and development, KPIs are specific, data-driven metrics that help HR and L&D teams assess the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of training programs.

By now, we’re all familiar with the definition of KPIs: they are quantifiable measures used to evaluate an organization’s success in achieving key business objectives.

Training KPIs provide an objective basis for decision-making, allowing you to track progress toward goals such as improved employee performance, higher engagement, reduced turnover, or increased ROI.

While the terms “KPIs” and “metrics” are often used interchangeably, they serve distinct purposes:

• General training metrics are broad data points that describe an activity or output—like the number of training hours completed or course attendance rates. They answer the question, “What happened?”
• KPIs, on the other hand, are strategically aligned metrics tied to specific business outcomes. They answer, “Did this training contribute to our goals?”

KPIs matter because they drive continuous improvement. By regularly monitoring these indicators, you can:

• Identify strengths and gaps in training content and delivery
• Allocate resources more effectively based on what works
• Foster a culture of accountability and data-informed L&D strategies
• Iterate and optimize programs in real time instead of waiting for annual reviews

15 Key KPIs for Employee Training and Development

An AI-led all-in-one platform like makes it easier than ever to track, visualize, and act on these metrics in real-time, maximizing the impact of your training and development opportunities.

Tracking the right KPIs transforms your employee training programs from an expense into a strategic investment. These 15 essential metrics will help you measure what matters most in your L&D initiatives, directly linking them to improved job performance and overall training success.

1. Training completion rate

This fundamental metric measures the percentage of employees who complete assigned training courses. High completion rates typically indicate accessible, relevant content and proper scheduling—key factors in employee engagement. Low rates may signal issues with your training initiatives or logistical barriers.

Track completion rates by department, location, and job role to identify patterns and address specific gaps in your program’s effectiveness, which are crucial employee training metrics.

You can set target completion rates and track progress automatically across departments and locations with Goals. As employees finish their training, progress updates are made in real-time, giving you a clear view of how close you are to your targets for all your training initiatives.

Goals in let you break down your overall training objectives into smaller, measurable targets—such as completion rates for each team or location. As employees finish their training, progress updates are made in real time, giving you a clear view of how close you are to your targets.

You can also organize Goals into folders for different programs or time periods, and visualize progress on Dashboards for easy reporting and quick action if targets aren’t being met.

2. Average training time per employee

This metric calculates the average time employees spend on training activities, helping organizations optimize resource allocation and identify efficiency opportunities within their training initiatives.

Monitor this metric across different training formats (e-learning, in-person, hybrid) to determine the most time-effective delivery methods for your organization’s specific needs.

Time Tracking capabilities allow you to monitor training duration across different programs and formats.

, the Everything App for Work, offers robust reporting features that help you see if certain courses are taking longer than expected while still delivering results. With tools like Dashboards, Time Tracking, and Custom Fields, you can monitor course durations, compare them across teams or programs, and spot trends.

3. Learner engagement rate

This comprehensive metric measures how actively employees participate in training beyond simple completion. Track video watch time (including replays of key sections), forum participation rates, assignment submission timeliness, and interaction with quizzes or simulations. This is a direct indicator of employee engagement.

To boost engagement, consider implementing microlearning modules, incorporating gamification elements, enabling social learning features, and personalizing content based on individual learning patterns and role requirements.

4. Knowledge retention rate

Measure how much information employees retain weeks or months after training concludes. Use pre-training and post-training assessments with identical questions, spaced repetition testing, and practical application exercises. This KPI is fundamental for linking learning to improved job performance. 

This KPI helps identify which training methods yield the best long-term results and where reinforcement might be needed.

Docs can host assessment materials, while its task dependencies and recurrence features help schedule spaced repetition testing. Custom Fields allow you to track retention scores alongside other performance metrics, creating a comprehensive view of long-term learning impact.

Also, Automations at help trigger reminders, assign refresher courses, or update statuses based on assessment results or time intervals.

5. Training satisfaction score (L1 Kirkpatrick model)

Gather immediate feedback through structured post-training surveys measuring content relevance, instructor effectiveness, delivery method satisfaction, and overall experience. Use Likert scales (1-5 or 1-7) or net promoter score questions. This score is a crucial pulse check on employee satisfaction.

