Why investing in training transforms organizations
- Trainings
- 23.7.2026
- Reading Time: {{readingTime}} min
Contents
Expert contributors
Prof. Dr. Mario Jungwirth is Professor at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria (FH Upper Austria), Advisory Board Member of the Mechatronics Cluster Upper Austria, and Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Austrian Electrotechnical Association (ÖVE). He provides an academic and strategic perspective on how education and future skills drive sustainable innovation.
Roland Peterseil & Michael Broder lead KEBA’s People, Culture & Structure team. With many years of HR experience, they share practical insights into how training strengthens people, aligns an organization, and creates lasting impact.
What happens when organizations treat training as a strategic investment?
Prof. Dr. Jungwirth: When training is seen as a real investment, not just a checkbox, great things will happen. People learn faster, work smarter, and adapt better to change. They feel more motivated and stay longer because they see that their growth matters. Future leaders are developed early, and teams become more creative and agile. Customers benefit from better service, and the business saves money while growing stronger - a win-win all around! Also, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF), 77% of employers expect upskilling to increase productivity while also strengthening competitiveness, reputation, and employer branding.
Peterseil: Only organizations that foster continuous learning can keep pace with change. Training empowers employees to continuously expand their knowledge and adapt to evolving demands. This is the foundation for sustainable development. In dynamic environments, it is essential to view learning as an ongoing process and actively embed it within the organization.
Broder: Employees show more motivation and commitment to training. In particular, the transfer of learning becomes more effective.
“When training is seen as a real investment, people learn faster, work smarter, and adapt better to change. They feel more motivated and stay longer. Future leaders are developed early, and teams become more creative and agile. Customers benefit from better service, and the business saves money while growing stronger - a win-win all around!”
How does training uncover hidden potential in teams and individuals?
Prof. Dr. Jungwirth: Training helps people discover talents they didn’t know they had. It can turn a struggling person into a confident, skilled team member. For example, a quiet employee might become a great and more empathetic leader after a leadership course, or someone in tech support might come up with a brilliant product idea after learning new skills. With the right training, people grow - and so does the whole team.
Peterseil: By encouraging reflection, critical analysis, and thought, it provides insights that were not there before. We often see hidden talents or competencies that get stimulated by training. At the beginning, it is less the development of the skill itself, but more about getting deeper into a field of activity - stimulating curiosity about a topic, one could say.
Broder: An example is a colleague in the HR team, who used to work as a team assistant and has now developed skills in different HR disciplines.
Successful training depends on two key factors. It needs to be firmly rooted in everyday work, addressing real challenges rather than abstract theory. Equally important is ensuring that what is learned is applied in practice - a step that, in my experience, remains the most difficult.
What makes training effective - and what makes it fail?
Prof. Dr. Jungwirth: Training works best when it fits the person, connects to their daily job, and has support from leaders. If people can use what they learn right away and get help along the way, they grow faster. But if training is too general, not useful for their work, or forgotten after one session, it often doesn’t help much. Good training sticks - bad training fades.
Broder: From our experience, successful training depends on two key factors. It needs to be firmly rooted in everyday work, addressing real challenges rather than abstract theory. Equally important is ensuring that what is learned is applied in practice - a step that, in my experience, remains the most difficult and is still lacking widely effective approaches.
Peterseil: Training courses are effective when they are tailored to the needs and realities of the trainees. This means that the more training courses are conducted to meet current, specific needs, the greater the impact. In addition, training courses that address different levels - playful experiences, reflection on one's own situation, and theoretical input - have the greatest effect.
“Training courses that address different levels - playful experiences, reflection on one's own situation, and theoretical input - have the greatest effect.”
As a closing thought, is there a quote that captures the essence of impactful training for you?
Prof. Dr. Jungwirth: My favorite quote on this topic is by Henry Ford :
“The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.”
How can we help?
We know that upskilling and reskilling are essential to staying well-positioned. That’s why we’ve designed a training portfolio tailored to your employees’ needs - and aligned with your business and market goals.
Our offer includes basic and advanced trainings across a wide range of topics, delivered in person or online, and available in multiple languages. For larger teams, we also create custom training programs, co-designed with you to address your specific challenges.
Get in touch with your sales manager directly to find the right fit for your needs.
Special thanks
to our expert contributors for sharing their valuable insights and experiences.
