Posted October 11th, 2016
By Kris Powers
Providing professional development opportunities to your employees offers lasting benefits to not only them, but to your organization as a whole.
Every company needs skilled and talented employees who can contribute to the company’s growth. In addition, employees like to feel that their contributions are important and that their employers are invested in their career progression. Employees who feel valued will work hard for your company, leading to your organization’s success.
Investing in and offering a quality professional development program will help your staff stay motivated and keep them on the forefront of new knowledge in your field; giving you both the opportunity to stay competitive and grow.
Having a professional development program at your company can:
1. Increase the collective knowledge and skill set of your team
Providing opportunities and encouragement for your employees to train in pertinent subjects and optimize their current skill sets will keep your organization up to date on the latest technologies in your field.
2. Boost employees’ job satisfaction
· Build confidence. Staying current on industry trends allows employees to realize potential areas for skill development and improvement. If you know that your company is going to be relying more heavily on IT, then offering employees the opportunity to gather skills and knowledge in that field will benefit all. Having a stronger understanding of their job, the responsibilities and potential growth in their field builds an employee’s confidence level. When team members can do their jobs effectively, they are more confident, which leads to greater job satisfaction.
· Show they are valued. Show your employees that they are a valued part of your company by expressing an interest in their career progression and knowledge growth.
3. Make your company more appealing
By offering professional development opportunities to your team, you are showing that you care about the quality of your team and the talents they possess. Your company, team and clients will all benefit as employees will be current on demands and technologies in their field.
4. Attract top talent
As a company, you want to be attractive to job candidates. Offering professional development and certification opportunities will let prospective employees know that you are invested in their growth within your organization. You are much more likely to draw in and retain top candidates when they know there is the potential to increase their skills and perhaps even earning capability within your company.
5. Increase employee retention
Everyone wants to feel that the work they do is important. Your employees want to feel that they are making a difference and contributing to the success of your organization. They also want to feel that they are challenged in their role, constantly growing and staying engaged in their work. Offering lifelong learning and professional development opportunities exposes your workers to new experiences.
Research has shown that the number one reason people leave a job is because they are looking for a position that will allow them to grow and progress in their career. If, by offering professional development and lifelong learning opportunities, you can offer that progression within your company, you are more likely to retain your talented employees longer.
Ed4Career understands that Professional Development is essential to career development. We offer hundreds of courses designed to help your team members stay current in their field. View our catalog and contact us today to see how we can help you offer high quality training to your team members today!