Analyze satisfaction data regularly to identify trends and make data-driven improvements to your training programs. Modern online learning platforms often have built-in tools for this, making it easy to gather and act on feedback quickly. You can use Forms to create and distribute satisfaction surveys, with responses automatically organized and analyzed.

Forms make it easy to design custom post-training surveys with Likert scales, NPS questions, and open-ended feedback fields. Each response is automatically turned into a task, so you can track, review, and analyze satisfaction data in one place.

With Forms, you can also segment responses by course, instructor, or department, making it simple to spot patterns and take targeted action to improve your training programs.

6. Skill acquisition rate

Track the percentage of employees who successfully demonstrate new competencies through practical assessments, supervisor evaluations, or skill demonstration sessions.

This KPI moves beyond knowledge testing to verify actual capability development, ensuring your training delivers tangible skill enhancement.

’s Custom Statuses and progress tracking help monitor skill development milestones.

7. Behavior change post-training

Measure observable workplace behavior changes through manager observations, peer feedback, performance data analysis, and self-assessment surveys. This metric directly connects training to practical workplace application and cultural impact.

’s workflow templates, like the Employee Feedback Template and the Performance Review Template, standardize behavior observation processes. Its reporting features help quantify behavioral changes over time.

’s comment threading and @mentions make it easy for managers to provide specific, actionable feedback tied to training objectives.

Again, Forms can be used for self-assessment surveys or structured peer/manager feedback, with responses automatically tracked as tasks.

8. Training cost per employee

Calculate total training investment divided by the number of employees trained, including content development, instructor fees, facility expenses, technology costs, and employee time. This analysis helps optimize budget allocation and compare cost-effectiveness across different delivery methods and program types.

’s Table View and Custom Fields excel at tracking financial metrics across multiple training programs. ’s formula fields make it easy to track costs for each employee and see how your spending compares to your budget as you go. Everything updates automatically, so you always know where you stand.

9. Time to productivity

Measure how quickly employees reach full proficiency after training completion. Track the time from training end to meeting performance standards or productivity benchmarks. This KPI is particularly valuable for onboarding programs and role-specific training where rapid proficiency directly impacts operational efficiency.

’s Gantt Chart View helps visualize the journey from training completion to full productivity. With dependency tracking, you can ensure support resources are available when needed, while its progress metrics will help you identify bottlenecks in the transition from learning to application.

10. Employee performance improvement

Connect training to tangible employee performance metrics, including quality rates, error reduction, productivity output, customer satisfaction scores, and sales conversion rates. When possible, compare pre- and post-training performance data using control groups.

With Goals, you can set targets and track progress. You can also build custom dashboards to see how training completion lines up with things like work quality, productivity, or customer satisfaction. Plus, connects with other performance tools you might already use.

11. Employee retention rate post-training

Track retention rates for trained employees compared to untrained cohorts at 6-month and 12-month intervals. This metric helps quantify the impact of development opportunities on employee loyalty and retention, particularly for high-potential employees.

Automation can trigger retention surveys at 6-month and 12-month intervals, while its reporting capabilities help identify the correlation between specific training programs and employee longevity.

12. ROI of training programs

Calculate financial return using the formula: [(Monetary benefits – Training costs) / Training costs] × 100. Include both quantitative benefits (increased productivity, reduced errors) and qualitative benefits (improved morale, better customer service) converted to monetary values.

Dashboards provide executive-friendly visualizations of training ROI, making it easier to demonstrate program value to stakeholders.

13. Manager feedback scores

Forms with standardized rating scales and open-ended questions help collect structured manager feedback.

Automations ensure feedback tasks are created and assigned consistently. Use Custom Fields to capture manager ratings and comments. Visualize and analyze trends across teams and programs with Dashboards and Table View, making it easy to spot strengths and areas for improvement.

14. Internal mobility rate

Collect structured feedback from managers on observable performance improvements, team impact, skill application, and overall value perception. Use standardized rating scales and open-ended questions.

Track the percentage of employees who receive promotions or role changes after completing development programs. This measures how effectively training prepares employees for advancement and supports talent pipeline development, particularly for leadership and specialized roles.

