2025 L&D Budgets – 5 ways to get your C-suite onboard
2024 was a challenging year for many of us in L&D, and in 2025 you might have to ‘do more with less’. The weight of expectation as far as your deliverables go will not likely be reduced though, so how do you deliver what your organisation needs, L&D-wise?
AI is now an option for support (for some!), but it can only take you part of the way to your goals – you’ll still need to use the right tools and set the right objectives.
The question remains: how can you make a real impact?
We believe the answer lies in using the right strategies, metrics, and tools to demonstrate the value of L&D in a way that simply can't be ignored.
At Mint, we know that people are the most valuable asset an organisation has, so here’s 5 tips that enable you to demonstrate the impact your L&D programmes have, and secure the budget you need to deliver results CEOs, CFOs, COOs (and any other C-Suite people!) demand.
1. Align your L&D strategy with organisational objectives.
Before you start designing anything, think about what outcomes you want to achieve:
What identified key business challenges are you addressing?
How will these programmes drive things like innovation, improve employee retention, or support digital transformation efforts?
Does your intervention deliver a tangible return – if so, how do you prove it?
To build a stronger business case, you should be engaging with colleagues across your organisation to understand their priorities and uncover any skills gaps or frustrations. When you focus on supporting teams with their more specific goals, you’re likely to improve their performance, which ultimately gets everyone closer to the broader business objectives.
2. Remind them of their greatest assets – their people!
As the backbone of any growing organisation, L&D is crucial for retaining and developing current talent, especially during challenging economic times.
In fact, professional development is so highly valued by employees that a staggering 94% of them would stay longer at a company that prioritises their growth (Source: LinkedIn Learning).
By positioning effective L&D as a powerful tool for reducing turnover and supporting businesses in maintaining stability, your department can make a smart play – as long as you can prove it!
Investing in the development of existing employees is much more cost-effective than hiring new ones, so demonstrate how your training saves the business money and stress by reducing employee churn and re-hire costs.
3. Speak the language of your organisation.
Let's acknowledge that L&D can be a bit of a nebulous concept to those who aren't directly involved in it! A wide range of activities, from face-to-face training sessions and digital learning, to coaching and mentoring programmes means it's not always easy for others to understand exactly what we do.
When you're presenting your results or maybe making a case for more funding, talk about how your work impacts the bottom line – after all, most businesses are about profitability, so how does L&D deliver that?
Focus on:
Revenue growth: How does improved employee performance impact sales or customer experience?
Cost savings: Can your training initiatives streamline operations or reduce error rates?
Innovation: How does L&D support teams in adopting and leveraging new technologies?
Explain how we help employees perform better in their roles and what that means for measurable outcomes like productivity, sales or retention.
If you're supporting the overall vision and mission of the company, you need to be able to explain and evidence how.
4. Use data to prove impact.
While tracking metrics such as the number of courses and completions can be helpful, we know that's not really enough to prove the value of a learning intervention.
Instead, it's critical to measure something tangible (and preferably something that either makes money or saves money!) – without it, how will the C-suite know L&D is driving the business forward?
For example, imagine a customer service training program designed to teach support staff how to apply a drill-down questioning process to quickly and accurately identify problems. In order to demonstrate the value of the programme to leadership, it's essential to track two key metrics:
Behaviour: After completing the training, what percentage of support staff were able to effectively apply the questioning process? This data could be collected through call recordings or manager feedback spaced over time to ensure the learning has 'stuck'.
Impact: Did the observed changes in behaviour lead to improved customer satisfaction scores? Was there a marked reduction in complaints or an increase in service sales (and what is the value to the business for those things)?
By demonstrating a positive return, you can show that your L&D programmes are not just a cost to the business but an investment that delivers demonstrable profit or savings.
5. Partner with a provider who can help you create impactful digital learning
Right now, things are pretty challenging for L&D budgets, which means businesses are carefully examining their budgets and project approval processes are getting trickier.
If you’re not sure your hard work is actually delivering the best results for your business, and you’re worried that important things are slipping through the cracks… it might be time to bring in some extra support.
At Mint, we partner with L&D teams to create impactful learning solutions that not only align with business goals but also deliver measurable ROI.
Let’s work together to make your L&D strategy a business-driving force.