The Importance of Professional Development Programs for Employees

When budgets are tight, continuing education is often the first item to be diminished from a company’s resources. After all, it does not bring in direct revenue.

Continuing education might not affect your revenue immediately. However, you are investing in employee development that can increase your employee’s happiness and build a more creative, sustainable company.

As of 2018, Millennials are the largest generation in the workforce at 1 out of 3. A recent study by Gallup shows that “Millennials are not pursuing job satisfaction — they are pursuing development… Giving out toys and entitlements is a leadership mistake, and worse, it’s condescending. Purpose and development drive this generation.”

If you want to retain Millennials then invest in their professional development. Trophies and bonuses don’t work for this generation.

5 Tools for Professional Development

Conferences

Book your employees to attend an industry-related conference. These conferences often are held by industry-leaders. They can be inspirational for your employees.

TedTalks

TedTalks are inspirational videos to “stir your curiosity”. The videos range in topic including science, creativity, business, and tech.

Creative Live

CreativeLive provides “1,500+ fundamentals to advanced techniques”. The classes range from Adobe software, money and finance, business modeling, cooking, writing, and more. The classes are all online and can be completed at a flexible pace.

Meetups

Meetups are designed for more than building friendships. Meetups have evolved into professional education seminars. If you have a small budget then Meetups could be a good option for you. The classes are typically free to attend.

Webinars

Webinars are a live, web-based conference that can be viewed around the world. Users are able to interact among online forums in real time. There are thousands of webinars available online for professional development.

Invest in your employees and they are more likely to build a loyal relationship with your company. You will also improve their skills to help meet your company’s goals. I am a Life Sciences Recruiter for the Bay Area. If you are looking to hire in these areas, please contact me to discuss your needs and possible solutions. Contact me, Jeff King, at jking@rqfocus.com or (541) 639-3501.