’s career progression tracking capabilities help monitor internal mobility patterns. Goal alignment features ensure that training programs develop skills that align with organizational growth opportunities.

15. Business impact KPIs

Connect training to organizational-level outcomes, including revenue growth, operational efficiency, innovation metrics, market share changes, and strategic goal achievement. These high-level metrics demonstrate training’s contribution to overall business success and help secure executive support for future L&D investments.

Connect training to organizational outcomes using ’s strategic goal tracking and OKR features.

Selecting the Right KPIs for Your Training Program

Choosing the most relevant KPIs for your organization requires aligning measurement with your specific business objectives, training goals, and available resources. The most effective KPI strategy focuses on metrics that directly connect to your organization’s priorities rather than tracking everything possible.

1. Start with your business objectives

Begin by identifying your organization’s top priorities. If customer satisfaction is a key goal, focus on KPIs that measure service quality improvements. For companies prioritizing growth, metrics around sales performance and productivity gains will be most relevant. Organizations focused on innovation should track skill acquisition and application rates.

Always ensure your selected KPIs directly support your company’s strategic direction.

2. Consider your training goals

Different training types require different measurement approaches:

• Compliance training demands completion rates and knowledge retention
• Skills development requires skill acquisition and performance improvement metrics
• Leadership programs need behavior change and promotion rate tracking
• Onboarding programs benefit from time-to-productivity and retention metrics

3. Assess your measurement capabilities

Be realistic about what you can effectively track with your current systems. Start with 3-5 KPIs that you can measure accurately, rather than attempting to track numerous metrics poorly.

Consider your data collection methods, analysis resources, and reporting capabilities when selecting your KPIs.

4. Use the SMART framework

Ensure your selected KPIs are:

• Specific to your training outcomes
• Measurable with clear data points
• Achievable given your resources
• Relevant to business objectives
• Time-bound with clear measurement periods

5. Balance leading and lagging indicators

Include both immediate training metrics (completion rates, satisfaction scores) and long-term impact measurements (performance improvement, ROI). This balanced approach provides both quick feedback and comprehensive impact assessment.

6. Involve stakeholders

Engage managers, executives, and participants in KPI selection. Their input ensures the metrics you track align with what various stakeholders consider valuable. This collaboration also increases buy-in when sharing results later.

7. Review and adjust regularly

Your KPI selection should evolve with your organization’s needs. Conduct quarterly reviews to assess whether your current metrics still provide valuable insights and make adjustments as your training programs and business objectives change.

Using a platform like can streamline this process through features like:

• Customizable dashboard templates for different training types
• Goal-setting frameworks that align with organizational objectives
• Automated data collection from multiple sources
• Real-time visualization of KPI performance
• Collaboration features for stakeholder input

How to Measure Training KPIs Effectively

Moving from selecting the right KPIs to actually measuring them requires the right tools, processes, and strategies. Effective measurement isn’t just about collecting data—it’s about creating a system that provides actionable insights and drives continuous improvement in your L&D programs.

Use LMS analytics

Your Learning Management System (LMS) is the foundation for tracking fundamental training metrics. Modern LMS platforms provide built-in analytics for completion rates, assessment scores, time spent on modules, and participation patterns.

When selecting an LMS to measure KPIs effectively, you need to look beyond basic course hosting and focus on its analytical and integration capabilities.

• Comprehensive reporting suite: Look for custom report builders, visual analytics, and the ability to generate reports for individuals, teams, or the entire organization
• Assessment and testing tools: Ensure support for varied question types, randomization, and pre-/post-training assessments to accurately measure knowledge and skills
• User progress tracking: The system should track more than completion—monitor time spent, video engagement, and activity within courses
• Data export capabilities: Prioritize systems that allow easy export (CSV, XLSX) and offer API access for integration with other tools like or HR software
• Survey and feedback integration: Built-in or easy integration with survey tools is essential for measuring learner satisfaction and collecting qualitative insights
• Skill and certification tracking: Choose an LMS that supports assigning competencies to courses and tracks certifications, including expiration and renewal alerts
• Integration ecosystem: Key integrations include Single Sign-On (SSO), HRIS sync, and API availability to connect training data with performance and business platforms

Integrate with workplace tools (like )

Break down data silos by connecting your LMS with your team’s everyday work platforms.

integrates with popular LMS platforms, HR systems, and performance management tools, creating a centralized hub for all your training data. This integration allows you to connect training completion with actual work outcomes—for example, linking sales training completion to CRM performance data or connecting safety training to incident reporting metrics.

