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How to Implement Skills Development Training Programs for Employees & Partners: Upskilling, Cross-Skilling, Reskilling

Depending on your industry and the state of your business over the past year, there’s a good chance skills development might have been bumped from your to-do list to allow you to tackle more pressing issues. Consider this your reminder that the skills gap isn’t going anywhere—and it may be growing even faster as a result of pandemic-driven market changes.

A global survey by LinkedIn found that 64% of learning and development professionals say reskilling their current workforce to fill skills gaps is a greater priority now following the effects of COVID-19.

And according to a series of studies by Channelnomics , 46% of channel leaders face challenges in getting partners to adopt new technology or services. As such, some fear the already growing skills gap will be one of the most pressing challenges for organizational leaders today.

There’s debate on the severity and scope of this skills gap, yet it has the potential to cause some real issues. A global data report by Degreed found more than one-third of workers feel less confident they have the skills to do their jobs well (compared to pre-pandemic). Almost half (46%) predict their current skills “will die out” in the next few years. Another 46% of global workers said if their employers didn’t offer them opportunities to upskill, they were likely to leave their job.

Top 3 Drivers of Skills Gaps for Employees & Channel Partners

Skills gaps exist among both employees and channel partners, though they’re being driven by different root causes tied to business disruption and technological advancements. Here are three most common drivers of skills gaps for each audience:

While a variety of drivers are at play, it’s clear that we should expect continued disruption: 

According to Gartner, the number of skills required for a single job is increasing by 10% year over year, and over 30% of the skills needed three years ago will soon be irrelevant.

Those skills aren’t always easy to find—that creates the skills gap. It’s the canyon between the skills organizations currently have and the skills they want and/or need for the future.

Companies Can’t Deny the Importance of Skills Development Programs

Industry expert  McKinsey & Company ’s recent global survey found 87% of organizations say they’re either experiencing a skills gap now or expect to experience one in the next few years. Nearly all respondents classify closing potential skill gaps as a priority for their organizations, and about one-third say it is among their top three priorities. Yet, the same survey found relatively few indicate that their organizations are ready to respond to the skills gap issue.

Companies need to examine the essential skills they need or want and compare them to what their workforce currently has. Success will come through experimentation, including recruiting from non-traditional labor pools, embracing a “work from anywhere” philosophy to get the best talent regardless of geographic location and collaborating with educational institutions to improve new grad readiness.

The most common approach to skills development is training current workers (employees and partners) to acquire the knowledge they need to do the necessary skills. This includes: Upskilling , cross-skilling and reskilling . Take a look below for more details.

Related: Upskilling employees not only boosts retention, but also gives your company a competitive edge.  Find out how to cross-train your team to increase effectiveness .

4 Steps to Ensure You Execute on Skills Development Programs

Many organizations know that they need to pursue skills development efforts but are quickly overwhelmed. This can have a downstream impact that actually makes the skills gap worse for them.

That’s why we’re sharing four key phases for a successful skills development strategy, including practical examples of how we’ve partnered with organizations to execute on their skills development program.

1. Define Focus

It's essential your company knows where its employees excel and where they fall behind to develop a plan to bridge the talent gap. One way to do this is by conducting a gap analysis to identify strengths and weaknesses. A skills gap analysis should encompass  physical, cognitive, emotional and technological skills. The analysis will help you understand who needs to complete skills development (roles, partner types, etc.) as well as how fast the skills development needs to happen. In a pinch, you can also use surveys to gauge the gap between knowledge, understanding and execution.

2. Build Awareness

Change can be uncomfortable for workers, especially if they believe they are in a vulnerable position as a result of their necessary development. That’s why clear and compelling communication is critical to the successful launch of your initiative. During this stage, be sure you’re addressing common questions and potential concerns, including:

• What skills you need from them
• Why their development is important to the company and/or customers
• What’s expected of employees/partners during the process, including how you’ll be supporting them
• What’s in it for them (personally) if they adapt their skills

Real-World Example: In the wake of COVID-19, it was paramount for a professional services provider to mitigate risk-related behaviors by educating workers on how best to keep safe and healthy. A branded campaign was designed to make the invisible risk more approachable, relevant and ultimately, make it easier for employees to know how they could navigate potentially risky situations.

3. Boost Engagement

Telling employees and partners they need to engage in more learning and development activities in addition to existing workload often leaves them feeling overwhelmed. That’s why it’s imperative you keep your employees and channel partners motivated to actually complete their skills development training. Constant communication to reinforce foundational messages and promote training opportunities will ensure you build excitement for change while mitigating fear and change overload.

Real-World Example: A global retailer recently recognized there was an opportunity to improve training completion for a specific type of technical worker. Additionally, they were struggling to retain those employees once they were upskilled, putting further strain on the organization. To address both issues, we recommended a shift in their engagement and reinforcement strategy to focus on a combination of leadership coaching to improve motivational appeal and individual performance-based incentives. This shift from relying solely on tenure in role has already positively impacted employee engagement and retention. 

4. Reinforce Progress

In today’s high-velocity work environment, offering ongoing incentives and recognition to create excitement along the way is essential to reinforce learning and sustain long-term behavior change. Highlight and reward top performers (both individuals and teams) for making progress. Peer examples can serve as a success story for others to see how those developed skills helped accomplish better outcomes.

Make sure you’re celebrating along the way, too. As individuals complete skills development training, be sure to celebrate and reward their achievements. This can be as simple as awarding certificates of attendance for training sessions or programs. If you offer multiple courses, combine related topics into programs and celebrate when students “graduate” from topic-specific programs or levels of achievement. Take it a step further by hosting an awards banquet quarterly or semi-annually to recognize team members who reach development milestones.

Real-World Example: A global technology services and hardware manufacturer had been facing a shift in sales style from product to service and needed to reskill and upskill their partner engineers to turn them into presenters. We built, communicated, delivered and continually reinforced the program geared toward shifting the skillset of this non-traditional audience through intrinsic motivators like badging, recognition and learning milestones, while gamifying the development with merchandise and contests. This effort engaged partners across 89 counties, and led to successful skills development resulting in $70 million in pipeline generated in the first six months of the program.

Skills Development & Training Programs Benefit the Whole Organization

Not only is a skills development program perfect for tackling these real-world situations, it's also shown to build a stronger employer brand, a deeper bench of talent and a wellspring of innovation over the longer term to improve organizational performance, including increased sales and retention of employees and customers.    

Want to learn more about how ITA Group can help you build buy-in and motivate your people to follow through with skills development? Check out this video!

ITA Group custom-crafts engagement solutions that motivate and inspire your people. ITA Group infuses strategies that fuel advocacy and drive business results for some of the world’s biggest brands.

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How to Build a Successful Upskilling Program

• Susan R. Vroman
• Tiffany Danko

Employees say they want more training and development — but often struggle to identify which skills they’re looking for.

Upskilling is a longer-term investment in augmenting the knowledge, skills, and competencies that help employees advance their careers. When employees are offered and encouraged to take advantage of upskilling opportunities for their personal or professional growth, people metrics, such as employee engagement and retention, also go up. The problem is that too often, even the employees who say they want more training and development struggle to identify what they’re looking for. The authors offer three strategies to help organizational leaders identify the skills and competencies that employees will find valuable.

As the Covid pandemic accelerated how and where work got done, employee reskilling became a short-term survival strategy to fuel or sustain company growth . Companies found that investing in skills learning enabled both performance and reliability of their workers .

• Susan R. Vroman is a lecturer of management at Bentley University.  Her research interests include the impact leadership enactment has on organizational culture and employee engagement, with specific focus on supporting flexible work arrangements.  Prior to her academic career, Dr. Vroman worked for over 20 years as an organizational effectiveness and strategic human resource management executive and advisor. She continues this work in a consulting capacity.
• TD Tiffany Danko  is an adjunct associate professor at USC Bovard College and a captain in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. Her research focuses on leadership, as well as homeland security and emergency management concerns. 

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Business Plan Template for Training And Development

• Great for beginners
• Ready-to-use, fully customizable Subcategory
• Get started in seconds

Are you ready to take your training and development program to the next level? Look no further than ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Training and Development. This template is a game-changer for companies and entrepreneurs looking to establish or expand their training initiatives.

With ClickUp's Business Plan Template, you can:

• Clearly outline your goals, objectives, and strategies to attract investors and secure funding
• Create a comprehensive financial plan to effectively manage your training program's budget
• Streamline your planning process and collaborate with your team in one centralized location

Don't miss out on the opportunity to make your training and development program a success. Get started with ClickUp's Business Plan Template today!

Business Plan Template for Training And Development Benefits

A Business Plan Template for Training and Development can provide numerous benefits to companies and entrepreneurs:

• Clearly define training and development goals and objectives
• Develop a comprehensive strategy for implementing training programs
• Identify and allocate resources effectively to support the training initiatives
• Create a roadmap for measuring the success and impact of the training programs
• Attract investors and secure funding by showcasing a well-thought-out business plan
• Ensure alignment between training and development initiatives and overall business objectives
• Enable effective management and monitoring of training programs
• Provide a framework for continuous improvement and adaptation of training strategies
• Facilitate collaboration and communication among stakeholders involved in training and development efforts

Main Elements of Training And Development Business Plan Template

ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Training and Development is the perfect tool to help you create a comprehensive plan for your training initiatives. Here are the main elements of this template:

• Custom Statuses: Track the progress of each section of your business plan with statuses such as Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do.
• Custom Fields: Add important details to your plan using custom fields like Reference, Approved, and Section, allowing you to categorize and organize your information.
• Custom Views: Utilize different views to gain insights into your plan, including the Topics view to focus on specific areas, the Status view to track progress, the Timeline view to visualize deadlines, the Business Plan view for an overview of all sections, and the Getting Started Guide view to easily navigate the template.

With ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Training and Development, you'll have all the tools you need to create a successful plan that will propel your training initiatives forward.

How To Use Business Plan Template for Training And Development

If you're looking to create a comprehensive business plan for training and development, the Business Plan Template in ClickUp can be a valuable tool. Follow these six steps to make the most of this template and ensure that your training and development initiatives are well-planned and successful.

1. Define your objectives

Start by clearly defining the objectives of your training and development program. Are you looking to improve employee skills, enhance leadership capabilities, or onboard new hires effectively? Identifying your objectives will help you tailor your plan to meet specific goals.

Use custom fields in ClickUp to outline and track your training and development objectives.

2. Assess your current situation

Evaluate your current training and development practices and identify areas for improvement. Look for gaps in skills, knowledge, or resources that need to be addressed. This will help you determine the specific training programs and initiatives required.

Utilize the Gantt chart in ClickUp to visualize your current situation and plan for necessary changes.

3. Identify target audience and training needs

Identify the specific audience or employees who will benefit from the training and development program. Conduct a needs analysis to determine the skills and knowledge gaps that need to be addressed for each target group. This will help you tailor your training programs to meet their specific needs.

Create tasks in ClickUp to assign training needs analysis to team members and track progress.

4. Develop a training plan

Based on the identified training needs, develop a comprehensive training plan. Outline the specific training programs, workshops, or courses that will be provided. Include details such as content, delivery methods, and timelines. Consider incorporating a mix of internal and external training resources.

Use Board view in ClickUp to create a visual representation of your training plan and track the progress of each training program.

5. Allocate resources and budget

Determine the resources and budget required to implement your training and development plan. This includes identifying trainers or facilitators, training materials, technology platforms, and any other necessary resources. Allocate a budget that covers all aspects of the training program.

Utilize custom fields in ClickUp to track resource allocation and budget for each training program.

6. Implement, evaluate, and adjust

Implement your training and development initiatives according to the plan. Monitor the progress, evaluate the effectiveness of each program, and gather feedback from participants. Use this feedback to make necessary adjustments and improvements to your training and development plan.

Set up Automations in ClickUp to schedule regular evaluations and collect feedback from participants. Use this data to continuously improve your training and development initiatives.

By following these six steps and utilizing the Business Plan Template in ClickUp, you'll be able to create a well-structured and effective plan for training and development in your organization.

Get Started with ClickUp’s Business Plan Template for Training And Development

Companies or entrepreneurs who are looking to establish or expand their training and development programs can use the ClickUp Business Plan Template for Training And Development to streamline the process and ensure all aspects are covered.

To get started, hit “Add Template” to sign up for ClickUp and add the template to your Workspace. Make sure you designate which Space or location in your Workspace you’d like this template applied.

Next, invite relevant members or guests to your Workspace to start collaborating.

Now you can take advantage of the full potential of this template to create a comprehensive business plan:

• Use the Topics View to break down your business plan into different sections and topics
• The Status View will help you track the progress of each section and topic, with statuses such as Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, To Do
• The Timeline View will provide a visual representation of your training and development milestones and deadlines
• The Business Plan View will give you an overview of your entire plan, allowing you to easily navigate and make updates
• The Getting Started Guide View will provide step-by-step instructions and guidance on how to use the template effectively
• Utilize the custom fields Reference, Approved, and Section to add additional information, track approvals, and categorize different sections
• Collaborate with team members to brainstorm ideas, set goals, and develop strategies
• Monitor and analyze the progress of your business plan to ensure it aligns with your training and development objectives.
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How to start a training business: a comprehensive guide to success, share this article.

