{"id":36630,"date":"2019-11-13T15:47:38","date_gmt":"2019-11-13T13:47:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.getsmarter.com\/blog\/?p=36630"},"modified":"2025-10-07T12:50:38","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T10:50:38","slug":"important-skills-development-areas-for-employees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getsmarter.com\/blog\/important-skills-development-areas-for-employees\/","title":{"rendered":"Important Skills Development Areas for Employees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Eighty-two per cent of workers are keeping their eyes open for new opportunities.1<\/sup> One of the reasons why: a lack of opportunities for growth.2<\/sup> The development needs of an employee aren\u2019t just crucial for fulfilling your company\u2019s skills requirements: development of employees can drive retention and efficiency, too. In fact, ninety-four per cent of employees would stay longer at a company if it invested in their careers.3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding the development needs of an employee starts with recognising that no employee enters your organisation as a perfectly formed staffer. In fact, as your company\u2019s needs evolve due to digital transformation<\/a>, it\u2019s impossible to consider that any employee entering your business could be entirely prepared for its future needs.4<\/sup> Here\u2019s the empowering news: sixty-eight per cent of employees prefer to learn at work \u2013 giving organisations a great opportunity to drive employee development activities.5<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soft skills development areas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our increasingly roboticised future has made one thing clear: soft skills development in employees is vital. A robot may be able to do<\/em>, but a robot is not able to lead<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to LinkedIn\u2019s \u20182018 Workplace Learning Report\u2019, training soft skills \u2013 an employee\u2019s way of thinking and their behaviour \u2013 is the number-one priority of talent developers, executives, and people managers.6<\/sup> Soft skills develop an employee in such a way as to ready them for almost any functional requirement, present or future.7<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n

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Hard skills development areas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hard skills \u2013 specialised abilities, often directly relating to an employee\u2019s particular role \u2013 are functional by nature and you\u2019re more likely to recruit against these specific requirements. That said, the nature of digital makes it inevitable that you\u2019ll need to continually develop even your most qualified employees in these areas. The best method is through short, sprint-like workshops and courses. Shorter, sharper bursts are more likely to be embraced and retained by employees \u2013 and more likely to remain as up to date as possible, content-wise.25<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n

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Development areas to future-proof your organisation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Digital transformation\u2019 is a buzzword in business for good reason. Mobile internet and cloud technology account for the biggest technological drivers of change in the workplace, closely followed by advances in computing power and big data, new technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT)<\/a>.32<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n

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How to identify employee development areas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Approach your needs from two perspectives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. What areas does an employee wish to develop in?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This is important for two reasons. Firstly, an employee is on the ground, encountering their own skills deficits and seeing first-hand the innovation for which they need to be upskilled.38<\/sup> Secondly, if an employee feels invested in, they are more likely to remain in your business.39<\/sup> Demonstrate your investment in employee growth through feedback, reviews or questionnaires. Other effective tools include:40<\/sup><\/p>\n