This holistic view helps demonstrate how training translates into real workplace impact.

Dashboards for real-time KPI visualization

Dashboards are powerful tools for transforming raw training data into clear, actionable insights. With fully customizable widgets, you can build dashboards that automatically visualize your most important KPIs in real time—eliminating the need for manual data compilation or spreadsheet updates.

Here are the key ways Dashboards support KPI tracking for training programs:

• Training completion rates: Instantly see completion percentages by department, location, or job role with pie, bar, or line chart widgets; drill down to identify which teams are excelling and where engagement may be lagging
• Assessment and knowledge metrics: Track average assessment scores, knowledge retention rates, and post-training quiz results over time; use table and calculation widgets to compare cohorts or monitor progress after program changes
• Cost and ROI analysis: Visualize cost per training hour, total spend, and ROI using calculation and number widgets; compare budgeted vs actual costs and link financial data to training outcomes for a holistic view
• Performance correlation: Overlay training participation data with performance metrics (like productivity, quality scores, or promotion rates) to uncover the real impact of your programs; use Custom Fields and filters to segment data for deeper analysis
• Custom scorecards: Build KPI scorecards that update in real time, providing at-a-glance summaries for leadership and stakeholders
• Trend identification: Spot patterns, gaps, and opportunities for improvement quickly with visualizations that highlight changes over time or differences between groups
• Easy sharing: Share dashboards with stakeholders or export reports, ensuring everyone has access to up-to-date, actionable information

With Dashboards, you gain a centralized, dynamic view of all your training KPIs—empowering you to make data-driven decisions, demonstrate program value, and continuously improve learning outcomes.

Shikha Chaturvedi, Business Analyst—Cedcoss Technologies Private Limited, has this to say about the Dashboard.

Use automations for tracking training completions and deadlines

Automations are powerful tools that eliminate manual, repetitive work from your training management process. By setting up automated workflows, you can ensure that every step of training participation, completion, and compliance is tracked consistently and efficiently—freeing your L&D team to focus on improving program quality rather than chasing down tasks.

Automations streamline training tracking with:

• Automated reminders: Send timely notifications to employees about upcoming training deadlines, ensuring no one misses required sessions or assignments
• Scheduled follow-up assessments: Trigger automated tasks or forms at set intervals after training completion to measure knowledge retention and reinforce learning
• Real-time status updates: Automatically update completion status in each team member’s profile or training record as soon as they finish a course or module, keeping your data accurate and up to date
• Escalation workflows: Instantly notify managers or supervisors when deadlines are missed, prompting immediate follow-up and accountability
• Compliance tracking: Set up rules to flag overdue or incomplete training, generate compliance reports, or move tasks to a special review list for further action
• Seamless integration: Combine Automations with Custom Fields, Forms, and Dashboards to create a fully connected system where every action is tracked and reported without manual intervention
• Reduced administrative burden: Free up L&D staff from repetitive tracking and follow-up tasks, allowing them to focus on analyzing results and enhancing training effectiveness

With Automations, you create a reliable, scalable process for managing training completions and deadlines, and your organization stays compliant and ready for audits or reviews.

Analyze training feedback and sentiment with AI

Go beyond quantitative metrics to truly understand the qualitative impact of your training programs. ’s suite of AI solutions offers advanced tools for extracting meaning and actionable insights from feedback, comments, and reviews.

Instantly uncover insights from feedback with Brain

Collecting feedback from surveys, manager reviews, and performance evaluations is essential—but making sense of all that open-ended input can be overwhelming. Brain acts as your AI Knowledge Manager, transforming scattered responses into actionable insights in seconds.

With a quick search or summary prompt, Brain will instantly analyze the content, highlight recurring themes (like “collaboration,” “growth opportunities,” or “training effectiveness”), and surface sentiment trends—so you can see at a glance what’s working and where improvements are needed.