Imagine standing on the edge of a vast field, one that’s fertile and primed for cultivation. This field represents the training business landscape, brimming with potential and ripe for cultivation by the right entrepreneur. 

Starting a training business requires preparation, careful planning, diligent maintenance, and a touch of creativity.

There’s no better time to seize this opportunity, particularly considering the high demand for training services. From professional skill enhancement to personal development, more people than ever are looking for comprehensive, accessible training to help them reach their goals. This demand is expected to increase further in the coming years, making it a potentially lucrative venture for those who are ready to till the soil.

Skip ahead: 

Identify Your Niche

Create a business plan, legal considerations, establish your training center or online platform, develop your training programs and curriculum, marketing your training business, measure success and refine your strategy, tips for growing your training business, frequently asked questions, steps to starting a training business.

Venturing into the vast field of starting a training business might seem daunting at first glance. However, breaking it down into manageable steps can help make the task less overwhelming and more approachable. 

Each step represents a crucial part of the process, from the initial stages of identifying your niche to creating a business plan to finally measuring your success and refining your strategies. Keeping track of these steps not only ensures that no important detail is overlooked but also facilitates a smooth and organized business setup.

Choosing your niche can be intimidating, but it’s absolutely critical to the success of your business. 

This vital first step begins with an assessment of your skills and expertise. Are there certain areas of knowledge or skills you’ve amassed that could prove beneficial to others? 

Perhaps you have years of industry-specific experience or an advanced degree in a specialized field, which you can then channel into the training landscape.

In addition to understanding your expertise, it’s crucial to analyze market demand for your chosen niche and scrutinize both existing and potential competition. 

This entails conducting a rigorous research process to grasp the specific needs, interests, and preferences of potential learners. 

• Are there sufficient individuals interested in your area of expertise? 
• How can your offerings stand apart in the current competitive landscape? 

The insights gleaned from this process will enable you to maximize the yield from your entrepreneurial field.

Related: Training Ideas Generator

Your business plan serves as your entrepreneurial guide, providing essential direction and structure for your training business. 

Begin with establishing your mission and vision, which convey the core purpose of your business and the future you aim to shape through your services.

Identifying your target audience is the next crucial step. By thoroughly understanding the demographics, preferences, and learning styles of your prospective clients, you can ensure your services are finely tailored to meet their needs. 

The business plan should also include measurable goals and milestones that will mark your progress on your entrepreneurial path. Whether it’s acquiring a specific number of learners in the first year or launching a designated number of courses, these goals serve as signposts to guide and inspire your efforts.

To develop a comprehensive business plan, consider including:

• Executive Summary: An overview of your business and plans.
• Company Description: Details about what your company does and who it serves.
• Market Analysis: An examination of your industry, target market, and competitors.
• Marketing and Sales Strategy: Your plans for attracting and retaining customers.
• Service Offerings and Pricing Structure: A detailed explanation of your services and pricing.
• Management and Organizational Structure: The structure of your company and the roles of each team member.
• Financial Projections and Funding Requirements : A projection of future revenues and expenses and details of funding requirements (if applicable).

Deciding on your business structure is akin to laying the foundational bedrock upon which you’ll sow the seeds of your enterprise. There are several options available:

• Sole Proprietorship: A simple structure for a single owner who wants to control all business decisions and responsibilities.
• Partnership: Suitable for businesses with multiple owners who share in the company’s profits and losses.
• Limited Liability Company (LLC): This structure limits owners’ liability for business decisions or actions of the LLC.
• Corporation: A complex structure that involves legal protection and requires a board of directors, corporate officers, and shareholders.

Each of these options comes with its unique benefits and drawbacks. It’s advisable to consult with a legal professional or business advisor to help you select the most appropriate structure for your training business.

Just as a farmer requires an optimal plot of land to sow their seeds, you too need to establish the ideal platform for your training services. This could be a physical training center or an online platform . 

Both come with distinct advantages, and the most suitable choice depends on your target audience, budget, and the nature of your training programs.

A physical location provides a conducive environment for in-person interactions and hands-on training. Conversely, an online platform enables you to cast your net wider, potentially attracting a global audience, and offers the added benefits of flexibility and convenience. You can also deliver a mix of in-person and online training.

It’s also worthwhile considering the investment in a user-friendly Learning Management System (LMS) or an online training platform to enhance your training delivery.

As you establish your training platform, you’ll also need to determine the method of delivery for your training. 

Will it be in-person workshops and seminars, online courses and webinars, or a blended learning approach that combines the two? 

The necessary technology, equipment, and software for your chosen delivery method should also be part of your consideration.

Developing your training programs and curriculum forms the heart of your training business. Your actual training materials need to be engaging and high-value, capable of inspiring your audience and helping them to achieve their goals.

The key to crafting effective training programs and courses lies is understanding your target audience. Delving deep into their needs, preferences, challenges, goals and learning styles can inform the structure and content of your training programs. 

• Would they thrive better in self-paced environments, or do they require the structure and guidance of an instructor-led program? 
• Would they value the weight of a certificate program or the flexibility and diversity offered by a series of short courses?

When developing your curriculum, it’s crucial to consider these factors, shaping your offerings around the unique requirements and aspirations of your learners. You should commit to regular updates to your training materials. 

By aligning your content with the latest trends, research, and industry practices, you maintain the relevance and value of your courses. 

This ensures your programs are not just a static product but a dynamic learning experience that evolves with the times and keeps your training business at the forefront of the industry.

Remember, a successful curriculum is not just about knowledge transmission; it’s about creating transformative learning experiences that empower your audience, helping them grow and flourish in their respective fields.

Marketing catalyzes growth in your business. Begin by building a strong brand identity that reflects your values and mission, creating an impression in the minds of your clients about your business.

Develop a marketing strategy that effectively leverages the right channels to reach your target audience. This could encompass a blend of traditional advertising and digital marketing techniques.

Harness the power of social media, content marketing, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to augment your online visibility. These tools can boost your engagement with potential clients and expand your digital footprint.

A robust marketing strategy might also involve developing a website and optimizing it for search engines. 

Utilize social media platforms and online forums to promote your training business and network with industry professionals and potential clients. 

Offering free resources or introductory workshops can demonstrate your expertise, generate interest, and attract prospective learners to your programs.

Lastly, consider your pricing and payment options. Research competitors’ pricing structures to establish competitive rates. 

Offering various payment options such as credit cards, PayPal, and invoicing for corporate clients, along with discounts for group bookings, early registration, or loyalty programs, can provide additional appeal for prospective clients.

In your journey towards establishing a thriving training business, tracking progress and refining your strategy is not just the final step but a continuous one. 

Make a habit of regularly evaluating your business performance against your established goals and milestones. This assessment should cover various areas of your business – from customer acquisition and retention rates to course completion rates and overall financial health.

One of your richest sources of improvement ideas comes directly from your clients. Make it a practice to gather their feedback , as their perspectives can provide invaluable insights into how your services are received.

Feedback, both positive and critical, can reveal opportunities for growth, enhancement, and innovation that you might not have considered otherwise.

Finally, you must remain adaptable and ready to adjust your strategy as required. The business landscape, much like nature, is in a constant state of flux. Whether it’s a shift in market trends, advancements in training technology, or changes in your client’s needs, your readiness to evolve with these changes is crucial.

A successful training business isn’t static; it grows and adapts, continually evolving to meet the needs of its clients while maintaining its financial health. 

This continual refinement and adaptation are what will ensure your training business doesn’t just survive but thrives for the long haul.

The most successful training entrepreneurs actively seek growth strategies for their businesses. They strive for excellence, going out of their way to learn the latest and greatest strategies.

Here are a few practical tips that can help drive the growth of your training business:

• Collaborating with Industry Experts: Teaming up with industry experts can significantly boost the quality of your training content. These specialists bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, and credibility to your programs, making them more attractive to potential learners. Collaborations can also lead to the expansion of your professional network and present more growth opportunities.
• Offering Certification Programs: Certification programs provide added value for learners, acting as a seal of quality assurance and competency in their chosen field. By offering certification programs, your training business can stand out from the competition, attracting more clients seeking recognition for their newly acquired skills.
• Expanding Your Services and Target Markets: Never limit your field. Consider expanding your service offerings or venturing into new target markets. With the world becoming more connected every day, there’s potential to reach diverse audiences seeking knowledge in various fields. Always be open to new opportunities and keep your finger on the pulse of market trends and demands.

Remember to keep an eye on the competition, too. Is there something extra your competitors offer? What can you do to set yourself apart?

Growth can feel like pulling teeth at first – but with a few strategies and the right approach, you’ll see numbers start to skyrocket. 

Like a good harvest, reaping the fruits of a successful training business is a rewarding experience. It’s a journey that starts with identifying your niche, creating a comprehensive business plan, and navigating the legal landscape. 

It involves setting up a conducive platform for training, developing engaging programs and curricula, and executing effective marketing strategies.

Growing your training business is a continuous endeavor, and with the right mindset and strategies, you can ensure the fertility of your professional field. Collaborations, certification programs, and the expansion of services can all play a significant role in this growth process.

Download the In-Depth Checklist: How to Start a Training Business

Equip yourself with the essential knowledge and guidance you need to launch your training business successfully. Our comprehensive In-Depth Checklist provides a step-by-step roadmap, empowering you to navigate the intricacies of starting a training venture with confidence.

Q. What are the initial costs of starting a training business?

The initial costs of starting a training business can vary widely, depending on several factors. If you’re starting an online training business, for instance, costs will generally be lower than setting up a physical location. 

Primary costs may include investing in a high-quality learning management system (LMS) or online training platform, creating course content, and marketing your services. If you opt for a physical training center, you’ll need to factor in the rent or purchase of a location, outfitting the space for learning and potentially hiring staff.

 Consultation with legal professionals, business registration, and obtaining necessary permits also add to initial expenses. It’s crucial to outline these costs in your business plan for a clear financial overview.

Q. How do I price my training services?

Pricing your training services should consider several factors: the cost of producing and delivering the training, your time and expertise, market rates, and the perceived value to your learners. 

Research your competitors’ pricing strategies to understand what your target market expects to pay. Offering various payment options and discounts for early registration, group bookings, or loyalty programs can also enhance your pricing strategy’s attractiveness.

Q. How can I differentiate my training business from competitors?

Differentiating your training business involves highlighting what makes your offering unique. It could be your unique expertise, the quality of your course content, collaboration with industry experts, or offering certification programs. 

Tailoring your programs to the specific needs of your target audience and providing an exceptional learning experience can also set you apart. Remember, your brand identity plays a crucial role in differentiating your business in the market.

Q. What are the best marketing strategies for a training business?

Effective marketing strategies for a training business include developing a strong online presence through a user-friendly, SEO-optimized website. 

Utilizing social media platforms, offering free resources or introductory workshops, and networking with industry professionals can also enhance your visibility. 

Remember to leverage content marketing to showcase your expertise and engage potential clients. Your marketing strategy should be as dynamic as the market itself, adjusting to trends, audience preferences, and business goals.

Q. How do I ensure the success of my training business in the long run?

Long-term success in the training business requires continuous evaluation and adaptation. Regularly assess your business performance and gather feedback from clients to understand what works and what needs improvement. 

Keep your training materials up-to-date and relevant to ensure they continue to meet your learners’ evolving needs. Lastly, consider growth strategies such as collaborating with industry experts, expanding your services, and venturing into new markets. 

Ensuring the success of your training business requires ongoing care, creativity, and diligence.

This article was originally published July 2023 and was updated in October 2023 to be even more useful.

Daniela Ochoa is the go-to Content Marketing Specialist at Thinkific Plus. With years of experience in marketing and communications, she is passionate about helping businesses grow through strategic customer education, content marketing, and online learning at scale.

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11 powerful training plan templates and examples for your business.

Your company can get ahead of labor shortages and the ever-evolving skills requirements of the market by investing in employee development.

Training your workers will help you resolve common workplace issues like lack of motivation, poor productivity, inadequate domain knowledge, and confusion or uncertainty about their role.

"Creating a successful employee training plan requires ongoing assessment and adaptation . You must frequently analyze your team's skills and assess any gaps that need to be filled, then design training programs to address those needs and provide ongoing support for growth and development." Sarah Watson, Chief Operating Officer at BPTLAB, personality testing solutions provider .

But if it's your first time designing and executing a structured training program, you might need guidance on how to begin or what to include in your plan.

We've put together some of the best employee training plan examples, templates, and checklists. Use them as a starting point when building robust training programs for your organization.

