In today’s competitive business world, investing in employee growth and development is essential. When researching different approaches to professional development, you’ve likely come across several professional development models. So, which one is the right fit for your workforce?
We’ll explore the importance of professional development in the workplace and the benefits and pitfalls of different professional development models. Accordingly, you can identify the best approaches to professional development for your organization.
Professional development is all about building knowledge and skills in your field. People learn differently, so what works for one employee may not suit another due to different levels of experience and expertise. With this in mind, many different teaching and learning styles are available, known as professional development models.
There are several ways your employees can work towards professional development, from skill-based training to increased responsibility in the workplace.
But why is professional development so important? Here are some benefits of professional development for you to consider:
Some professional development models you could introduce to your organization include:
Once you’ve chosen a professional development model, you’ll need to decide how to measure its success.
One way to measure its effectiveness is to review an employee’s Personal Development Goals (PDGs) and whether the chosen professional development model has helped them reach their goals. Perhaps an employee wanted to improve their presentation skills, so they attended a workshop on public speaking to increase their self-confidence.
Another evaluation method is asking your employees for feedback on your professional development structure. Did they learn what they expected? Would they have preferred a different approach? You could even ask managers for feedback about their employees’ performance post-training to assess its effectiveness.
Assigning key performance indicators (KPIs) for your training and development can help you analyze the effectiveness of your professional development models. They also serve as evidence should stakeholders ask if professional development is worth investing in.
Some KPIs you could use to measure the success of your training and development efforts include:
The professional development model you choose for your employees should suit their learning style, background, and career goals. You can then analyze the pros and cons of each training method to suit their needs.
Here are some factors to keep in mind when choosing a professional development model:
Once you’ve chosen the right professional development model for your business, you can decide how to implement employee training.
Creating a business case for professional development can help demonstrate its value to your stakeholders by outlining how professional development will benefit both your employees and the business.
For example, if your chosen professional development model is online learning, you’ll need to choose courses that will benefit your employees the most. Courses are available to suit all levels and abilities, from entry-level employees looking to learn the ropes to senior managers striving for a promotion.
You won’t know if your chosen training model is effective without measuring its impact. You can assess the effectiveness of training through various methods, such as employee surveys, completion rates, productivity, performance, and test scores. From this data, you’ll have evidence to prove professional development’s power and ROI. Be sure to measure the effectiveness of professional development against your goals and KPIs to ensure it’s a good return on investment.
Once you’ve decided on the most effective professional development model for your organization, you’ll be ready to upskill your employees. We have an extensive selection of online training courses at Go1. Integrating learning and development into your business’ culture has never been easier.
For more information, check out our ebook on the 5 new thinking habits for a smarter, stronger L&D. Or, you can speak to one of our experts to find out how Go1 can help you upskill your workforce.