{"id":46771,"date":"2019-08-09T08:51:41","date_gmt":"2019-08-09T12:51:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/?p=46771"},"modified":"2025-01-07T08:09:50","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T13:09:50","slug":"building-careers-growing-businesses-why-professional-development-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/building-careers-growing-businesses-why-professional-development-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Careers, Growing Businesses: Why Professional Development Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Investing in professional development should be a high priority for both individuals and organizations. In order to adapt, grow, and stay competitive in today\u2019s dynamic work culture, it\u2019s necessary to learn new information and keep skills up to date. Fortunately, finding new learning opportunities as well as cost-effective ways to train employees is also easier than ever.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Professional development can transform your career<\/b><\/h2>\n

Whether you\u2019re planning to progress in your current workplace or are seeking new opportunities, professional development<\/a> is crucial to creating a satisfying career. An investment in learning can pay itself back in many ways.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get head-hunted for new jobs\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

New skills look great on your CV, but more than that, your commitment to continuous learning demonstrates to recruiters that you\u2019re someone willing to take on new challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

Enjoy greater job satisfaction\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Learning new skills and putting them into use builds confidence and makes work more stimulating and variable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Accelerate your career progress\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Expanding your skills beyond your current role future-proofs your career and makes you an attractive candidate for promotions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Learning should be a core value of organizations\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Organizations and businesses also have much to gain from supporting their employees\u2019 professional development, and the benefits can far outweigh the associated expenses. Making learning a cornerstone of your business\u2019s philosophy is rarely anything but a smart move.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boost profits\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

There is evidence that developing a good training program can lead to <\/span>significantly higher business income per employee<\/b>. This is probably the most compelling argument for investing in workforce training.<\/span><\/p>\n

Attract and retain top talent<\/span><\/h3>\n

A fundamental culture focused on learning makes a company highly attractive to quality candidates. It also helps current employees feel valued, inspiring loyalty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Drive innovation and growth<\/span><\/h3>\n

Organizations that foster continuous learning are at the forefront of innovation and product development.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"professional<\/p>\n

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Boost your career with additional learning<\/b><\/h2>\n

A wide range of flexible training options and learning resources is available today, making it easy for proactive individuals to acquire new skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the workplace\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Expand your skills base in your current role. Take on new tasks and projects when possible, and ask for greater responsibilities. Volunteer to train new employees, or participate in corporate charity work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Outside the workplace\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Look for opportunities to pick up new knowledge and skills in your local community: evening classes, expert talks, workshops, and networking groups are all great options. Make use of the written word, such as books and journals, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Internet\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

The web is brimming with learning resources. Seek out webinars, online courses<\/a>, TED Talks, LinkedIn groups, professional blogs, and even online business degrees<\/a> that offer the type of information and training you\u2019re interested in.<\/span><\/p>\n

While you consider new training opportunities it\u2019s helpful to put together a personal career development plan. By directing your career path to align more strongly with a plan based on your goals and aspirations, you\u2019ll increase passion, purpose, and meaning in your professional life \u2013 and that could make the difference between a satisfactory career and an amazing one.<\/span><\/p>\n

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How to make training employees more effective<\/b><\/h2>\n

Cultivating a culture of continuous learning encourages employees to keep growing and striving for their best. Here are some ways to encourage effective learning:<\/span><\/p>\n

Tailor for the individual\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Taking people\u2019s individuality into account is likely to yield better results than a one-size-fits-all training model. Get to know your staff \u2013 their strengths, blind spots, and aspirations \u2013 and create specific learning milestones accordingly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Use cross-training to broaden skill sets<\/span><\/h3>\n

Encourage your employees to pick up new skills by working in different roles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Set up a mentoring program\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Let your senior staff members use their experience and wisdom to help junior colleagues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Put the training in context\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Show your staff how their new skills are helping the company as a whole meet its goals, and highlight any training that is directly relevant to career progression opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Professional development pays off for organizations and individuals. Are you learning and leading? <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
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Development results can be achieved on a budget<\/b><\/h2>\n

Staff training is an investment worth making, but the more limited your budget, the more you need to prioritize and rely on creative solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Target your training efforts\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Identify the areas that most need improving, then list goals (such as improved customer satisfaction<\/a>), and choose specific metrics (such as customer ratings) to measure progress. Identify the key skills needed to meet the goals, and deliver training that focuses on those. Afterwards, monitor your chosen metrics to assess what impact the training has had.<\/span><\/p>\n

Use in-house expertise\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Bringing in expensive consultants is not always necessary. Before you make a booking, check if training needs could be handled internally by experienced staff members.<\/span><\/p>\n

Make the most of online learning\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Travel, classroom hire and teaching materials can make up a large part of training costs. Consider e-learning as a cost-effective alternative. Utilize online tools by providing links to valuable training videos, tutorials and talks. Flag up relevant online courses and create incentives to complete them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Make development the default\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

By embedding training and learning as a part of your workplace culture, you\u2019ll find that upskilling employees becomes an easier, more organic process. Use these tips to encourage your employees to grow with you for continuing success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Investing in professional development should be a high priority for both individuals and organizations. In order to adapt, grow, and stay competitive in today\u2019s dynamic work culture, it\u2019s necessary to learn new information and keep skills up to date. Fortunately, finding new learning opportunities as well as cost-effective ways to train employees is also easier than ever. Professional development can transform your career Whether you\u2019re planning to progress in your current workplace or are seeking new opportunities, professional development is crucial to creating a satisfying career. An investment in learning can pay itself back in many ways. Get head-hunted for new jobs\u00a0 New skills look great on your CV, but more than that, your commitment to continuous learning demonstrates to recruiters that you\u2019re someone willing to take on new challenges. Enjoy greater job satisfaction\u00a0 Learning new skills and putting them into use builds confidence and makes work more stimulating and variable.\u00a0 Accelerate your career progress\u00a0 Expanding your skills beyond your current role future-proofs your career and makes you an attractive candidate for promotions. Learning should be a core value of organizations\u00a0 Organizations and businesses also have much to gain from supporting their employees\u2019 professional development, and the benefits can far outweigh the associated expenses. Making learning a cornerstone of your business\u2019s philosophy is rarely anything but a smart move. Boost profits\u00a0 There is evidence that developing a good training program can lead to significantly higher business income per employee. This is probably the most compelling argument for investing in workforce […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":5042,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[156],"tags":[164,208],"yoast_head":"\nBuilding Careers, Growing Businesses: Why Professional Development Matters - Sogolytics Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Professional development matters more than ever, with new industries and tools appearing every day. 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