Learning Curve to Earning Curve: Upskilling That Pays Off

Learning and development (L&D) and HR leaders across Singapore are asking the hard question: “How do we make sure our learning programmes actually drive career progression and deliver business impact?”

According to Gartner, 85% of business leaders expect a surge in skills development needs due to AI and digital disruption. However, traditional learning methods are proving too slow to meet this demand. The survey finds that for organisations, agile learning practices are 1.5 times more likely to achieve strong business outcomes.

Training for training’s sake isn’t enough.

Organisations must ensure that learning efforts translate into real value — both for the employee’s career and the company’s bottom line. In short, learning must lead to earning.

In this blog, we’ll explore how HR and L&D leaders can move beyond traditional training models to adopt outcome-driven agile learning — a strategy that builds future-ready skills, supports career progression, and delivers measurable business impact.

Measuring the ROI of L&D Programmes

The pressure is on for HR and L&D leaders to prove that learning investments are not just cost centres but strategic levers for growth. Yet, many organisations still struggle to connect learning outcomes to business impact.

Research from Gartner’s Leadership Vision for 2025 states that only 36% of HR leaders believe their development programmes are effective in preparing leaders for future challenges. Furthermore, just 23% of organisations report success in developing skills for the future, and a mere 8% have reliable data on workforce skills — a critical gap when it comes to measuring ROI in learning. These figures underscore a pressing reality: Without clear metrics and agile learning strategies, L&D efforts may fall short of delivering meaningful results.

To move beyond assumptions and truly demonstrate impact, leaders must adopt a structured approach to calculating ROI. Here are some practical tips to get started:

Clarify Business Priorities First

Before diving into metrics, align your learning initiatives with key business goals. Whether it’s improving sales performance, reducing turnover, or boosting leadership capability, knowing what success looks like helps you measure it meaningfully.

Engage Stakeholders Early

It’s crucial to understand who your key stakeholders are — from budget owners to internal champions. Their buy-in can help you secure effective digital tools and amplify the visibility of your L&D efforts.

Implement a Digital Solution

To measure ROI effectively, you need more than spreadsheets. Invest in a digital solution that can track learning engagement, skill development, and business outcomes in real time. This gives stakeholders clear visibility into the impact of L&D initiatives.

Prioritise Metrics That Matter

Don’t just measure learning hours or seat time. Focus on metrics that tie directly to business outcomes, such as performance improvements, promotion rates, or retention among programme participants.

Capture Success Stories

Qualitative data matters too. Showcase real examples of employees who applied new skills to solve business challenges or stepped into expanded roles. These stories help stakeholders see the value beyond the numbers.

Track Progress Over Time

ROI isn’t always immediate. Set short- and long-term indicators, then review them regularly. This will help you refine your strategy and demonstrate continuous improvement.

The New Learning Mindset: Ownership, Agility, and Outcome

To stay competitive, organisations must adopt a new learning mindset — one that prioritises employee ownership, agile delivery, and measurable outcomes.

This is where Gartner’s AI-Era Learning Manifesto comes in. It encourages organisations to shift from passive, one-size-fits-all training to outcome-driven agile learning. This means embedding learning into daily work over “off the job” training, applying just-in-time microbursts to fuel immediate action, and personalising learning pathways based on real-time needs.

To support this shift towards outcome-driven agile learning, L&D teams must also embrace skills-based agility over role-based stability. Instead of training people for fixed roles, the focus should be on building adaptable capabilities that can evolve with the business. This can be facilitated and tracked through digital learning platforms. Such an approach not only promotes internal mobility, but also helps organisations close skill gaps faster.

Ultimately, the new learning mindset is about bridging the learning curve with the earning curve — for both the employee and the organisation. When employees see how their growth contributes to business outcomes, they are more likely to engage and apply what they’ve learned.

Train Smarter: How L&D Can Support Business Growth

Building on the new learning mindset discussed, L&D teams must now translate that philosophy into action.

To deliver real business impact, L&D teams must adopt a more strategic, agile approach to capability building. Gartner’s research outlines four key pillars that define a world-class L&D function — each one essential for aligning learning with business outcomes.

1. Define Learning Strategy to Deliver Capability

L&D teams must work closely with business leaders, HR, and functional heads to identify evolving skill needs across the organisation. This means going beyond generic training plans and designing learning strategies that directly support business transformation. Learning offerings should be managed like a product portfolio — regularly reviewed, updated, and aligned with performance goals. The focus is not just on delivery, but on driving measurable impact through capability building.

2. Build an Adaptive Learning Function

Agility starts with structure. L&D functions must be designed for flexibility with lean processes, clear priorities, and the ability to pivot quickly. This includes building a team with strong advisory capabilities and specialised skill sets in areas like learning analytics, instructional design, and digital enablement. Technology and automation should be leveraged to streamline operations and scale learning efficiently. At the same time, L&D leaders must actively manage and advocate for their budget to ensure available tools are aligned with strategic priorities.

3. Deliver Dynamic Learning

Learning must be continuous, inclusive, and embedded in the flow of work. L&D teams should activate a mix of formal and informal learning opportunities — from coaching and mentoring to microlearning and experiential projects. An agile approach to learning design allows for rapid iteration and responsiveness to learner feedback. By integrating data-driven and AI-enabled tools, organisations can personalise the learner experience and ensure equitable access to development across roles and levels.

4. Drive Shared Ownership for Learning Culture

A strong learning culture is everyone’s responsibility. L&D teams must enlist executives as champions, partner with line managers to create safe and supportive learning environments, and empower employees to take charge of their growth. This means making learning visible, relevant, and tied to career progression. Elevating the L&D brand internally helps reinforce its strategic value and encourages broader adoption across the organisation.

Learn with Purpose, Grow with Impact

As organisations embrace a new learning mindset, the role of L&D is evolving from a support function to a strategic driver.

L&D teams must adopt agile, outcome-driven learning strategies that empower employees to take ownership of their development. When learning is embedded in daily work, personalised to individual goals, and aligned with business priorities, the results are clear: stronger performance, better retention, and real ROI.

When you’re ready to move beyond traditional training and build a learning culture that delivers real impact, AvePoint can help.