What do you do if your employees need ongoing professional development?

Ongoing learning is an important human skill but determining the learning needed is not an easy task. In the work place, there are typically two specific needs - learning for the tasks of the position and learning for advancement. For position responsibilities, determine how to assess knowledge. This can be done by watching the employee perform a task or having them to take a skills evaluation. In addition to knowing the task, it's important to share organizational cultural expectations. For example, it's one thing to know how to develop a report, but if there are expectations for formatting, naming, documentation saving, these are things which should be shared for success. Have the current team help bring new team members up to speed.

Conduct regular one-on-one meetings to discuss progress, provide feedback, and adjust goals as needed. Offer resources such as training programs, workshops, and access to industry conferences to facilitate continuous learning. Encourage a culture of mentorship where experienced staff can guide and support their colleagues. Also, you can recognize and reward progress and achievements to motivate and sustain engagement in professional development efforts.

Develop a comprehensive training plan that includes a mix of in-person workshops, online courses, and on-the-job training opportunities. Ensure the training is relevant and tailored to the employees' roles and career progression. Encourage a culture of continuous learning by providing access to resources and setting aside regular time for professional development. Finally, evaluate the effectiveness of the training through feedback and performance metrics, adjusting the program as needed to meet evolving needs.

Establish a structured development plan tailored to individual needs and career goals. Implement regular training sessions, workshops, and access to relevant courses to keep skills up-to-date. Use performance reviews and feedback mechanisms to track progress and identify areas for improvement. Encourage mentorship programs and peer learning to foster a collaborative learning environment. Utilize digital tools and platforms for continuous learning and progress tracking, ensuring employees have the resources and support they need to grow professionally.

Implement regular knowledge-sharing sessions, such as lunch-and-learns or weekly team meetings, where employees can present new skills or insights. Facilitate access to online courses, webinars, and industry conferences, and encourage employees to share their learnings with the team. Create a mentorship program that pairs experienced staff with newer employees to foster knowledge transfer and skill development. Use collaboration tools and platforms to document and share resources, best practices, and innovative ideas across the organization.

Create spaces where team members are sharing knowledge. A team meeting is an excellent opportunity to ask a member to present on a tip or trick they use frequently. Short 5-10 minute shares increases knowledge of all, but also makes space for the presenter to develop a skill and be seen by others as an expert. A requirement to include for approved professional development funds could be presentation back to the team on learning from that development. If the topic is applicable beyond the team, create opportunity for the presentation to be open to others. This could also be a write up in an employee newsletter. Getting the knowledge beyond the recipient lifts the entire team!

The above elements of development are important; however, we need to remember that development is the employee’s responsibility with support from their organization and manager. Employees must take the initiative to seek out opportunities to grow and develop to address needs they and their manager identify. Too many employees sit back and wait for their company or manager to provide the training. While training is one element, employees need to work with their manager and others to determine what and how to develop based upon career goals and performance. Then identify ways to close the gap and gain the necessary knowledge and experience. Development includes training, education, projects, new experiences, mentorship, apprenticeship, etc.

Managers can assist their employee's development by helping them create an ongoing professional development plan about the position and beyond. Review the job description quarterly and see where additional education may help performance. There may be options for co-learning as well where employee and manager seek training together and have a review or debrief conversation so the employee can understand the manager perspective and vice versa. For employees seeking promotion, take a higher level job description and have them find experience gaps to see where they can take on new tasks or provide guidance for development they can seek in the work place or on their own.