Every year, American companies spend billions of dollars on training regimens and employee development programs; however, much of that money is wasted. Employees go back to their old habits and ways of thinking, new skills are not fostered, and the changes expected in the workplace fail to materialize. Understanding the reasons behind these failures will not only help save resources, but also result in a more skillful, competitive workforce. First, sometimes training isn’t what employees need. Training develops people's skills, and meaningful training will show employees how to do something they weren’t able to before. If you don’t know what skill you’re trying to impart, training won't help. Additionally, employees need to know why they need new skills. Training is a waste if employees don’t understand why they need to do their job differently, or if they are too set in their old ways. To ensure training is successful, convince employees they need it.