In today’s professional working world, ongoing skill development is essential to building a successful career. Regardless of your profession, employers expect your skills to be up-to-date and relevant to the latest technology and best practices in your field. How does one acquire such skill training?
Your current employer should actually be driving the majority of your training. Unfortunately, employer-endorsed skill development is not as prominent as it should be. Many employers fear that after investing in training, their newly-marketable employees may leave the company, taking their new and improved skillset with them.
This fear-based justification doesn’t quite align with the science. Here are five reasons why employers should invest in employee skill development:
- It’s an excellent retention tool.
Contrary to the employer fear stated above, providing skills training increases employee retention, reducing turnover and recruiting costs. Helping employees advance in their skills instills employee loyalty and commitment. Employees are more likely to stay with a company that can help them grow their careers. - Employees become more engaged and productive.
Employees with top-notch skillsets are more interested in their work. Engaged employees are happier with their workplace and more constructive, resulting in up to 21% increased productivity. - A differentiator for customers and employees.
Company-provided training can have an extremely positive impact on the firm’s internal and external image. Providing this benefit enhances the brand as a company that values its employees and establishes it as a place dedicated to growth and innovation. These are values both customers and employees celebrate. - Strengthens the talent pool.
When employees are at the top of their game, business is too. Employees with up-to-date skillsets produce higher quality work more efficiently. - Increases employee confidence.
Employees with the latest skillset feel competent in their position, increasing their confidence. Confident and well-trained employees are better at decision making and more qualified to make suggestions that will improve business.
Great places to work invest in developing employee skills. The rewards for doing so far outweigh the risks. When a business invests in its employees, the employees invest in the business, encouraging growth of revenue. Potential employees view support of career development as a major perk, enabling companies that offer it to attract top talent.
Akraya is one of those businesses that recognizes the value of investing in employee skill development and takes great pride in doing so. The staffing firm encourages and covers much of the costs of skills training for internal employees as well as contractors and consultants. Most recently, Akraya supported eight IT consultants at one of its largest enterprise clients in obtaining SCRUM Developer Certification at no cost to the consultants. As a result, the consultants are more confident in their work, the client is satisfied with the consultants’ accreditation and Akraya now has eight more SCRUM Certified consultants in its talent pool to redeploy when they complete their current assignments.
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