The Importance of Continuous Learning and Professional Development
Continuous learning refers to the practice of intentionally increasing our knowledge and capabilities for personal, professional and organizational improvement. This includes academic learning as well as developing soft skills such as communication, leadership and collaboration.
As a business, your employees need to stay abreast of industry-related changes for them to excel at their jobs. Supporting continuous learning is a cost-effective solution for maintaining employee knowledge; new recruits can then be trained without incurring costly training expenses.
1. Boosts Self-Awareness
Continuous learning enhances self-awareness by helping you recognize and build on your strengths, making use of them efficiently, building confidence, and leading to professional success.
Self-awareness can also be increased by taking an objective look at your coping mechanisms and emotions, in order to understand why they affect you so strongly, as well as whether these reactions have negative repercussions for those closest to you.
Increased self-awareness will also allow for better decision-making by helping you make more informed choices in the workplace. This will enable you to tackle new challenges effectively while remaining on track towards future career opportunities.
2. Improves Decision-Making
Managers who acquire new skills and keep abreast of industry trends tend to make better decisions for their teams and become more confident leaders.
They become better prepared to deal with issues both inside and outside the workplace, such as when diagnosed with chronic illnesses that require taking time off work. They may be better equipped than before to face such challenges head-on.
Employees who learn new skills at work are more engaged, leading to improved retention and productivity. Deloitte research indicates that companies with strong education and training cultures tend to experience retention rates 30-50% higher than their counterparts without such cultures in place.
3. Boosts Confidence
As our world becomes ever more unpredictable, it’s critical that your employees have access to timely, relevant knowledge to adapt quickly to new technologies, market trends and emerging demographics. Constant learning empowers your workforce to remain flexible and futureproof – essential factors when it comes to keeping hold of top talent in an increasingly competitive market place.
Employees engaged in ongoing learning are also more likely to feel confident in their jobs, leading to increased productivity and job satisfaction. Cultivate this confidence by offering employees access to continuous learning opportunities based on skill gaps analyses that encourage employees to gain new abilities as they go.
4. Prepares You for the Future
Modern workplaces are ever-evolving environments. New processes, technologies and industry trends require individuals to adapt quickly.
If your organization doesn’t commit to ongoing learning, you risk losing employees to competitors that do. According to Gartner’s data, employees who don’t receive training or career development opportunities are 75% more likely to leave than those who receive them.
But when your company encourages employees to participate in continuing education, not only are they developing essential skills for the future but they’re also being prepared for leadership positions within your organization and becoming self-confident leaders who can drive business success forward.
5. Keeps You Engaged
Continuous learning can keep you engaged and motivated in an ever-evolving world, staying abreast of industry trends as well as staying informed on new technologies, software updates and best practices.
Also, traveling can provide new insights into things that you already understand, making you more accepting of different points of view and encouraging objective thinking.
Participating in professional development activities can boost your chances of promotion or salary raise, showing management that you’re committed to reaching your career goals and willing to go the extra mile for them.
Learning new skills and gaining more insight into their roles increases employee retention at your organization, with research showing that organizations that invest in training and professional development achieve staff retention rates 30-50% higher than those that don’t invest.
