Setting a budget for training is never easy with all the competition for expenses needed to run your business. So, if you ever wonder what resources other companies commit to training, you might want to check out the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) 2003 State of the Industry Report. Here are a few ways to measure commitment to training and a few benchmarks on what others spend.

-- Training as a % of payroll increased to 2.2% in 2002, up from 1.9% in 2001.

-- Training expenditures per employee increased to $826 per employee in 2002, up from $734 in 2001.

-- Training hours per employee increased to 28 in 2002, up from 24 in 2001.

-- Training delivery via classroom decreased to 72% in 2002, down from 77% in 2001.

-- Training delivery via technology increased to 15% in 2002 up from 10.5% in 2001.

An executive summary of the survey is available for free on ASTD's website at www.astd.org.