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\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n\n\nWith the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), the staggering ramifications of the rapid integration of technological disruption and digital transformation<\/a> has resulted in many businesses struggling to keep up with rapid innovation in the workplace. This, combined with widening skills gaps, is why actively investing in employee training and development is essential for both the growth of the business and the workforce that propels it. Filling the company’s skills gaps through the upskilling and reskilling of individuals or groups of employees, could be the difference between thriving or barely surviving through any change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLots of companies don\u2019t succeed over time. What do they fundamentally do wrong? They usually miss the future.\u201d 2<\/sup><\/p>\n\u2013 Larry Page, Google co-founder and computer scientist<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Employee training and development are terms often used interchangeably, across sectors, and encompass various employee learning practices. More specifically, employee training involves programs that enable employees to learn precise skills or gain knowledge to improve job performance. Employee development is a process whereby the manager and employee work together to create a development plan. This plan identifies areas to develop or enhance, and ascertains what actions or activities need to be taken to acquire and embed that learning. This development plan is aligned with the organization\u2019s goals and ultimately serves as a template showing skills that the employee requires and how they can go about acquiring them. Now, more than ever, owing to the impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution and the COVID-19 pandemic, learning and development (L&D) in business is taking top priority in the workplace.<\/p>\n One of the biggest challenges faced by business leaders driving the adoption of disruptive technology, is insufficient internal skills when combining technology with technical proficiency. As industries innovate so new technologies emerge, which has a profound impact on education and development. The ability to merge new technology with creative learning methods will ensure that teams learn new skills or reskill dynamically, through a future-oriented approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Discover the five skills your team will need by 2025 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A changing world means that professional development will need to be constantly pursued and prioritized. Employers play an important role in supporting the acquisition of those skills. In fact, 54 percent of respondents from GetSmarter\u2019s \u2018The Future of Work Is Here<\/a>\u2019 report agree that upskilling or reskilling is the joint responsibility of the business and the employee.3<\/sup><\/p>\n Here are four reasons why employee training and development is important:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hiring and retention of talent can be an ongoing challenge for employers, however one way to retain your staff is by providing them with career development opportunities. Including development program offerings in employment contracts establishes an employee\u2019s sense of value within the company, fostering loyalty and ultimately increasing staff retention. Investing in your staff\u2019s professional development is not only vital for team retention, but learning and development professionals worldwide have reported that they\u2019re observing a stronger appetite for upskilling than ever before.4<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n More than half the professionals surveyed by GetSmarter in 2020 say they\u2019re either somewhat likely or very likely to change jobs in the next 12 months. Even more notable is that 51% claim they may change job functions or business areas entirely.5<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Acquiring leadership talent can start from the initial acquisition, or human resources professionals can select current employees as managerial candidates. Having established leadership development programs<\/a> ensures that a business is always considering future organizational goals and succession planning by preparing promotable talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recent research shows that leaders who inspire, ignite people\u2019s imaginations, and mobilize them with a compelling vision are more impactful than managers who simply focus on the bottom line.6<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n Regular development initiatives can help keep employees motivated, while frequent training programs will also establish regular re-evaluation of employees, skills, and processes. Assessing the current skills and abilities within a team will enable managers to strategically plan targeted development programs that consider any potential skills gaps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Companies that immediately engage in employee growth and potential learning opportunities \u2013 from the moment an individual is hired to the moment they leave \u2013 will greatly impact future employee performance and dedication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe most obvious solution to upping employee retention is creating more effective training and development programs. [\u2026] The main issue is that many of these programs aren\u2019t designed with the user, or the employee, in mind.\u201d 7<\/sup><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n You can find out more about how to create an executive development plan in this GetSmarter article: How to Create an Executive Development Plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The latest GetSmarter 2021 report<\/strong>, which focuses on resetting professional careers in a COVID-19 world, found that training for soft skills and enhancing interpersonal (or more human) skills is a key trend for talent development in 2021 and the foreseeable future.8<\/sup> Driving this is a surge of industry change, automation, and technological advancements. The modern workplace requires adaptable, critical thinkers who can communicate effectively and are aware of their value as well as their areas of development. The GetSmarter Skills Hierarchy<\/a> enables you to identify individual or group strengths and areas of growth, and can reveal skills gaps in your team that need to be filled.<\/p>\n Build leadership and interpersonal skills<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n A few years ago, delivering tailored and sophisticated learning experiences at scale seemed out of reach, but modern talent development technology has made learning personalization a reality.9<\/sup> Approaching workplace development with a one-size-fits-all mentality is counteractive to a growing, diversified workplace \u2013 employees need to be assessed on and acknowledged for their specific skills, technological fluency, and learning approach.<\/p>\n Build employee development skills<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Employers need to reduce resistance to learning by engaging talent through the existing platforms they already choose to spend their time on. Agile learning methodologies that focus on speed, flexibility and collaboration are the future of learning and development. This is the approach that will enable leaders to better manage skills gaps by ensuring people are rapidly upskilled or reskilled for the benefit of work and business performance.10<\/sup><\/p>\n Build digital transformation skills<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the World Economic Forum, 50 percent of employees will need to be reskilled by 2025.11<\/sup> As the skills gap continues to widen, employers need to take the initiative in training employees to reskill and upskill them. The steps involved in creating a development plan begin with establishing business goals. Upskilling and reskilling efforts can sustain and fuel company growth. In planning for future growth, and creating training solutions that target those goals, L&D needs to collaborate with all stakeholders to identify current and future skills gaps.12<\/sup><\/p>\n Create an employee development plan in just seven steps<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Regardless of whether a company has existing, functioning training programs, employee development won\u2019t ever be effective if the work environment doesn\u2019t accommodate \u2013 and encourage \u2013 continuous learning. Organizations need to support a culture of constant development that is able to recognize overall industry change and provide relevant training to overcome the challenges that may arise from such changes.<\/p>\n The benefits and value of training and development act like a domino effect; leaders feel competent and can efficiently influence employee performance; skilled and engaged employees result in high job satisfaction, commitment, and thus retention; workforce improvement and engagement benefits an organization\u2019s overall profit. Despite the type of training and development provided, it needs to align with future workplace skills<\/strong>, support the company\u2019s business objectives, and be delivered in an innovative way that mirrors the digital transformation in the business<\/a>.<\/p>\n GetSmarter can guide you as your learning partner, and help your organization create a tailored upskilling or reskilling plan to meet your unique industry needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
What is employee development?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The benefits of upskilling or reskilling your team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Positive employee retention<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Training future leaders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Employee empowerment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Increased workplace engagement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to create a high-impact employee training plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Here are four effective strategies for developing workplace talent: <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Target soft skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Personalize employee development<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Emphasize digital learning<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Create a strategic development plan <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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