❗️ 7 Must-haves in an employee training plan template

There are different kinds of training opportunities that you can offer your employees. And templates tend to come in different shapes, forms, and structures because they are made by people with varying organizational needs and goals.

However, whether you're creating your own or building upon someone else's, here are some essential elements that any good training policy template should have.

Training objectives 

List out how you hope the training program will benefit your workforce and company. Your goals must be specific, measurable, and relevant. Learn more about soft skills and hard skills . Employee training assessment can also be helpful to understand your employees needs.

Type/method of training

How do you intend to deliver the training? Will it be instructor-led, self-paced, virtual, in-person, or blended training? Or maybe you want to use a role-playing, virtual training , gamification , on-the-job training and mentoring approach? Think about your options and note them down in this section.

➡️ Check out our new hire training plan for the ultimate training for your new hires.

Training curriculum and materials

This column in your training plan template should cover what employees will learn during the training. Mention the learning resources and materials you'll need or provide and any regulatory guidelines that employees and course creators must follow. 

Audience and stakeholders

This template section is for defining who needs the training, who will be creating courses, conducting, or overseeing the training, and the expectations for each of the roles. 

Learning outcomes 

What specific knowledge, skills, or competencies do you want employees to take away from the training?

We recommend first filling a skills matrix , to understand your people's current skills levels and identify any gaps.

For instance, your marketing team has a training objective to improve their social media advertising skills. The learning outcome you should see after training is a strong understanding of Facebook Ads.

What is the duration of the training program? What dates and times will training sessions take place? What are the deadlines for completing performance milestones? When will you check in with employees to see how they are progressing?

KPIs for effectiveness

Finally, every training plan template must have a field where you can define how you will measure the effectiveness of your training efforts. 

Tip: Note the KPIs or metrics you will use as a benchmark.

📝 11 Examples of employee training plan templates

We've put together these ready-to-use training templates and checklists that you can customize to suit your company's learning and development needs.

1. Training needs assessment template

What this template includes: This training survey helps you uncover insights about gaps in employee performance, knowledge, and skills. It tells you what your workers want to learn, their preferred learning methods, and their schedule.

When to use it: To assess your organization's training needs and know where the skill gaps are for each department and individual employee before you begin planning a training program.

Why it matters: This information will enable you to identify your business case for training and design targeted learning and development experiences that produce better outcomes for you and your workforce.

2. New-hire training template

What the new-hire training template includes: This template covers everything that new hires need to know to help them settle into their role and do their jobs to the best of their abilities.

It contains essential knowledge, training, and skills that you want to equip new hires with, such as:

• company policies;
• role descriptions;
• starter projects; 
• chain of command;
• standard operating procedures;
• orientation, integration, and performance review timelines.

When to use it: Use your training plan to set new employees up for success from day one and guide them through their first few months or year on the job.

Why it matters: How you onboard and train new hires can make or mar their experience and performance at your company.

"Investing in employees at the start with a well-thought-out and comprehensive training program demonstrates a willingness to invest in their growth, which leads to enhanced loyalty, meaning you won't have to fill the position again anytime soon." — Mitch Chailland, President of Canal HR . ‍

Tip:💡 Make sure to check out our blog post on how long onboarding should take and the best practices.

3. New hire training checklist

What the new hire training checklist includes: You'll find all the logistical items, preboarding activities, and action plans you will need to manage to guide new hires through your onboarding and training process from the moment they accept your job offer to their first annual performance check-in.

When to use it: Start ticking off items from your checklist to prepare your new hire for their first day and acclimate them to their new role, team, and company in the early months.

Why it matters: The strength of your new hire training will determine: - the employee's experience with your company;  - their speed to productivity;  - how well they perform in their role.

A checklist keeps things from falling through the cracks, guaranteeing all new hires a uniform onboarding and training experience.

➡️ Check out the new hire training checklist .

4. Pre-training checklist template

What the pre-training checklist template includes: This template breaks down the materials, schedules, tools, tasks, and activities you'll need to create, arrange, track, and execute to conduct a training session successfully.

When to use it: Create a training curriculum, prepare a memorandum, invite instructors and trainees, get feedback from participants, and disaster-proof upcoming training schemes by working through the checklist.

Why it matters: The last thing you want is to pour your time and energy into planning a training only to realize on D-day that you forgot essential elements.

You want to ensure that you remembered to:

• Book a conference room. 
• Send out email invites to some employees.
• Print out enough assessment forms.

Preview of Pre-Training checklist template

☑️ Prepare training memorandum and email invite.

• Determine which employees are mandated or free to attend.
• Provide training agenda. 
• Provide training date, time, location, and other pertinent information.

Completion date: 2 weeks before training day.

Assigned to: HR.

☑️ Confirm attendance.

• Make sure all mandated attendees have signed up.
• Book a suitable conference room.

Completion date: 1 week before training day. 

➡️ Download the complete training checklist in excel .

5. Individual employee training plan template

What the individual employee training plan includes: This template gives you an overview of where a specific employee currently is regarding skills and performance and where they need to be. It details the following:

• Employees' skill gap ;
• Training goals;
• Development actions;
• Training methods and materials;
• Learning outcomes;
• Progress metrics;
• Training timeline.

When to use it: Use this template to sharpen an employee's existing skills or prepare them to transition into a different role. Or as a component of your performance review process to support staffers who seem to lag behind before their performance becomes a severe issue.

Why it matters: A proactive training approach boosts employee productivity and efficiency by pinpointing the skills they are lacking and helping them develop those areas.

Tip: Sit down with the employee who needs the training and work with them to develop their training plan.

➡️ Get the individual employee training plan template.

6. Employee development plan template

What the employee development plan template includes: This template acts as a guide for documenting and nurturing each employee's professional growth plans. It covers:

• their career goals;
• the skills and knowledge they need to reach their goals;
• the training and actions they will take to gain these skills;
• the timeline for completing the training and hitting milestones.

When to use it: Create development plans to:

• Speed up time to productivity for new hires as part of the onboarding
• Improve performance of underperforming employees
• Help members of your team grow their skills and advance their careers, whether that means progressing toward a management role or making a lateral move.

Why it matters: Hiring new employees, especially at a higher skill tier, is far more costly and time-consuming than providing upskilling and career development opportunities for your current employees.

➡️ Get the employee development plan template.

7. 70-20-10 development plan template

What the 70-20-10 development plan template includes: A 70-20-10 training plan gives you a framework for structuring your development programs using:

• experiential, 
• peer-to-peer, and 
• formal training methods

To maximize engagement and performance.

When to use it: Use this template before launching your program to divide your training into sections, so everyone knows which skills trainees will learn on the job, from their peers, or through formal training sessions like seminars, presentations, and courses.

Why it matters: Offering employees the 70-20-10 blended learning experience supports better knowledge retention and the development of practical skills.

➡️ Download the 70-20-10 development plan template.

8. Training matrix template

What the training matrix template includes: This template supplies all the data you'll need to get a comprehensive view of the state of your training initiatives, such as:

• employee names, roles, and departments;
• active training courses and topics;
• learner progress;
• course completion rate;
• failure rate.

When to use it: Keep track of specialized and company-wide past and present training efforts and the individual employees or teams that have participated in them with this template.

Why it matters: Building a training matrix is a great way to monitor your active training programs, how trainees progress through the program, and the training needs you should be working towards meeting.

➡️ Get the training matrix template .

9. Leadership training plan template

What the leadership training plan includes: Get an overview of your company's current leadership abilities and the areas where there's room for improvement. This template addresses the following:

• training needs assessment;
• training objectives;
• your leadership training topics ;
• the core leadership skills your (future) leaders will obtain from the training;
• the training methods and formats you'll use to facilitate this; 
• your use of facilities and stakeholders.

When to use it: Provide your workers with leadership training to develop and improve the skills they'll require to manage a team effectively. Plus, use leadership training to teach about your organization's code of conduct for supervisors.

Why it matters: A leadership training plan example allows you to transform your newly promoted employees and staffers with management potential from "actors" to "directors."

➡️ Get the leadership training plan template .

10. Product training template

What the product training plan includes: This template makes it easy to train your employees and other stakeholders on new or existing products. It presents information about the following:

• the product's benefits and features;
• product use cases;
• how the product works;
• why it is better than that of your competitors ( product comparison ).

When to use it: Break out this template whenever a new team member starts in your company to get them up to speed with your products. Alternatively, use product training to help current employees learn everything there is to know about newly launched offerings.

Why it matters: To convincingly sell your product to customers, your employees must first understand its WHAT, WHY, and HOW.

11. DEI training plan template

What the DEI training plan template includes: This diversity, equity, and inclusion template is designed as a microlearning journey. It touches on everything from why DEI matters to your company's DEI policies and aspirations, as well as actions employees can take to tackle bias and foster inclusivity.

When to use it: Put this ready-to-use course to work to educate new and existing employees about DEI topics so that everyone feels respected, safe, welcome, and empowered in the workplace.

Why it matters: A lot goes into designing an effective diversity training initiative. Work from a structured template to keep track of all the moving parts and ensure you deliver consistent messaging about the importance of cultivating a healthy and inclusive workplace culture.

➡️ Get the DEI training plan template .

💪 Why use a training plan template?

A training plan template is a document that outlines how you intend to carry out your training initiatives. It breaks down what has to happen to ensure the success of your training efforts.

Here are some advantages a good training plan template can offer you.

1. Saves you time

The more time you use in creating your training plan, the longer it will take to launch your training program and start upskilling your workers .

Rather than spending days or months strategizing and building your training plan from scratch, you can fill out a template or modify it to suit your needs. Again, this frees up time you can spend on other important tasks.

2. Makes the training process less stressful

A training plan template streamlines your company's training journey by providing a roadmap outlining the steps you need to take to achieve specific goals.

It takes the pressure and worries out of analyzing training needs, preparing strategies and objectives, and developing a curriculum to support individual learning goals. 

Templates help you address your organization's present and future skill gaps.

3. Keeps things on track

Without a training plan template, it's easy for things to fall through the cracks because you may not be able to remember or keep track of all details.

You can invest a lot of money and time only to end up with a training program that doesn't deliver on its promises or meet the expectations you set for it. 

A template helps you stay on schedule and manage all the components of your training process so that everything flows smoothly.

4. Helps anticipate employees' training needs

To create successful skills development programs, you first need to know what areas your workers need upskilling or reskilling to remain competitive in their careers. And to ensure the continued survival and profitability of your business.

A training plan template takes the guesswork out of the equation, empowering you to design and execute engaging training programs that help your employees grow as individuals and as a team.

➡️ Learn how to create an effective employee training plan in 9 steps.

➡️ Plan your training with Zavvy

Training plan templates can be a helpful guide for standardizing your training initiatives and mapping out how you will empower your workforce with the skills they need to grow and perform better.

But to build sustainable and scalable training initiatives, you also need the right training tool.

Zavvy's training solutions are ideal from onboarding onwards to create a continuous learning culture for your company.

Zavvy makes it easy to:

• Plan, create, distribute, and manage your learning and development content in one place.
• Automate your entire training program to reach people with the right content at the right time with ready-to-use training courses .
• Deliver effective and engaging learning experiences with creative training solutions like microlearning, peer learning, and learning in the flow of work.
• Develop leaders and everyone else based on data with precision.
• Track course completion, engagement, learner performance, and training ROI.

Ready to build a worry-free training program? Book a free demo anytime.

Berfu is an Employee Experience Specialist at Zavvy. She has a background in learning psychology and helps our customers get the most out of their people enablement programs.

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Big AI feature updates coming September 10 ✨

With a skill development plan, you can take a more proactive approach to professional growth. Learn what one is & how to create one.

If you’ve ever played a video game, you probably know how experience works: the more you do something, the better you get at doing it. It works a bit slower in the real world, but there are a few tricks you can use to help your team level up.

A skill development plan is a great tool for team members or managers interested in professional development . Keep reading for an in-depth guide on skill development plans – and how to make plans that can help you or your team excel.

What is a skill development plan (SDP)? 

How to create a skill development plan.

• Benefits of skill development planning

A skill development plan is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a detailed series of steps that guide someone through skill development. 

No matter how good someone is at their job, there will usually be areas for improvement. That’s not a knock against them – even the most skilled, knowledgeable people can learn something new about topics they’ve known well for years. The more you learn about a job, the more you realize what you don’t yet know. A skill development plan can help you shine a spotlight on those skill gaps and come up with strategies to patch them over.

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Creating a skill development plan is like running a race. You draw a finish line in the sand that represents a development goal and work toward it step by step. The trick is finding the right steps to take so that you and your team don’t veer off course. Here’s how to create a great skill development plan.  

• Figure out your or your team members’ ambitions
• Find strengths and weaknesses
• Build a development strategy
• Set the plan into motion

1 Figure out your or your team members’ ambitions

Skill development can’t start if you haven’t defined your finish line. Without a goal to work toward, any improvements might not be relevant. 

