The Essence of Career Development

Career development is essentially the act of placing emphasis on employee training.  This is intended to assist an employee in meeting his or her personal career objectives. By helping an employee with the development of skills for a desired position, better retention of key employees and a higher level of commitment are typically seen.  Below are specific benefits of career development:

Fosters Succession Planning

As a proactive approach to developing leadership skills in employees, succession planning helps with seamless transitions when employees retire.  These plans assist the company in maintaining stability in its production and work forces.  In addition, it facilitates the plans employees have for the future.  It also helps them to more easily envision advancing in their careers within the company.  When employee development for an internal role is carried out, individuals are less likely to seek promotional opportunities outside of the company.

Boosts Productivity and Engagement 

Most employees working in the existing environment want their day-to-day work to have direction and meaning.  They have career goals and want employment that is not merely about completing jobs and tasks; they are seeking meaningful careers.  Employees with access to the right resources, tools and career-developing processes, feel a greater connection to the company.  Additionally, employees who are the driving forces behind their own development are much more likely to be motivated.  They are also more consistently and optimally productive.

An emphasis on career training and development safeguards against the work environment becoming stale.  When employees get too comfortable in their existing roles, it is difficult for them to be motivated to reach their full potentials.  Goal setting assists employees in focusing on gaps between their current capabilities and the ones they need to be successful in a higher position. Ongoing training opportunities assist in filling these skill gaps.  In addition, they improve promotional opportunities, which leave employees feeling more satisfied and engaged. More info here.

Employees who make the most of career-developing education and training programs tend to outpace their colleagues in learning the skills necessary for advancement.  It is required by some companies that workers complete particular workshops or training programs to become qualified for promotions. Other companies simply express to employees that requisite skills must be developed before they could be promoted.  Participating employees learn new skills and are typically more committed to the company.

Initiatives geared towards retaining experienced talent offer direct opportunities for knowledge sharing. Companies that attain the most sustainable success are the ones that attract the best workers to develop their strategies and attain their goals.  A successful career development initiative will brand the organization as one that actually cares about its employees.  This will assist the company in continuously attracting the best employees for the required roles.

The most effective career development programs are ones that are integrated with the ongoing development and training strategies of the organization.  To get this done, an organization must have a career development system that is carefully designed.  It should be particularly designed to satisfy its own unique requirements.