Here’s a sample of Brain @work👇

No more manual sifting or missed patterns. Brain’s AI ensures you never overlook important feedback, empowering your team to make data-driven decisions and continuously improve your training programs.

Instantly connect feedback sentiment with performance metrics

You can go beyond surface-level feedback with Brain MAX. The enhanced AI capabilities automatically identify patterns between the sentiment expressed in survey responses and key performance metrics—such as productivity, engagement, or promotion rates.

For example, if positive feedback about a training module correlates with higher productivity scores or increased promotion rates, Brain MAX will surface these insights. This holistic view enables you to measure not just how employees feel about training, but also how those perceptions translate into real business outcomes.

Advanced features like sentiment detection, theme clustering, and correlation mapping provide a deeper, data-driven understanding of training effectiveness.

Automate monitoring and reporting with AI Agents

AI Agents in can be set up to continuously monitor new survey responses and feedback submissions. They automatically flag any negative sentiment or urgent issues for immediate review, ensuring that potential problems are addressed before they escalate.

Additionally, these agents can generate summary reports for stakeholders on a regular schedule or on demand. This automation saves your team hours of manual analysis and ensures that decision-makers always have up-to-date, actionable insights at their fingertips.

Summarize qualitative feedback effortlessly with AI Fields

AI Fields allow you to automatically summarize open-ended feedback or generate sentiment scores directly within each training task. Instead of manually reading through every comment, you can instantly see a concise summary or a sentiment rating (positive, neutral, negative) for each response.

This makes it easy to review qualitative insights at a glance, spot trends, and quickly identify areas that need attention—all without leaving your workspace.

Visualize insights instantly with AI Cards on Dashboards

By adding AI Cards to your Dashboards, you can display real-time, AI-generated summaries and trends from your training feedback. These cards highlight key themes, sentiment shifts, and areas for improvement, making it easy for stakeholders to understand the impact of training programs at a glance. With up-to-date visualizations, leadership can make informed decisions faster and track progress over time.

This AI-powered analysis helps you understand what’s happening with your training programs, why it’s happening, and how to improve.

AI-assisted analysis for patterns and insights

Moving beyond simple data collection, AI-powered analysis transforms raw numbers into actionable intelligence. This capability allows L&D teams to identify hidden trends, predict outcomes, and understand the nuanced story behind their training KPIs.

What it is

AI-assisted analysis uses machine learning algorithms to process large volumes of both quantitative and qualitative data. It goes beyond traditional reporting by automatically surfacing correlations, patterns, and sentiments that would be impractical to find manually. This isn’t just automation—it’s augmentation, providing a depth of insight that unlocks strategic decision-making.

How to use it for training KPIs

This technology can be applied across multiple aspects of your training program:

• Analyze open-ended feedback: Use AI to process thousands of survey responses, course evaluations, and forum comments in seconds. It identifies common themes, measures sentiment, and extracts specific suggestions for improvement, turning qualitative data into quantifiable insights
• Predict learner success and churn: Analyze engagement patterns with AI models to predict which learners are at risk of failing a course or disengaging entirely, allowing for proactive intervention
• Identify skill gaps across the organization: Map assessment results against defined skill matrices to pinpoint precise skill gaps at the individual, team, and organizational levels
• Correlate training with performance: Find correlations between training completion and key business metrics with advanced analysis, helping prove ROI and identify the most impactful programs

Training that Transform: Measure the KPIs that Matter

The journey from delivering content to driving measurable business value requires a modern approach: moving beyond basic completion rates to KPIs that reveal true behavioral change and performance lift. This means integrating your learning data with the platforms where work actually happens, turning insights into action and proving the undeniable ROI of your programs.

This is where  becomes your essential command center. It’s the only platform that seamlessly unifies your learning metrics with real-world performance data, empowering you to:

• Visualize training efficacy alongside project outcomes in customizable dashboards
• Automate compliance and completion tracking to save countless administrative hours
• Leverage AI to instantly analyze feedback sentiment and uncover hidden insights

Stop letting your valuable training data live in a silo.  seamlessly connects your LMS to your operational workflow, giving you the power to demonstrate how learning initiatives fuel business success.

Ready to prove the value of your L&D programs?  Try for free today and start measuring what truly matters.

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