The first thing you should do when developing a plan is sit down with the team member (or yourself if you’re doing this for you). A one-on-one meeting , for example, is a great time to jot down some short- and long-term ambitions. A skill development plan can accommodate most goals but, in this case, you probably want to shoot for something job-related. For example, earning a promotion and climbing the organization’s ladder is a common goal.

2 Find strengths and weaknesses

Let’s say you or a team member want to move to a senior role in your organization. They most likely need certain skills to get there, and these skills can be perfect benchmarks for this team member’s growth. Use your benchmarks to pinpoint your team member’s strengths and weaknesses, then decide how exactly they’ll reach their ultimate goal. 

3 Build a development strategy

Now, you can create a step-by-step plan for getting yourself or your team member from point A to point B. For instance, if your team member wants a promotion , the plan could include them shadowing someone already in that role.

4 Set the plan into motion

At this point, your skill development plan is ready to go. Following through on it is largely up to you or your team member. And if anything goes wrong, you can step in – after all, lots of plans work better in theory than in execution. 

If you or your team member falls behind on a skill development plan, a training course can help get them back on track. And if the total opposite is happening and the expectations weren’t challenging enough in the first place, you can find higher-level tasks to try.  

Benefits of skill development

Skill development planning is great for helping you or your team members grow within your organization – and that’s just the start. Here are some other ways that skill development planning can benefit you, your team members, or your organization.

• Helps avoid brain drain
• Gets new employees up to speed quicker
• Shares expectations
• Finds the most important skills
• Reduces stagnation
• Encourages progress tracking

1 Helps avoid brain drain

You never know when a team member might choose to leave your organization. And sure, you can hire someone new, but replacing your old team member’s knowledge and experience is a much bigger challenge. A skill development plan can keep that knowledge within your business – it’s a clear path for someone new to get up to speed.

2 Gets new employees up to speed quicker

It might take some time for new hires to get used to your organization, so they might not be 100% productive at first. You can cut down on the time it takes them to get there with a solid skill development plan. Think about it like this: You already know the soft skills needed for the job. Just learn your new team member’s strengths and weaknesses, and from there, you can use your skill development plan for top-notch onboarding .

3 Shares expectations

Skill development plans are meant to be simple and easy to understand. Team members reading them should instantly know what you expect of them – and what skills they should work on to be their best selves. 

4 Finds the most important skills

A skill development plan shows your team members the most important skills they need to bring to the table. This way, if a team member is limited on time, they can focus on their most important development goals. As they master their skills, they’ll become more productive and efficient. 

5 Reduces stagnation

Would you want to clock in every day if your work no longer challenged you? Probably not – and skill development plans can prevent you or your team members from falling into the trap. A skill development plan is a great reminder that there’s always more to learn. This alone can keep you or your best team members motivated, reduce career stagnation – and help them get even better at what they do.

6 Encourages progress tracking

Your skill development plan isn’t a “set it and forget it” process. Maybe your team members will be fine on their own, but if they do hit a snag, they’ll need your support. Keep tabs on your team members’ progress and make changes if they’re having trouble – or not having enough trouble. 

To be clear, we’re not saying you or your team members should always hit a wall. We’re saying you should face challenges every now and again. Overcoming challenges is one of the best ways to learn new skills – and stay engaged at work.

Help your team work at their best

Measuring your or a team member’s success with a skill development plan can be the key to long-term success. Direct peer feedback is a big part of moving your plan forward, and Fellow can help you get it. With Fellow, you can give and get real-time feedback as your development plan goes along. It’s the easiest way to readjust on the fly and get exactly where you need to go.

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See how leaders in 100+ countries are making meetings more productive and delightful.

Say goodbye to unproductive meetings. Fellow helps your team build great meeting habits through collaborative agendas, real-time notetaking, and time-saving templates.

End every meeting knowing who is doing what by when. Assign, organize, and prioritize all your meeting action items in one place.

Give and get feedback as work happens. Request and track real-time feedback on meetings, recent projects, and performance.

• Blog Rise Up
•  > How to build a skills development plan?

11 Minutes of reading

How to build a skills development plan?

A skills development plan is a must-have for any business looking to help its employees maximise their potential. After all, the success of any organisation is predicated on the abilities of its staff. By helping them to grow, you’re also investing in the future of your company.

However, it may not always be obvious how best to go about developing employees’ skills. Fortunately, this guide will go through every step of the process, from defining what a skill development plan is, listing its benefits, and showing you how to create your own.

What exactly is a skills development plan ?

Before we go any further, we need to understand the  purpose of a skills development plan , as well as what it includes.

A skills development plan can either be completed by an individual, or by an employee together with their manager. When an individual puts together their own plan, it may be known as a  personal development plan , while one created within a business is often called an  employee development plan . Here, we’ll be focusing on skill development plans for employees.

The purpose of a skills development plan is to help employees  achieve certain goals . While these will be aligned with the aims and future  objectives of the business , the plan will be primarily shaped around the individual’s  professional ambitions . They help to focus the employee’s mind on what they want to accomplish in the short and long term, and enable them to map out the actions they need to take in order to hit their targets.

For example, an employee’s short-term goals may be to gain more experience in different aspects of their role with a view to achieving a long-term goal of moving into a managerial role. A skills development plan could recommend a variety of employee development methods, from shadowing other staff members to completing courses.

An employee’s skills development plan is not, however, permanently set in stone. Instead, it should be thought of as an evolving document that adapts as their needs and wants grow and change over time. Additionally, the employee isn’t the only person who must take action—it’s also up to any relevant managers to ensure that support and resources are made available so that any objectives laid out in the plan can be achieved.

Benefits of a skills development plan

The advantages of developing employees’ competences extend both to the  team members themselves   and to the  entire company . If you’ve never put together a skill development plan before, though, you may not realise how many specific benefits they can bring.

See also Skills vs competencies: what is the difference?

Firstly, by creating a plan, you’re providing the employee with a  clear understanding of what’s expected of them   in the weeks and months ahead. Likewise, they can expect a level of support from management to help them meet their targets. Moving forward, both sides can then use the plan as a way of figuring out whether adequate progress   is being made. If one party is falling behind, then appropriate actions can be planned and taken to help improve employee development.

By implementing the recommendations set out in the skills development plan, businesses can help to  increase employee performance . Not only will this help them to excel in their current role, but it also prepares them to move upward within the company,  reducing the costs   associated with recruiting and training external candidates. Similarly, it makes the individual more employable over the long term.

Businesses can benefit in many additional ways. Firstly, by investing in  employee growth , they can help to  foster positive sentiment   towards the company, building  loyalty   and increasing  motivation  levels . What’s more, by putting the work in to upskill employees now, organisations can future-proof themselves by ensuring their staff have the necessary skill set required to tackle any future challenges.

How to create a skills development plan

Now that we’ve established the reasons why skills development plans work so well, you’ll surely want to know what goes into creating one. We’ll break down the steps you need to take in order to create a truly effective plan that works for both your business and your employees.

Step 1: Define your goals

It’s impossible to plan out employee skill development without knowing what your aims are . For example, it’s no use advising one of your web developers to learn Python, only to realise further down the line that they actually need an entirely different programming language in order to do their job.

To start off with, then, you need to have a defined set of goals in mind. This part is very much a two-way street. First off, think from the point of view of your business. What are your aims in the short, medium and long term? These could be as diverse as launching a new product line, becoming a market leader in your sector or expanding internationally.

The next step is to have a discussion with each employee regarding their own personal aims . This can include a whole range of professional development goals, from earning certification in a certain field through to improving soft skills. More long-term ambitions may include promotion to a specific role within the business.

Step 2: Assess existing strengths and weaknesses

Now that each side knows what they’re aiming for, you can begin working together to figure out how to make it happen. However, this can only be a success if you know where you’re starting from. This means assessing the skills you currently possess and recognising what needs to be worked on.

One way to achieve this is to complete a SWOT analysis , which takes into account areas of existing strength, weaknesses you can work to reduce, opportunities to seize and potential threats to be aware of.

This exercise can help both managers and employees alike to become aware of gaps in their knowledge they may not have previously considered, and will identify areas that need to be addressed in order for both sides to achieve their objectives.

Step 3: Create a plan of action

At this stage, you’re now ready to turn your ideas into a workable plan . Rather than focusing on more general concepts, your aim is to create specific actions to be completed. For example, if an employee wants to improve their public speaking skills, the plan might give them a goal of presenting a project in front of their team.

Any items forming part of the plan of action need to be SMART . This is a useful acronym you can use to make the process of setting goals more effective. It stands for…

• Specific: What exactly do you want to accomplish and why? How can you go about this?
• Measurable: What criteria can you use to measure your progress?
• Achievable: Can you realistically attain this goal?
• Relevant: Does the action help in the pursuit of your overall ambitions?
• Timely: When do you need to complete the action? Is it a short, medium or long term goal?

An employee’s completed plan will detail their professional goals, include their SWOT analysis, and list a number of SMART actionable items that can help them to reach their targets. Once again, though, it’s important to remember that this plan is not simply about what the employee needs to do. It also provides management with an idea of how they can make any goals set achievable.

Step 4: Implement the plan

Your skills development plan is ready to go ! Now, it’s time to think about how employees and managers alike can play their part in making it a reality.

Firstly, it’s important to remember that the majority of skill development should take place on the job. The 70:20:10 rule can help here—roughly 70% of learning happens through work, 20% from other people, and 10% via training. That’s why it’s so crucial to build in time into the working day to gain new skills , including activities such as mentoring or shadowing.

As for the training side of things, there’s no shortage of available tools that can help. One example of a success story is the Decathlon Academy , a solution that arose from a partnership between Rise Up and international sports retailer Decathlon. Here, employees each had their own personal training account and were given the power to determine their own goals, both inside and outside of work.

Step 5: Development over time

Your skills development plan is in full flow and your employee training course is going swimmingly. Now isn’t the time to rest on your laurels, though. It’s important to remember that the initial set of professional goals, business needs and required skills will evolve over time.

A successful plan will give both employees and managers the ability to make alterations as things change over time. For example, if an employee is falling behind, they may require additional support to help them reach their goal. Alternatively, if they’re exceeding their targets, more ambitious actions may be appropriate. By allowing both sides to reflect on the successes and failures of the plan, you can help to optimise it over the long run .

How to improve your employees' skills development

Any business that wants to thrive needs to take steps to help employees continually develop their skills . This means investing time and resources into ensuring that everyone has access to the most effective training resources for their needs.

This is where a learning management system (LMS) c an prove incredibly useful. Using this software, you can easily keep track of employee progression and schedule in additional development activities to help your staff achieve their goals.

Similarly, using a learning experience platform (LXP) is a fantastic way to improve employee development , as it provides staff with a whole range of tools to boost engagement and motivation , such as social learning and gamification. The best solution of all, of course, is to choose a portal like Rise Up that combines LMS and LXP features, giving you the best of both worlds!

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Steps towards an ongoing employee training and skills development plan

The cultural digital transformation we experience every day highlights the importance of continuous learning in all aspects of business and marketing. How can you leverage training and skills development planning to achieve your goals this year?

The landscape of today’s workplace isn’t what it was twenty years ago. Today’s environment is both fast-paced and competitive, which makes it all the more important that employers find a way to keep employees energized - often with an employee training and skills development plan.

This changing nature of work requires additional training strategies focused on enhancing learning agility, transferability of skills and opportunities to explore adjacent, in-demand skills.

Digital transformation is an area of skills development that demands attention. Companies need to improve the effectiveness of their online communications now that digital channels are one of the main techniques customers use for selecting and buying products and services.

If you're looking to create or improve your marketing plans, our RACE Growth System is a great place to start. From here you can identify which areas of your marketing would benefit the most from optimization, which will inform your team training needs.

Create your 90-day plan with the RACE Growth System

Download your free RACE Growth System guide today and unlock our three-step plan of Opportunity, Strategy and Action to grow your business.

How to assess future marketing training and skills development requirements

It isn’t always easy for employees and managers to identify which skills are required or the best learning strategies to attain those skills. This often leads to learning initiatives that do not match employee motivation and success needs, while also failing to achieve long-term results.

To support you in planning for employee development, we’ve created our Employee Development Learning Path for Business Members.

This Learning Path can be used for annual development or performance reviews between managers and team members, and then reviewed during the year. Individual employees can also use it independently for their development.

The benefits of employee training and development planning

Employees at every level want to see a clear development path in front of them and be supported in development through training. The more engaged and motivated an employee feels, the more useful they are to the company and the longer they’ll stay with the company.

Having a plan that clearly outlines what comes next in their career often allows employees to work through challenges rather than seeing them as blockages. This gives employees a forward-looking perspective of what’s on the horizon for both themselves and the company.

How to structure employee development reviews

Our Learning Path uses the popular GROW model which encourages employees and managers to reflect critically on development needs from personal and organizational perspectives to find the best match overall.

