Professional development has long been a staple of corporate training; however, organizations regularly struggle with employees engaging in the programs they offer. Aside from providing a positive learning culture, decision-makers need to ask the right questions about their workplace learning options to identify where their employees will find value. For example, are your offerings relevant to today’s workers? Do your people have choices they care about? Do you know what your people need and is that conveyed to them by leadership? Or are their options limited or generic in nature, unable to be customized to meet each professional’s unique needs? If the answer to these questions is not a resounding yes, take this as an indication that there is room for significant improvement when it comes to your organization’s learning and development (L&D) opportunities.

Professional development is important to almost everyone in the workplace. According to a 2022 survey from The Conference Board, 96% of respondents say continuously developing their work-related skills is important or very important; however, only 46% would describe their employer’s training programs as effective.

Lacking effective training isn’t just an engagement issue — it’s also a retention issue. According to the same survey, 58% of workers say they will leave their employer for another if they do not receive the development opportunities they believe they need. That figure is even higher for women, people of color and millennials.

Organizations that offer personalized professional development programs, regardless of position or career stage, foster employee satisfaction by helping them to feel inspired within their current position and excited about their growth and next role within the same organization. The millions of workers who have sought new opportunities over the last few years further signify the importance of confirming that professional development, compensation and other benefits are all meaningful to your staff.

But how do you do this? The key to optimizing professional development is ensuring your workplace learning can be tailored to fit the needs of any employee — it’s not a one size fits all approach. Here are some tips for investing in employee engagement and retention through personalized professional development plans. ­

• • Enable and encourage self-assessment: Every employee is different, with varying levels of education, experience and capabilities. To enable those who are interested in focusing their personal development on exactly what is needed for career advancement, several highly acclaimed smartphone apps, detailed questionnaires and other career navigating tools are available to guide them on that journey. This can begin as early as orientation and onboarding — as well as during regular one-on-ones between managers and direct reports — setting the stage for developmental goals and progress throughout an employee’s tenure. Once an accurate assessment of personal interests, capabilities and skills gaps is completed, supervisors and training staff can help employees map out a personalized training and development plan.

• • Focus on reskilling and upskilling: As the business world continues to evolve, driven in large part by the digital transformations that are redefining the workplace, you must ensure your workers have the skills and confidence to thrive in an evolving workplace. That means offering basic or advanced training in new skills that can be relevant to their jobs, such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), citizen development or technologies that enable remote working. And to the surprise of many, these opportunities are not hard to find — or master. From project management certifications to technology upskilling courses, it just takes a little extra effort to identify and find the right opportunities that will allow your people to grow at their own pace. Set milestones to refer to that initial self-assessment and target the new skills employees want to obtain. This demonstrates your dedication to their growth both as it relates to their current role and where they may be able to drive value throughout the organization in new ways.

• • Encourage memberships in professional organizations: In the current state of hybrid and remote work, creating multiple connection points with peers and making sure your employees are not isolated should be a priority. Most industries, as well as functional areas (such as marketing or project management), have independent professional organizations that offer seminars, certification, volunteering and networking opportunities for members. Joining these organizations typically requires paying an annual fee, so consider covering or supplementing the cost, especially for junior employees. By doing so, you can support their professional development, specific to their industry or unique career path. For your people, the advantages are clear: Being part of a professional community, independent from the work environment, is more than a career boost — it allows individuals to exchange best practices and share experiences across industries. Often, professional organization memberships offer informal opportunities to seek out a mentor or other, more personally gratifying opportunities like volunteering. Within my organization, we have seen the excitement and engagement of professionals first hand within our chapter member community and professional membership events and platforms.

• • Pay heed to interpersonal skills: To ensure long-term relevance in their career of choice, the workers of tomorrow will need to learn more than advanced technical skills. Leadership opportunities may hinge on helping employees with the potential to hone interpersonal skills, such as relationship building, collaborative leadership, strategic thinking, creative problem solving and empathy. Offering training across these areas and skillsets will give employees an opportunity to chart their own personal L&D journeys according to their needs and focus areas. It will also give employees a leg up when competing for advancement or promotion, ensuring your company has the people resources needed to thrive.

Professional development only works if the employee has a vested interest in the content they are learning and the communities they are engaging with. On the flip side, employers must remain committed to seeing these professional development plans through. By offering a diverse suite of L&D options, both within and outside of your organization, your learners will be able to create their own personalized professional development plans that leverage multiple channels for learning, skill building and knowledge sharing — fostering a sense of belonging and prioritization within the organization. Ultimately, your efforts will create a stronger, more satisfied workforce, generating positive business outcomes, especially in the areas of employee engagement and retention.