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5 Reasons Why Professional Development is a Worthwhile Investment

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Having a relevant work qualification is no longer a guarantee for getting a job; the hard skills learnt at university are shared by every other graduate, worldwide there is an average of 119 applicants for each job advertised, and employers are becoming more demanding of the qualities they expect from their prospective employees.

The modern career is also adaptable.

Millennials last an average of 4 years with one employer (older employees tend to stay longer), upskilling opportunities offer potential new career avenues which may have traditionally been unavailable, while globalisation and internationalisation give the option to move through different departments or divisions around the world but remain within the same firm.

So, whether you are looking to move from graduate to employee, or to climb the career ladder within your firm, professional development can offer the potential to increase your skill base, consolidate your learning, and keep you up-to-date with industry developments, while also giving you more self-confidence, greater resilience, and increasing your potential for realising your goals.

The following 5 points highlight why professional development is worthwhile investment.

 

1. Self-Advancement and Career Progression

Professional development isn’t just about work.

Investing in yourself (at all levels) doesn’t only highlight your initiative, will to succeed, knowledge, resilience, and flexibility to prospective employers, clients, and colleagues, but it also improves your self-confidence, self-awareness, and promotes empathy for others.

Employers look favourably upon prospective employees who have undertaken training and professional development on their own initiative, and who is proven to be adept at problem solving, cross-cultural working, or leadership and management.

Professional development can also lead to a pay increase, more flexible career options, and promotion opportunities.

Investing in professional development can help you to become the best version of yourself through learning to be more inclusive, how to overcome personal biases, or how to develop goals and react positively in difficult situations.

2. Corporate Education, Professional Development and Well-being

Education and learning shouldn’t end with your degree but should continue into your working career, and beyond.

It is widely documented that learning a new language, or musical instrument, can help reduce the likeliness of degenerative brain disorders such as, Alzheimer’s, so as you can see, education is good for your body, mind and general well-being.

Of course, education isn’t only good for our emotional and physical health, but can also introduce us to new technologies, offer fresh approaches to problem solving, refresh our business knowledge, or help with communication, coaching and mentoring.

There’s a huge variety of courses available, as either E-learning or classroom based, which can help to fill gaps in your sector knowledge, promote additional soft skills, or build new industry familiarity.

 

3. Professional Development and Industry Know-how

No industry stays static in its developments, technologies, or standards – so neither should those who work within the sector.

From recent advances in Artificial Intelligence, to GDPR and data awareness, there are a myriad of corporate developments which apply to virtually every sector, of which employees should have an awareness.

Training for industry-specific developments will help keep you stay ahead of the competition, ensure you’re relevant within the workplace, and enhance your CV.

 

4. CV Optimization through Professional Development

Keeping your industry skills and soft skills up-to-date will ensure you are committed and ready for the next step in your career.

If you have had a break from work for a time, such as, when starting a family, or you are looking to move into a new sector, professional development training courses can be an ideal way to highlight your initiative, commitment and abilities, to prospective employers.

Enrolling on courses which are available as e-learning modules can be useful when you have limited time or are unable to travel, but completing training courses in person often offer a far greater opportunity to interact with others from your field, or with those who share your interests.

 

5. Professional Development Promotes Networking

Training courses are a great way to meet like-minded people, make new business connections, and network with others.

They can lead to new partnerships, job opportunities, sector-specific and non-specific business debates, collaboration prospects and career progression openings.

Remember to make business cards available and follow-up with emails, LinkedIn connections, and so on, ensuring you are ready for future communication.

 

If you would like any advice on the training courses that we offer here at Creative Word, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.