The result of using the template will be a well-constructed plan that is laid out and provides sufficient information to support the achievement of development goals, giving employees something to work towards and a focus for supported action by managers.

Implementation timescales

The implementation of the plan relies on a large number of factors such as the goals to be achieved and the capacity of the person to achieve them. For this reason, how long the plan takes will be unique to each individual. For example, a goal of attaining a management position may take less time for someone with previous team leader experience than a new starter.

Developing your marketing skills with Business Membership

For employees, our Learning Path module “Develop your marketing skills with Smart Insights” provides an overview of employee development generally. It then outlines how to create a plan and highlights how the Smart Insights platform can support the implementation of your plan.

In this module you can also examine benefits to the organization, and different methods and approaches you can use when planning your development journey, including the creation of actionable development plans.

Developing your marketing skills with Smart Insights

Part of the Managing digital marketing teams Toolkit

Learn how to develop an action plan for enhancing your own marketing skills

Developing your team members with Business Membership

For managers, the module “Developing your team members with Smart Insights” provides information additional to the individual module. It examines other facets including benefits to the organization, and different methods and approaches you can use when supporting your team members in their development journey, including the creation of actionable development plans.

There is additional information on how to conduct a plan development meeting, provide feedback and support the implementation of the plan by using the different types of Smart Insights resources.

By using the skills development template you will be able to more effectively assess employee and business goal alignment. By ensuring the employee development goals in some way aligned to the overall business goals ensures the development plan can have a wide-reaching impact.

Training and skills development planning can help to identify your employee's technical and soft skill mix. Encouraging employees to identify both technical and soft skills can pinpoint other specific skill sets that may be beneficial for the individual or organization to focus on.

Steps towards marketing success in 2023

Finally, having a training plan allows for a greater ambition and capacity match. The best way to ensure your team is achieving the results you want is to integrate your marketing activities and drive towards your goals. By creating an effective plan, and training your team to action it, you can drive marketing success in 2023. Take your first step today when you download our free RACE Growth System guide.

By Lyndon Baker

Lyndon Baker is a highly experienced instructional design and learning technology leader responsible for designing and developing innovative, vibrant and challenging learning experiences for Smart Insights members across all digital marketing channels. With extensive public and private sector experience in the UK and Australia, he has worked closely with L&D and educational professionals to implement training and performance initiatives to improve organisational outcomes at all levels. As a progressive educational leader who focuses on performance and results, Lyndon challenges other individuals to learn in ways that make a real difference that supports each organisation to more effectively and efficiently achieve its aims.

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The Secrets of Skill Development

Skill development – at least with an underlying sense of intent – often takes a back seat to all of the day-to-day activities that consume time and energy. And while you should have a steady focus on skill set throughout your career, it’s especially important to work on your skills when you’re in the early days of your professional life .

When you step into a bigger or different role , when you make (or want to make) a career change , and when you go to work for a new company. Each of these situations presents new challenges and forces you onto a new skill gaps and usually steeper learning curve. Here is how to get a jumpstart on your skill development strategy.

What is Skill Development?

Psychologists have been publishing research on how people develop skills and on the different types of skills since at least the 1960s. They use a litany of different classification schemes to describe skills, some of which are easier to follow than others. From the lay perspective, they generally boil down to:

• Hard skills , such as accounting or carpentry, which are task-related. These are also called technical or cognitive skills or competencies.
• Soft skills , such as influence, motivation and emotional intelligence, which are behavioral . These are also called social or interpersonal skills. Character traits and attitudes, such as work ethic and integrity, are sometimes lumped in with soft skills, though they are somewhat different.

Some skills are domain-specific and others are domain-general or transferrable. For example, carpentry skills won’t make you a good accountant (and vice versa) but being a good motivator is likely to help you whether you’re a carpenter or an accountant. Soft skills are inherently more readily transferable. At PathWise, we’ve outlined a subset of them that we see as the 10 Essential Core Skills , traits like authenticity, conviction, and resilience.

Skill development and the job search process

While a formal focus on skill development goes back at least as far as the Middle Ages concept of guilds (professions) and apprenticeships, being able to describe your skills is of particular importance in this current era of keyword-focused Applicant Tracking Systems that are often used by employers to perform automated resume screening for skill requirements.

If you don’t have the right skill-related keywords in your resume, you’re going to get screened out. ATSs expand employers’ ability to review candidates, but they have also had several unfortunate consequences:

• They inadvertently end up screening out solid candidates who don’t include the right skill-related keywords into their resume or CV. Don’t let this be you- make sure you appropriately incorporate your key skills into your resume.
• Candidates feel compelled to pack their resumes or CVs with long lists of keywords, leading to their invariably providing an over-stated representation of themselves and eroding their credibility as candidates. Again, don’t let this be you. Focus on your biggest strengths and the ones that align more significantly with the job(s) you’re seeking.
• A growing for-profit education industry has developed around issuing skill-related licenses or certifications. While some of these programs are reputable and well-developed, a good many of them aren’t, and employers are smart enough to see right through that. If you’re considering investing in a skill development program or other form of continuing education, do your homework before signing up and investing your time and money.

Employee Skill Development

Employers are also increasingly focused on characterizing their employees’ skills in a more systematic fashion. Let’s face it: most companies have only a minimal (and likely skewed) understanding of their employees’ skills.

Their HR departments are familiar only with employees’ education, the broad strokes of their work for prior employers, the different roles they have held in the company itself, and their performance in those roles (which is usually documented only through the lens of their managers – hence the inevitable bias).

By capturing their skills in a more comprehensive fashion, companies can more readily identify candidates for open roles. They also remove some of the bias that invariably exists in evaluating current performance and suitability for other roles.

HR technology providers, such as Cornerstone , Coursera , Degreed , LinkedIn , and Udemy have jumped into this space. This has spawned a related race to come up with the best skills taxonomy that provide listings of skills, a customized learning experience, and their relevance to employee development for different job types. (If you want to dive down the rabbit hole on skills taxonomies, check out this podcast from leading HR consultant Josh Bersin . He has even coined the term “Skillstech” to describe players in this space.)

How this focus can benefit your skill development

For you, one benefit of all this HR tech development is that it’s much easier to identify what HR professionals see as the key skills for different types of roles. These skill-job libraries provide you with a training plan template of sorts for where to focus your skill development work.

It’s also easier than ever for you to take advantage of the many options for learning that have blossomed over the past decade, including those offered by your current employer, which often go under-utilized, much to your HR colleagues’ dismay.

Again, though, do your homework up-front, particularly when considering an external program, so that you invest your time and money wisely. Bear in mind as well that education is only one of the means by which you develop your skills, and it pales in comparison to what you learn experientially.

Different sources of skill development

When you get to the point of actually developing your skills, it’s helpful to bear in mind a framework known as the 4Es:

• Experience, which includes day-to-day practice and on-the-job training. This is “learning by doing.”
• Exposure , which includes what you learn from managers, team members, mentors or your external network
• Education , which includes whatever level of schooling you completed prior to joining the work force as well as training and other programs you complete once you’re in the work force
• Environment, which includes the tools, systems, and infrastructure that support you in a job. It also includes the culture and processes that facilitate or hinder learning.

Your lifelong learning plan , or skill development plan, should include all four of these elements.

The process of skill development

How you learn a new skill usually follows a step-wise process first described by various psychologists about 50 years ago and summarized nicely by Wikipedia :

• Unconscious incompetence, during which you don’t understand or know how to do something and don’t necessarily recognize the deficit. You may even deny the usefulness of the skill. It’s important here for you to recognize your incompetence (apologies if that sounds harsh), and the value of the new skill, before moving on to the next stage. The length of time you spend in this stage depends on the strength of the stimulus to learn.
• Conscious incompetence. In this stage, you don’t understand or know how to do something, however, you recognize the areas for improvement (deficit), as well as the value of a new skill in addressing the deficit. The making of mistakes can be integral to the learning process at this stage.
• Conscious competence , during which you understand or know how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires concentration. It may be broken down into steps, and there is heavy conscious involvement in executing the new skill.
• Unconscious competence, by which time you have had so much practice with a skill that it has become “second nature” and can be performed easily. As a result, the skill can be performed while executing another task. You may also be able to teach it to others, depending upon how and when it was learned.

As a simple example, consider learning to shoot a basketball free throw. At first, you do whatever you think works best to get the ball into (or at least near) the hoop. You don’t yet have a grasp on what you’re doing well and not well. That’s unconscious incompetence.

As you continue to practice, you start to become aware of your flaws but you’re not fully sure how to fix them. That’s conscious incompetence. You then ask a good free throw shooter or a coach to help you to improve your shot. You get some good tips and further practice, but it still requires a lot of thought each time you step up to the free-throw line.

It may also require you to unlearn some of the bad habits you developed in your early attempts at learning to shoot free throws. That’s conscious competence. As you continue to practice, your muscle memory builds and the process becomes more natural. That’s unconscious competence, and if you’re really, really lucky, it turns you into Steph Curry , the NBA’s career free throw percentage leader at over 90.7%.

While this sports-related example is easy to explain, this same process occurs in other types of skill development as well. Hence it’s important for you to surround yourself with people (managers, more experienced peers, mentors) who will help you make the transition from conscious incompetence to conscious competence.

Creating a skill development plan

If you’re committed to developing your skills and hitting development goals, you need an actual plan, one that factors in the skills you need:

• Now for success in your current role or at the moment
• S oon for growth in your role or readiness for the next role
• Long-term to meet your career objectives

Focus on the skills themselves (the “what” and the “why”) and the way in which you are going to learn them (the “how”). Give yourself some deadlines (the “when”). As a few examples, you might set skill-related short and long term goals to:

• Build finance experience by taking on a part-time assignment this quarter within the company’s Finance function [an experience-oriented goal]
• Sign up for the company’s user experience (UX) training program to help me develop a deeper understanding of UX principles in my product design work [an education-oriented goal]
• Get a job with XYZ company to have the opportunity to work in the environment of the unquestioned leader in our industry [an environment-oriented goal]
• Ask XYZ individual to mentor me this year so that I can get exposure to her leadership style [an exposure-oriented goal]

Commit the time to developing this plan. Review it with your manager or HR partner, a mentor, or other trusted colleague. Refine it accordingly. View it like any other goal that requires a specific plan and timeline for building the skills on which you choose to focus.

Continue to review this plan over time, as your work situation, longer-term aspirations, and company and market environment all evolve. Make skill development an ongoing focus, in line with the notion of being a lifelong learner . The continued focus will accelerate your progress in your early years and will invariably assist you in achieving your goals.

Looking to start on your career skill development? We can start with creating your career plan .

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Step 1: examine the organization’s requirements and objectives, step 2: examine the employee’s requirements and objectives, step 3: create a development strategy that accommodates both, step 4: select the appropriate training techniques and tools, step 5: implement, track, and improve, step 6: include a time frame, share this post on your network, you may also like these articles.

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5 Ways to Continue Your Skills Development and Grow Your Career

As the job market evolves, employees are expected to keep up with the latest digital skills. Here’s how to keep learning on the job and stay competitive.

Our talent pool is changing as companies and organizations rapidly adopt digital technology to increase efficiency and promote innovation. Because of this, it’s estimated that more than 800 million jobs will be lost over the next decade, and an additional 375 million people will need to change their jobs, according to a future of work report from the McKinsey Global Institute. 

5 Tips for Continuing Your Skills Development on the Job

• Seek jobs that prioritize upskilling opportunities.
• Take an employer-led training course.
• Volunteer for a stretch project.
• Find a mentor to support your skill development.
• Sign up for external skills training courses.

To remain competitive and become valuable, agile and resilient to the job market, employees must prioritize skills training for in-demand technologies to ensure they are equipped to maintain careers in the digital future. Whether you are seeking employment, employed or a decision-maker at a company that has not yet implemented a talent transformation program, this is for you.  

1. Prioritize Jobs That Advance Your Skills

As job seekers navigate through application and interview processes, compensation continues to be a top deciding factor, but there is always going to be a higher-paying opportunity out there. 

When it comes time to make a decision, candidates must place more weight on the added value offered by potential employers. Whether it’s on-the-job training , advanced learning and development programs or a stretch role opportunity in a field where an applicant has some of the required experience but not all, the skills acquired through opportunities like these will last a lifetime. When searching for a new position, candidates should review the benefits section of a job description to see if there are any skill development opportunities included. If not, it’s a great topic to ask about during the interview process . If there are no opportunities presented, candidates can express their interest in skill development to gauge the potential employer’s willingness to create those opportunities. 

Pursuing professional growth opportunities versus compensation alone will accelerate an employee’s expertise across skill sets , making them more valuable and helping them to advance in their career. 

Employers also seek employees with diverse and relevant work history. Why? Because they are able to leverage skills obtained in previous roles and offer a unique perspective on projects and tasks in and outside of their current role. They are also in a position to share their knowledge and expertise with peers, advancing the company's talent pool as a whole.

