The history of training and development began with apprenticeship programs before the 1800s. In the 1800s, companies began establishing factory schools to train workers for new industrial jobs. In the late 1800s, sales training programs and vestibule training were introduced. Scientific management methods were developed in the early 1900s to improve productivity. During World Wars I and II, specialized training programs were developed to meet increased wartime labor demands. After World War II, individualized instruction and computer-based training grew in use. Instructional system design and blended learning models emerged from the 1950s onward, followed by elearning, mobile learning, social learning, and other modern training trends in the late 20th century.
4. 1872 Hoe and Company establishes the first documented
factory school to train machinists, and the need for
quicker training driven by the industrial revolution meant
many companies soon followed suit with their own
factory schools.
1872
1850
1860
1870
1830
1840
1820
1812
1880
1890
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5. 1880
1890
1892
1900
1872
1910
1892
John H. Patterson, founder of
the National Cash Register
Company, creates the first
widespread sales training by
giving his sales team the NCR
Primer. Vestibule training was
also introduced during the late
1800s, which combines the
strengths of classroom and
on-the-job methods in smaller
classrooms.
6. 1910
1917
1911
1911
Frederick Taylor published a
book on his method of
productivity, called scientific
management. He studied the
motion and time use of
employees to develop ways of
doing work that reduced
non-productive time.
7. 1917
1920
1930
1940
Charles R. Allen creates the “Show, Tell, Do and Check”
method of training in response to an increased need for
shipyard workers. This efficiently walked workers through
complex processes in a way that escalated responsibility
with capability and allowed for feedback.
1917
Furthermore, the First World War time period created a serious
need for more defense workers and manufacturing. Training played
a critical part in filling that need as many experienced workers
were enlisting.
8. 1942
1941
1920
1930
1940
1941
Following the United States’
entry into World War II, a
government commission
developed job instruction training
(JIT), a systematic on-the-job
training method that put learners
at ease, explained the job, had
learners explain and demonstrate
each step, then regularly followed
up with inspections and
evaluations. JIT also contributed
to the creation of job aids.
9. 1942
1950
1941
1940
1942
The American Society of
Training Directors was founded.
The organization later changed
its name to the American Society
for Training and Development,
and currently goes by the
Association for Talent
Development.
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10. Following the World Wars, companies wanted a way to
train people efficiently and reduce expense while still
getting high instructional value. Individualized instruction
became prominent, which replaced teachers with
materials that broke the learning into small steps with an
activity afterward to check comprehension. This and
reinforcement behavior research opened the door for
different methods of practicing new skills.
1950s
1 2 3
1942
1954
1950
11. 1954
1950
1956
1954
Donald Kirkpatrick first outlines
the Four Levels of Learning
Evaluation, giving learning and
development professionals one
of the first ways to evaluate
training programs.
12. 1954
1956
i
1956
Benjamin Bloom led a
committee in the publication of
the Taxonomy of Educational
Objectives, which helped trainers
better match the information
to instructional methods.
13. 1960
1956
Instructional System Design was born from a desire to
bring the various pieces of the instructional process into
an effective system. As computers progressed in the
1960s, virtual reality begins to develop, although it
wouldn’t see widespread interest for many decades.
1950s & 1960s
14. 1960
1961
1960
First computer-assisted
instruction launches at the
University of Illinois with the
PLATO system. Albert Bandura
begins writing about
observational learning, laying
the foundation for modern
social learning.
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20. 1989
1984
AT&T launches the first electronic performance support
system, an updated version of job aids that came with
the benefit that assets could be immediately updated for
all people.
1989
22. Mid to late
1990
Blended learning grows as
people realize elearning and
computer-based training are
not silver bullets. The term
elearning debuts, but grows in
popularity when Jay Cross
begins using it in 2004. Elearning
is the latest iteration of
computer-based training, and
is typically accessed online.
Elearning often encompasses
other, more niche delivery
methods or training techniques.
1990
2000
23. 1990
2002
2000
Mobile learning enters the training lexicon at the
beginning of the new century, but mobile learning
doesn’t really start gaining traction until the explosion
of personal smartphones in the mid to late 2000s. In
addition, chunking gets rebranded as microlearning.
Early 2000s
24. 2002
Nick Pelling coins the term
gamification, although people
have been using gaming
elements in many applications
for two centuries.
2002
2000
2008
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26. 2010
2008
The success of personal social networking sites catches
the attention of training departments, and the concept of
social learning takes on new dimensions.
Mid to Late 2000s
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