Professional development can be done on a small budget
How do you feel when the words professional development (PD) are mentioned in your organisation? For many for-purpose organisations, PD is on the wish list but often gets left behind as the budget has to be allocated to a whole heap of other things first.
But offering professional development to your staff creates a whole heap of benefits - for them and for your organisation and it doesn’t have to cost the earth.
Four benefits of offering professional development
It fills skills gaps within your team
Ideally, every recruit to your team would come with 100% of the skills that you need now and in the future. But in reality, that rarely happens. Professional development helps to fill skill gaps within your team. It also helps your employees keep up to date with changes in your sector, whether that’s new technology, leadership development or knowledge of updated regulations.
It makes you more attractive to potential employees
Modern jobseekers are looking for more than just job security and a salary. Extra things like professional development are important too. In fact, it was one of the top five benefits listed by our jobseekers in our recent survey.
When you are trying to set yourself apart from other organisations, offering things like professional development shows you are committed to your employees. That can make you more attractive to potential employees, and it can help you attract better candidates.
Improved employee engagement and retention
Once you have your perfect team members, you want to keep them. Following on that professional development promise and ensuring that it is part of their career path gives them something to look forward to and work towards. That means instead of looking elsewhere when they are ready for the next step, they will be more likely to stay with you.
It gives you a more rounded, resilient organisation
All those new-found skills, creativity and enthusiasm create a more well-rounded and innovative team who are engaged with their work. It also makes them more adaptable and capable of facing new challenges. That benefits them, and it benefits your organisation!
So now you know the benefits of professional development, how do you offer it?
Four ways to provide professional development without blowing your budget
#1 Bite-sized training
Not all professional development has to be huge courses. Bite-size learning can be just as effective and can be easier for your employees to manage. It can be incorporated throughout the year. Options include:
Self-paced online learning modules
Lunch and learn sessions
Webinars hosted by experts or other organisations in your field
A one-off in-person training session by an outside expert
A one-day first aid course
#2 Free resources
Lots of organisations and industry leaders offer free resources that you can take advantage of. Look for in-depth guides that can be downloaded, templates for practice or free webinars. Some of these are designed to encourage you to buy a larger resource or course but you don’t always have to sign up. And it gives you a chance to explore the options before you commit.
You’ll find some examples of free resources on our website with our DIY salary setting guide and our ethical job ad guide.
Some places like LinkedIn Learning and edX also offer free courses.
#3 Use your team
Not all learning has to come from outside your organisation, especially if you are offering professional development for more rounded skills, not just work-based skills. If you tap into your team, you might be surprised at what they can offer.
For example, if you have team members who are keen on yoga or fitness, you could ask them to host a session for the whole team.
Another simple way to use your team is by getting people to spend time learning each other’s roles. This helps your team understand how the organisation works better and appreciate what their colleagues do. As an added benefit, it can give you flexibility because staff may be able to cover other roles during sickness or holidays.
If you have a range of experience on your team, then you can also utilise your more senior members as mentors.
#4 Make it flexible
Instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach to professional development, consider offering a PD budget allocation to each team member that can be spent as they wish within a set of guidelines. This enables people to learn in a way that works for them.
Professional development has a host of benefits for both your employees and your organisation, so take some time to factor it into your next budget discussions.