More on Career Development How to Ask for a Promotion

2. Take Advantage of Employer-Led Training Courses

There are many different ways to approach learning and development in a current role. The three most common options to inquire about include a library of courses provided by an employer, stretch projects, and mentorship opportunities. 

It’s not uncommon for companies to have a library of training courses that employees can reference to learn how to complete tasks in their current role as well as skills that they are interested in acquiring. Employees can also check in with their employer to see if there are available projects to accompany the courses in order to gain real-world experience in the skill or subject matter.

3. Volunteer for a Stretch Project 

My favorite route for employee development is working on a stretch project or a task that is outside of an employee’s functional area. This allows the employee to really dive into a realm of the business that they’re unfamiliar with. Taking this path helps you as an employee grow and become a well-rounded professional that is willing and able to take on whatever is thrown their way. 

Often, it’s up to employees to seek out those opportunities, as stretch projects aren’t typically a top priority for employers . If you consistently have down time during the work day and there’s a particular area within your company that you’re interested in, ask your manager if there are any tasks you can take on in that specific area or outside of your current role. If there is a specific task you’ve been wanting to jump into, such as a new product deck or sales report, voice your interest. It’s unlikely your employer will turn down anyone looking to help.

In order to prepare for a stretch project, you must make sure you have enough availability in your day. Overwhelming yourself with additional tasks that may end up lackluster or subpar because you didn’t have enough time or attention to detail to allocate to it will not set you up to master a stretch project. Additionally, it’s important to confirm that you have all of the materials and resources you need to take on a stretch project. There will be a learning curve when jumping into something new, so it is critical you have the resources needed to succeed.

4. Seek Out a Mentor

Requesting a mentor is also a great way to expand an employee’s knowledge. A mentor is someone an employee can lean on who isn’t their direct manager when completing a new or ongoing project. In a study from the mentoring platform Pushfar, 87 percent of mentors and the person they’re mentoring say that their relationships make them feel empowered and helps them to develop a more prominent sense of confidence in themselves, and 97 percent of individuals with a mentor feel they are highly impactful and valuable. 

More on Mentorships You Need Help. Here’s How to Find a Data Science Mentor.

5. Sign Up for External Skills Training Courses

It is important to keep in mind that not all employers are inclined to offer these advancement options. If they are unavailable, ask about stipends or other ways an employer may be open to supporting skills training externally.  

Another great option for advancing your skill set when those resources aren’t offered by an employer is to sign up for an external course . There are so many great online courses to choose from across industries, including coding , marketing , data science , cybersecurity , artificial intelligence and more. Upon completion, most courses will provide a certification that will help you during salary negotiations improve your resume and advance in other important conversations you may be considering.

Looking for Career Development? Boost Your Skills With Built In Learning Lab

Advantages of Continued Skills Training 

Younger generations are disrupting the working landscape. They fearlessly demand what they want from employers, and will walk away from a company if they are not fulfilled. The majority of people aged 18 to 49 years old believe their employers should invest in their future by providing skill training, according to the recent Talent Transformation Global Impact Report .

Developing skills in the workplace is so important. It’s common for employees to get stuck doing the same tasks day after day in their role, limiting growth and potential for larger opportunities. By learning more skills and taking on projects outside of their comfort zone, employees can begin to contribute in more than one area, paving the way for promotions, new job opportunities and general growth as an individual and professional.

If you are an employer that does not yet offer a learning and development program , it is time to make a change. According to the same report, 44 percent of employers state that employee turnover is hindering the company’s ability to achieve goals. By offering talent transformation and up-skilling initiatives like online courses, stretch projects and mentorships, employers can increase retention rates and hire with the intent to train properly. A win-win for both the employee and employer.

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4 Steps to Creating an Employee Skills Development Plan

• By Stephanie Kemp
• Talent Mobility
• October 31, 2023

Table of Contents

Find out how to create and action a skills development plan that meets evolving business demand and connects employees to L&D opportunities that boost their knowledge and competencies.

Meeting future demand means investing in employee training and development. Bridge’s report in partnership with HR Research Institute reveals that for 49% of HR professionals, developing employee skills is one of the most important factors driving workplace learning. What’s more, nearly 50% of respondents anticipate that learning technologies will increase their focus on skills-based learning and development in the future.

Skills power your people, allowing them to turn challenges into solutions and to work in new and flexible ways. This requires an ongoing strategy, so here are four steps to create a framework for employee skills development.

Step One: Define the Skills Your Organization Has and the Skills It Needs

Assessing skills connects goals and priorities with existing competencies, and if skills gaps exist, it allows you to target training.

1) Define Your Business Goals and Priorities

Skills development initiatives should be planned and enacted within the context of your organization and its strategy. And the first step is to identify your current and future objectives. 

Start with a broad view of your business before filtering goals down to departments and teams. Have a clear view of future planning and objectives at all levels of your organization.

2) Outline Skills Requirements to Meet Those Goals

By creating a detailed skills taxonomy, you build a framework to define and categorize the skills and behaviors your organization needs, the levels of proficiency within those skills, and the required roles to meet goals.

An accurate and efficient way to source and build this framework is with an AI-powered skills platform . Access to internal and external employee datasets can accelerate strategy building with insight into necessary and in-demand skills.

3) Conduct a Skills Assessment

With knowledge of the skills within your organization, it’s important to match them with specific job functions and roles in your business. In doing so, identify who possesses each of the desired skills and define their level of mastery.

Creating a competency framework helps quantify how your organization evaluates employee performance and defines which job titles are associated with each skill. This, in turn, makes it more straightforward to establish success standards and pinpoint where to target L&D efforts.

The methods used to measure employee skills can take a wide variety of forms, including:

• Data from previous performance evaluations and talent reviews
• Skills assessments and 360 feedback
• Test scores and assessments
• Interviews with managers and employees
• Practice-based exercises and activities to estimate skill levels

DISCOVER HOW TO MAP YOUR SKILLS | ‘ Skills Mapping 101: How to Visualize Employee Capabilities ’

4) Find and Fill Skills Gaps

A skills analysis leads to more informed talent decisions. Typically, addressing skills gaps will result in adjustments to HR processes and learning and development strategies in the form of hiring alongside reskilling and upskilling programs. 

While some skills gaps can be addressed through your recruitment efforts, a robust skills framework should also look to strengthen your internal talent. According to recruiting pros polled in LinkedIn’s Future of Recruiting report , the next five years of recruiting will be shaped by:

• Upskilling and reskilling talent (81%)
• Filling roles through internal hires (75%)

Analyze the findings from skills assessments to find existing gaps within your workforce. By visualizing these skills and overlaying them against goals, you can locate opportunities for improvement.

Step Two: Develop a Skills-Based Employee Training Strategy

A view of existing and priority skills can inform learning and development programs that fill gaps and target training in the most beneficial ways. Once you identify skills, you’ll want to plan how to connect people with training.

1) Define the Learning and Development Objectives

While a skills assessment will offer the information needed to revamp training programs, you need clearly defined metrics to track and assess improvements to operational performance, behavior, and the financial impact of skills development efforts.

After determining the skills you need, you should set learning objectives to outline what type of training should occur and what learners should be able to demonstrate as a result. Effective learning objectives should be measurable and based on the business needs and goals previously identified.

With a set of predefined success metrics, you can show the before and after of skills development programs, illustrating their impact and effectiveness.

2) Identify Your Subject Matter Experts

Equipping employees with the skills your organization needs to close gaps and plan for the future means fostering closer collaboration and transparency among business departments and functions.

Identify your in-house subject matter experts and those with the desired skills and behaviors. Your SMEs can enrich L&D programs through mentoring and coaching, sharing knowledge and resources with employees, and assisting with the development of course content.

MORE ON MENTORING | ‘ Corporate Mentorship: How to Match Mentors With Mentees ’

3) Develop a Project Timeline

Create a schedule to track the development and delivery of training. For straightforward training and skills gaps, this could be as simple as a deadline for completion.

For larger or more business-critical development initiatives and those likely to span longer periods, you'll want to devise a more detailed timeline complete with milestones and checkpoints. This way, you plan what people need to learn, at what point, and how you'll check that they're on track.

4) Select a Learning Platform

One of the most important elements to consider when making a skills development plan is the type of platform you need. An effective learning platform will enhance L&D experiences, enable greater personalization, and unlock deeper insight through data.

Review the tech your organization uses to manage skills, L&D, and performance. The best solutions will seamlessly integrate your L&D and HR tools and data , bringing everything together in one place, allowing for greater transparency.

Here’s how a learning management system can support your skills strategy:

• Recommending skills communities, mentors, and relevant L&D opportunities
• Creating, authoring, and categorizing courses
• Enabling scenario-based training and practice simulations
• Gaining visibility into feedback and goal performance
• Facilitating peer and community-based learning
• Integrating an HRIS to create a single source for your people data

FIND AN LMS THAT MEETS YOUR NEEDS | ‘ What Is a Learning Management System (LMS), and Why Would You Need One? ’

5) Build and Present a Training Budget to Stakeholders

With a plan informing content and technology needs, you'll have a view of the cost and time involved that you can share with stakeholders for approval.

To gain buy-in and support, you need to create a shared purpose and value for learning and development programs that demonstrate the impact. 

Leaders must see a short- and long-term vision for skills development programs. Whether it's your middle managers or C-suite execs, present the impact of skills development and the positive impact on business goals, such as minimizing risk and increasing revenue via employee productivity.

TIPS FOR BUILDING A BUDGET | ‘ How to Create an L&D Budget You Can Defend to Your CFO ’

Step Three: Implement Employee Learning and Development Programs

With the green light from your stakeholders, you're free to design and deliver training and development programs to employees.

1) Create and Curate Content

At this stage, think about the training methods that are most likely to build skills and lead to long-term behavior changes. You'll want to create a targeted and contextual approach that increases employee appetites for learning and ultimately results in organizational change.

Review existing training resources to assess what you have and what's missing. There's no need to start from the ground up—if the content is outdated or locked away in lengthy courses, refreshing materials with your in-house authoring tool or filling any gaps by buying premade content might be an excellent use of your resources.

Collaborate with your experts to create a relevant and user-friendly experience, encouraging their contributions through content creation and knowledge sharing. A library of informal how-to videos and best practices from familiar faces within your organization will immediately be more relevant and engaging to your people.

MORE INSIGHTS TO EXPLORE | ‘ 4 Ways to Create an L&D Experience That Truly Engages Learners ’

2) Provide Practical Skills Development Experience

For skills-based learning pathways leading to internal mobility and growth, look beyond linear career planning and integrate skills and knowledge-building opportunities into development pathways.

As Gartner finds , when organizations support habit-building through reinforcement and repetition, the effectiveness of building new skills can increase by up to 44%.

In addition, learning activities must also happen in the flow of work, giving people the space to practice and gain valuable on-the-job experience. Working alongside peers and coworkers through short-term gigs and projects puts their skills to the test and is an invaluable way to gain hands-on experience. 

Mentorship and coaching opportunities can further strengthen employee skills development through tailored advice and feedback based on learner performance. This connects people with experienced managers, SMEs, or peers based on their skills and keeps them on track toward achieving their goals.

RELATED READING | ‘ 3 Ways to Maintain an Effective Corporate Mentoring Program ’

3) Keep Training Relevant to Goals

Keep the end-goal in mind when building L&D programs to be sure that each course, program, and assessment adds value. When employee and business goals are closely aligned, and skills development feeds into performance metrics, your people immediately see the value in what they're doing and how it benefits the organization.

Learning pathways should also be designed to meet the diverse interests, needs, and learning styles of your people. Considering your audience and their specific needs and goals will help you deliver relevant and targeted training that leads to long-term behavior changes.

To help people make time for learning and encourage knowledge retention, include a mix of multimodal on-demand resources and interactive elements. 

Think about some of the following questions to keep L&D programs relevant:

• What’s the best delivery method for this training?
• What’s the end-goal or purpose of the training?
• Is the training mandatory or optional?
• Does the audience have prior knowledge of the topic?
• How much time does training require?
• How will learners demonstrate skills proficiency?

4) Roll Out Training Programs

No matter how comprehensive or well-planned a skills strategy is, you're unlikely to achieve the desired results if employees aren't fully invested or don't see the value. To get your people on board, clarify how L&D programs and tools benefit them, what they'll learn, and how L&D supports them in their career development and growth.

Start small and test a program on a single group before scaling your approach—this way, you can use their feedback to perfect programs along the way.

BEST PRACTICES FOR SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION | ‘ How to Roll Out New HR Software to Employees: 8 Ways to Make Sure Teams Use It ’

Step Four: Continuously Monitor and Improve Training Programs

A skills assessment isn’t a one-time process—it requires ongoing updates and improvements to maintain momentum. Continue to monitor training results after implementation and refine your strategies.

1) Continually Review Quizzes and Checkpoints to Assess Learner Progress

Measure training progress and performance against initial learning objectives using quizzes, assessments, and checkpoints during learning journeys. With this information, you can check how well people begin to cement their understanding of new concepts and develop existing behaviors and competencies over time.

By placing quizzes and assessments at key points during learning and development programs, you'll gain results and scores that can flag any gaps in training or areas where learners require additional support. Ongoing monitoring and reviewing makes it possible to proactively fill these gaps and tweak content as needed.

2) Ensure Managers and Employees Engage in One-on-Ones

It's best practice for managers and employees to set regular time aside each week to discuss performance, address priorities, and identify areas where employees could benefit from additional support. These conversations will gently nudge people toward their goals and help them overcome any barriers.

Engaging in regular conversations throughout the performance cycle and tracking them with an agenda can also lead to more informed decisions about talent. This feeds into an inventory of feedback, recognition, and employee achievements, all of which can inform career and performance conversations.

3) Use Performance Data to Assess Skills

Use readily available data to enhance training and talent management practices. With a learning platform, you're able to use skills as the basis to track and make decisions about the workforce based on output and competencies.

This is a sentiment shared by employees and leaders alike, and according to a report compiled by Deloitte , 79% of employees consider demonstrated skills and competencies as the most important criteria for organizations when assessing and rewarding performance. Likewise, 67% of HR and business leaders agree that it's a valuable source of information on the workforce.

By evaluating employee performance through demonstrated behaviors, competencies, and growth, you ensure your people have the skills to perform at their best and that you have your talent placed in suitable roles based on their strengths.

MORE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR HR DATA WORK FOR YOU | ‘ The Power of People Analytics: How to Turn People Data Into Business Results ’

4) Meet With Content Stakeholders and Managers

When it comes to cross-functional collaboration, regular communication is key, as execs and decision-makers can offer timely updates about plans and actions that might inform the direction of training programs. Share the results of upskilling and reskilling initiatives in the form of easy-to-read metrics and reports that clearly show how skills development feeds into business goals.

Additionally, your people managers and leaders should continue to be part of conversations to share feedback about where employees' priorities lie. As those closest to learners, they're well placed to offer suggestions about what resources people can use to do their jobs well and provide learning formats that resonate.

ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS | ‘ 6 Reasons Why Employee Development Programs Are So Important—And How to Execute Them Well ’

5) Use Employee Engagement Surveys to Gather Learner Feedback

If you want to know how employees feel about the training and development opportunities available, simply ask them! Post-training and employee engagement surveys are a convenient way to measure learner sentiment and satisfaction over time and gather opinions about their likes and dislikes.

Use feedback to adjust and improve skills programs, and be sure to share any changes you intend to make and the reasons behind them. Follow-up pulse surveys at regular intervals throughout the year will show you the progress of your efforts and create a story with data you can share with stakeholders.

EXPLORE MORE SKILLS-BASED PRACTICES TO INCREASE ENGAGEMENT | ‘ 4 Ways to Fuel Employee Engagement With Skills Development ’

Supercharge Your Skills Development With Bridge

Unleash the full potential of your training plans with a combination of Bridge's learning and performance management tools, paired with the AI-enhanced power of Bridge Skills Plus. 

Request a demo to see how Bridge can revolutionize your L&D strategies and empower growth by finding emerging skills gaps, connecting people with personalized training opportunities, and facilitating mentoring and coaching via skills communities.

Stephanie Kemp

Growth Tactics

13 Professional Development Ideas for Your Workplace

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In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving business landscape, the key to sustained success lies not just in the skills and knowledge of your team but in their continuous growth and development. Professional development is a powerful catalyst that propels teams forward, fostering an environment of learning, innovation, and adaptability.

As a leader, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of investing in professional development. When team members are allowed to expand their skills, explore new perspectives, and challenge themselves, they become more proficient in their roles and develop a deeper sense of purpose and engagement.

I vividly remember the pivotal moment when one of my team members, Sarah, attended a leadership development program. Initially hesitant, she returned with a newfound confidence and a renewed passion for her work. Her ability to effectively communicate and inspire others was remarkable, and she quickly became a driving force within our team, taking on more responsibilities and mentoring her colleagues.

Professional employee development is not just about acquiring new skills; it’s about cultivating a growth mindset that empowers individuals to embrace challenges, adapt to change, and continuously evolve. By fostering an environment that encourages learning and personal growth, we create a ripple effect that extends far beyond the boundaries of our workplace.

Mentorship Programs: Guiding the Path to Growth

The power of mentorship.

Mentorship can drive professional growth within your organization. By pairing seasoned professionals with those seeking guidance, you create a supportive space where knowledge, skills, and insights are shared. This benefits both mentors and mentees.

Learning from Experience

Mentees gain from their mentors’ firsthand experience and wisdom. Mentors offer advice, share best practices, and provide new perspectives on challenges. This helps mentees navigate their career paths and promotes growth.

Setting Up for Success

A successful mentorship program needs careful planning. Establish clear goals, roles, and responsibilities. Choose mentors based on their experience and willingness to invest in their mentees. Mentees should be open to learning and committed to their own development.

The Matchmaking Process

Pairing mentors and mentees is key. Consider factors like career goals, personality, and expertise to make productive matches. Schedule regular meetings to foster open communication and meaningful discussions.

Creating a Supportive Environment

Respect, trust, and a willingness to learn are essential for mentorship. Encourage confidentiality and open communication so mentees can share challenges without fear .

Providing Resources

Organizations should support mentorship programs with resources like mentor training, networking opportunities, and recognition for participants. This ensures the success of the program and the growth of everyone involved.

Time Management Mastery: Unlocking Productivity

Why time management matters.

In today’s fast-paced workplace, managing time well is key to success . Many struggle with prioritizing tasks, meeting deadlines, and maintaining work-life balance . Implementing time management strategies can boost productivity, reduce stress, and create an organized environment.

Combatting Distractions

Distractions are a major hurdle. Email notifications and impromptu meetings can disrupt focus. Encourage your team to identify and eliminate time-wasters like excessive social media use and unnecessary multitasking.

Training and Techniques

Offer time management workshops and training. Teach methods like the Pomodoro technique , which focuses on intense work periods followed by breaks, or the Eisenhower Matrix, which helps prioritize tasks.

Utilizing Tools and Apps

Introduce time management tools and apps. Tools like project management software, calendar apps, and task managers can help your team stay organized. Encourage them to find what works best for their individual needs.

Embrace Individuality

Time management isn’t one-size-fits-all. Each team member has unique challenges and preferences. Foster open communication and let them share their experiences. Creating an environment that values time management can unlock your team’s full potential.

Your leadership can guide them towards greater productivity. Always remember: people first. Tailor your approach to meet their needs and watch them thrive.

Leadership Development: Cultivating Future Leaders

Why leadership matters.

Effective leadership is the backbone of success. Investing in leadership development helps your team reach their full potential and ensures a future pipeline of skilled leaders. This is key for long-term growth and a culture of excellence.

Offer Leadership Training

Create comprehensive leadership courses and professional development activities. Focus on strategic thinking, decision-making, communication, team management, and other leadership skills . Equip your team with the tools and knowledge they need to lead with confidence and competence.

Empower Through Opportunities

Give employees chances to lead projects or teams. This hands-on experience builds their skills and fosters accountability. Support them with mentorship and resources for career advancement.

Recognize Achievements

Celebrate those who show outstanding leadership. Acknowledge and reward their efforts. This inspires others and creates a culture that values growth.

Prioritize Leadership Growth

Invest in leadership to ensure a bright future. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement and growth, you empower your team to unlock their leadership potential. Together, you’ll pave the way for success.

Remember, leadership starts with you. Be the leader who inspires and guides others to be their best.

Personal Development Plans: Charting the Path to Success

Empower ownership.

Let your team take charge of their growth. Encourage them to set personal goals. This fosters ownership and aligns their dreams with your organization’s goals.

Create a Roadmap

A personal development plan is a roadmap. It shows strengths, areas to improve, and career goals. Tailor these plans to fit individual skills, interests, and ambitions.

Involve the Team

Involve employees in crafting their plans. Encourage self-reflection and goal setting. Whether it’s learning new skills or exploring new roles, their active participation is key.

Align with Objectives

Align personal goals with the organization’s strategic priorities. This syncs individual growth with company success.

Track and Support

Regularly review progress. Celebrate milestones and offer feedback. Provide resources to keep employees on track.

Foster a Learning Culture

Empowering your team to chart their paths cultivates continuous learning. It boosts engagement and drives innovation. When employees feel valued and supported, they give their best.

Remember, leadership isn’t just about guiding others, it’s about helping them find their own path. So, guide with purpose, and watch your team soar.

Skill-Specific Development Training: Enhancing Expertise

Recognize the need.

In today’s fast-paced world, being well-rounded is key. Skill-specific training can fill in the gaps and help your team excel. Identify where improvements are needed to focus your training efforts.

Assess Skills

Conduct a skill assessment to spot what’s missing. Use self-evaluations, peer reviews, or performance evaluations. This will guide you in designing targeted training.

Customize Training

Focus on what’s relevant. If someone in sales needs better negotiation skills, create a training program with professional development topics just for that. This direct approach ensures practical, job-specific improvements.

Stay Current

In fast-changing industries, staying up-to-date is crucial. Offer ongoing training to keep your team in sync with the latest trends and technologies.

Invest for the Future

Skill-specific training doesn’t just help now, it prepares your team for tomorrow. Empower your team to grow and become valuable assets. Your investment in their skills will drive your organization’s success and competitiveness.

In leadership, we know that investing in people’s growth is what fuels success. So, prioritize skill development, and watch your team soar.

Strengthening Collaboration Through Team-Building

The power of teamwork.

Teamwork is essential. When people work together, they achieve more. Team-building activities help foster this spirit of collaboration and employee engagement.

Breaking Down Barriers

These activities break down barriers and build trust. They encourage open communication and a sense of camaraderie. By participating in fun exercises, employees learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Human Knot Challenge

One effective exercise is the “human knot” challenge. This activity promotes active listening, problem-solving, and compromise. It builds unity and shared purpose.

Egg Drop Challenge

Another great activity is the “egg drop” challenge. Teams design a protective casing for an egg using limited materials. This encourages creative thinking, resource management, and teamwork.

Cross-Functional Projects

Collaborative projects also serve as excellent team-building opportunities. Assign cross-functional teams to work together on a shared project. This promotes teamwork and a deeper understanding of various roles.

Team-building is about creating a supportive environment. Every team member should feel valued and empowered. By investing in these activities, you strengthen employee bonds and foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and shared success.

Strong teams are built on trust, communication, and shared goals. Keep your team engaged, and watch your organization thrive.

Bridging the Communication Gap

The lifeblood of teamwork.

Effective communication is crucial for any successful team. It fosters understanding, collaboration, and trust. By improving communication skills, we bridge gaps and create cohesive work environments.

Invest in Training

Workshops and seminars focusing on interpersonal communication, active listening, and conflict resolution are key. These sessions help your team express themselves clearly, understand others, and handle challenges with empathy.

The Power of Active Listening

Active listening is vital but often overlooked. Teach your team to listen attentively, ask clarifying questions, and provide thoughtful feedback. This promotes respect and inclusivity.

Mastering Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution skills are essential. Train your team to identify root causes of conflicts, manage emotions, and find mutually beneficial solutions. This prevents minor issues from escalating.

Encouraging Open Dialogue

Remember, communication is a two-way street. Encourage open dialogue and provide a safe space for team members to express thoughts, concerns, and ideas. Foster transparency and welcome constructive feedback.

Cultivating a Positive Culture

By prioritizing communication skills, you enhance collaboration and productivity. More importantly, you create a positive work culture where everyone feels valued and heard.

Commit to developing these skills. Strong communication builds strong teams. Your leadership will inspire purpose-driven action and problem-solving. Invest in your people, and watch them thrive.

Mapping the Career Journey

Defining clear paths.

Clear career paths help retain top talent. They give employees direction and purpose. Aligning their goals with the company’s aims ensures everyone is on the same page.

Tailoring Growth Opportunities

Career paths should fit individual strengths and interests. Regular development talks can pinpoint growth areas, needed training, or mentorship. This helps smooth transitions into new roles.

Investing in Development

Supporting career initiatives shows you care about employee growth. It fosters a culture of learning and development. This keeps job satisfaction high and makes you an attractive employer.

Empowering Ownership

Offer clear roadmaps for career growth. This empowers employees to own their professional journeys. When their goals match the company’s, both benefit, sparking innovation and success.

Creating a Win-Win Scenario

Aligning individual and organizational growth is a win-win. It drives productivity and ensures long-term success. Prioritize your people. Your investment in their growth will pay off.

Encourage your team to find their own paths and watch them thrive. Focus on individuality and create a motivated workforce.

Unlocking Growth with Soft Skills Training

Beyond technical skills.

In today’s fast-paced workplace, technical skills alone aren’t enough. Soft skills are key to personal and professional growth. These are your emotional intelligence, adaptability, problem-solving abilities, and more.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence helps you understand and manage your emotions while connecting with others. This skill strengthens relationships, teamwork, and decision-making. Learn to navigate complex situations with empathy and awareness.

Embracing Adaptability

Adaptability is crucial. Industries change, and new challenges arise. Those who adapt and pivot strategies thrive. Be ready to handle uncertainty, think creatively, and seize new opportunities.

Mastering Problem-Solving

Problem-solving is a must-have skill. Analyze situations, find root causes, and create solutions. Good problem-solvers tackle challenges efficiently and help their organizations succeed.

Investing in Training

Organizations should offer workshops tailored to their team’s needs. Interactive sessions and real-world case studies help employees practice and develop these skills.

Fostering a Positive Environment

Soft skills training boosts individual performance and creates a collaborative, productive workplace. Prioritize these skills to unlock your team’s full potential. Focus on personal growth, effective communication, and adaptability.

By developing these skills, you foster a culture where everyone thrives. Remember, purpose-driven action leads to leadership and problem-solving. Prioritize people first, and success will follow.

One-on-One Coaching: Tailored Guidance

Personalized development.

One-on-one coaching is key for professional growth. It’s personalized to fit your strengths and goals. This tailored approach pinpoints areas for growth, creating a custom plan just for you.

Expert Guidance

Work closely with an experienced coach. Gain insights and support from someone who knows the ropes. Open, honest discussions help you tackle challenges and receive feedback.

Thorough Assessment

Effective coaching starts with a clear assessment. Understand your current skills and areas that need improvement. This sets the foundation for a personalized plan.

A non-judgmental environment is crucial. Share your thoughts and concerns without fear. This open communication builds trust and helps you grow.

Regular Sessions

Coaching sessions should be regular and focused. Discuss skills, career goals, and challenges. Active listening and constructive feedback help you gain clarity and build confidence.

In sum, one-on-one coaching is about individualized growth and purposeful action. Embrace this opportunity to develop your unique path with the guidance of a trusted mentor.

Morale Boosting Activities: Engage and Motivate

Importance of high morale.

Keeping your team’s morale high is key. When people feel motivated and engaged, they work better, collaborate more, and help your organization succeed.

Team-Building Activities

Team-building boosts morale. Activities like picnics, sports events, or volunteer work bring everyone closer. These fun moments help build strong relationships and create lasting memories.

Recognition Programs

Recognition matters. Celebrate your team’s achievements, big or small. Use awards, handwritten notes, or shout-outs during meetings. Recognizing hard work makes everyone feel valued.

Positive Work Environment

A positive work environment is essential. Encourage open communication and respect. Give employees a chance to share ideas and concerns. Offer flexible work options to improve work-life balance.

Prioritize Morale

By focusing on morale-boosting activities, you engage and motivate your team. This leads to a productive and positive workplace where everyone thrives.

In leadership, it’s about putting people first. Strong teams lead to strong outcomes. Everyone has a unique role, and together, with purpose-driven actions, we achieve greatness.

Problem-Solving Workshops: Boost Critical Thinking

The need for effective problem-solving.

Effective problem-solving is crucial in today’s fast-paced world. Problem-solving workshops can arm your team with the tools and mindset needed to tackle tough challenges. Focus on analytical thinking, creativity, and a solutions-driven approach.

Practical Exercises and Case Studies

Use practical exercises and case studies. These will help your team break down problems, find root causes, and explore innovative solutions. Encourage thinking outside the box and considering multiple viewpoints. Role-playing and group discussions enhance collaboration and decision-making.

Building Confidence and Resilience

Foster a culture of critical thinking. This empowers your team to face obstacles with confidence and resilience. They’ll learn to predict issues, reduce risks, and adapt easily. This proactive mindset boosts productivity and drives innovation.

Embrace Challenges for Growth

Problem-solving isn’t just about quick fixes. It’s about seeing challenges as chances to grow. Invest in your team’s problem-solving skills. Watch them thrive and turn adversity into opportunity.

Remember, empowering individuals leads to collective strength. Create purpose-driven actions and see your team soar.

Industry-Specific Training: Stay Ahead

The need to stay relevant.

In today’s fast-paced world, staying ahead is key. Equip your team with industry knowledge and skills. Invest in training tailored to your industry’s needs. This keeps your team adaptable and ready for change.

Go Beyond Basics

Industry-specific training means more than general learning. It dives into your sector’s details. Your team learns the latest rules, best practices, and market trends. This boosts their expertise and confidence.

Foster Continuous Learning

Training encourages a culture of growth. Your team becomes better at spotting opportunities and handling risks. They drive your business forward. Staying updated helps them stay agile and ready to pivot as needed.

Show Commitment to Growth

Prioritizing this training shows you care about your team’s success. It strengthens skills and builds loyalty. A well-trained team brings productivity and customer satisfaction. This sets your organization apart.

Remember, investing in your people is investing in your future. Equip them with purpose-driven skills and watch them, and your business thrive.

Conclusion: Embracing Continuous Growth

In today’s ever-evolving landscape, professional development is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity. As leaders, it’s our responsibility to cultivate an environment that nurtures growth, fosters innovation, and empowers our team members to reach their full potential.

Tailoring professional development opportunities to the unique needs of your team is crucial. Every individual has their own strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations, and it’s our duty to provide personalized guidance and support. By actively listening to their goals and concerns, we can create a customized roadmap that aligns with their career aspirations and the organization’s objectives.

Purposeful action is the key to unlocking the true potential of your team. Implementing the professional development ideas outlined in this guide is just the beginning. Continuously seek innovative ways to challenge your team, encourage them to step out of their comfort zones, and embrace learning as a lifelong journey.

Remember, as leaders, our growth is intertwined with the growth of our team members. By supporting their professional development, we not only strengthen their skills and knowledge but also enhance our own leadership capabilities. Embrace the opportunity to lead by example, share your experiences, and create an environment where open communication and feedback are encouraged.

The path to success is paved with continuous growth and adaptability. Empower your team members to embrace change, cultivate resilience, and stay ahead of the curve. Encourage them to seek out new challenges, explore innovative ideas, and never settle for complacency.

In the end, investing in professional development is an investment in the future of your organization. By nurturing a culture of learning and growth, you’ll not only boost productivity and performance but also foster a sense of purpose and fulfillment among your team members. Embrace the journey, lead with purpose, and watch as your team soars to new heights.

Skills Development Plan

When you think about developing skills, when do you think is the right time to start? A variety of people say that it is best to start while you are a student, with all the chances in the world. Of course, that is true but even when you are an employee in a company, you are allowed to develop newer skills. You acquire new skills in different ways. Self-taught or being trained. To get a good concept of this plan, here are example templates of a skills development plan . Which you can use for your career , businesses, employees, and students. Try it.

10+ Skills Development Plan Examples

1. skills development plan template.

2. Skills Development Plan for Major Projects

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3. National Skills Development Plan

4. Objective of the Skills Development Plan

5. Skills Development Plan for the VET Sector

6. Printable Skills Development Plan

7. Skills Development Plan in PDF

Size: 249 KB

8. Skills Development Plan Example

Size: 320 KB

9. Clinical Skills Development Plan

Size: 27 KB

10. Technical Skills Development Plan

11. Skills Development Plan Document

Size: 141 KB

What Is a Skills Development Plan?

A skills  development plan  is a custom-made  action plan  that focuses on the skills that need to be developed. For anyone with such skill to hone it, development plans are made. Skills development plans come in handy when it comes to addressing areas like business , self-improvement,  careers , or personal growth . These necessary skills that need to be developed will be of great help to a student, an employee, or a business-minded person seeking better business development. 

How to Create an Effective Skills Development Plan

Are you planning on developing the skills necessary? Do you have a plan made for it? Creating an effective skills development plan is the right kind of plan for you. Here’s how by following the simple steps.

Step 1: Draft a Plan with Specific Goals

To start this type of plan, make a draft and choose a specific goal you will need to address. Since there are a lot of different skills to choose from, you will also be needing to make different skills development to address them. Draft all your plans and be specific with the goals you plan with them.

Step 2: Make a Skills Assessment

Make a skills assessment . The skills assessment engages you in seeking the right skill to hone. It also shows you the areas you need to improve and help you develop the right plan. The assessment does not have to be too long or complicated. As long as the assessment is done. The important thing to remember is what skill is important to you and what areas you need to improve it on.

Step 3: Seek Productive Strategies to Help

The productive strategies to help will include any or all training. May it be self-taught training or group training that can benefit just about anyone. Workshops and seminars can also be considered productive strategies you can add to the list of your development plan.

Step 4: Finalize the Draft and Revise If Necessary

The last step is to finalize the draft you made from the first step. Make some finalizations and revision on your draft. When you are satisfied with your work and no revisions are made you can now do your skills development plan. However, there is always room for improvement. Be open to any suggestions or revisions on the plan.

Why do you need a development plan to hone your skills?

The general purpose of a skills development plan is basically to guide you as you find a skill you want to develop or to hone. Development plans are considered as road maps to help you find a better path to reach the skill, while avoiding roadblocks ahead.

What are other types of development plans?

There are a lot of different types of development plans. Just like this example, these development plans can be used either for career based, business based, leadership skills based or even on a personal level plan. The other types of development plans apart from the skills development plan are:

• Career development plan
• Business development plan
• Personal development plan
• Leadership development plan

What is the best way to start a development plan?

The best way to start a plan like this is to define the goal you want to achieve. A general goal will only get you the general information which may not be enough. Be specific. What kind of skill or goal do you want to achieve to make a plan like this. Start from there.

What kind of skill do you want to develop when given the chance? A lot of people find skills to be developed at an early stage of life. But the reality is, in any stage of life, we do learn new skills and relearn the skills we have to make them better. We hone important skills and develop some of them through the workshops and training we get. To get a better idea, make a skill development plan and see the results yourself.

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Buckinghamshire Local Skills Improvement Plan: Progress Report 2023-24

• By Buckinghamshire Business First
• 3 September, 2024

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Buckinghamshire Business First is delighted to present the Progress Report for the Buckinghamshire Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP).

The LSIP has brought employers and providers together like never before to tackle long-standing skills problems and collaborate on solutions. The effect has been profound.

In this report, we set out in detail the progress made against our LSIP action plan.

You can read the LSIP Progress Report here .

Significant highlights are presented below.

• Collaboration – Our Sector Employer Groups have embraced the LSIP and are working well with providers to oversee and support implementation in the priority sectors.
• Strategy – The LSIP is now part of the wider Skills and Employment Strategy for Buckinghamshire which is being steered by Buckinghamshire Council under the guidance of the Place-Based Growth Board.

The LSIP has enabled Buckinghamshire to win £2.5 million from the Local Skills Improvement Fund for skills projects in the county, including:

• Construction – New facilities are being developed at Buckinghamshire College Group (BCG) to create new full-time, part-time and apprenticeship provision for the construction sector.
• Engineering – BCG will develop a Buckinghamshire Engineering Hub to provide hitherto unavailable full-time, part-time and apprenticeship provision in mechanical and electrical engineering.
• Health and social care – A pilot scheme is underway for an innovative Volunteering Skills Record, with Buckinghamshire Health & Social Care Academy and Community Impact Bucks, to develop work-readiness skills with the potential to be replicated across all sectors.
• Tutor development – A programme is in progress to develop the capability to support the transition of technically skilled professionals from industry into teaching roles.
• Skills brokerage - Support to Buckinghamshire businesses, in partnership with Buckinghamshire Business First, to identify skills challenges and refer to training providers.

Other skills initiatives enabled by the LSIP include:

• Retrofit skills - £45,000 from Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has been provided to Buckinghamshire Business First for research into the skills needs of the retrofit workforce under its Home Decarbonisation regional skills project.
• Tackling priority skills gaps - £3.2 million has been secured by Buckinghamshire Council for 24 Skills Bootcamps to address skills shortages and gaps in the LSIP priority sectors for delivery in 2024–25.
• Film & TV – A feasibility study on a potential Film & TV Skills Hub in the county has been developed and partners are now working together to incorporate it into a wider concept called “Screen Buckinghamshire”.
• Space sector - £5.9 million to Westcott Space Cluster awarded by the UK Space Agency to build a new technical and training facility to support the Space sector at Westcott Venture Park.  The LSIP supported the business case.

The Minister for Skills, The Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern, said: “I welcome the publication of the Local Skills Improvement Plan Progress Report for Buckinghamshire. These reports set out progress made on meeting the skills needs of local employers. As well as being a valuable source of information for local skills deliverers, employers and stakeholders, the reports - along with the LSIPs themselves - will provide important intelligence for the newly established Skills England.”

Buckinghamshire Local Skills Improvement Plan Progress Report 2023-24:  Download here (PDF) >

Buckinghamshire LSIP document: Download here (PDF) >

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