{"id":5942,"date":"2017-08-31T18:00:39","date_gmt":"2017-08-31T15:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.efrontlearning.com\/blog\/?p=5942"},"modified":"2017-08-31T18:15:35","modified_gmt":"2017-08-31T15:15:35","slug":"effective-workforce-development-strategies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.efrontlearning.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/effective-workforce-development-strategies.html","title":{"rendered":"The Workforce Development Strategy Tips to Make Your Staff Stand Out!"},"content":{"rendered":"
A near impossible challenge it would be to find a business owner or manager who is totally confident in their workforce development strategy. Why? Well, because the most common approach to employee development is reactive, is forceful, and is inadequate.<\/p>\n

But this approach makes about as much sense as eating a double chocolate cake in spinning class. Because employee development is actually one of the most important things you can ever do for your workforce!<\/strong> Why is workforce development important? We\u2019ll let the numbers speak louder than our words.<\/p>\n

As many as 71% of Millennials expect to leave their jobs in the next two years<\/a> because they\u2019re unhappy with how their leadership skills are being developed. <\/strong><\/p>\n

59% of Millennials<\/strong><\/a>, 44% of Gen Xers and 41% of baby boomers say opportunities to learn and grow are extremely important to them when applying for a job. <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

And 87% of Millennials rate “professional or career growth and development opportunities” as important to them in a job<\/strong> (69% of non-Millennials agree).<\/p>\n

Wow! This is all super interesting. But you\u2019re still wondering, \u201cWhat is workforce development, exactly?\u201d<\/strong> So let\u2019s take a moment to pause, rewind, and make sure that we\u2019re all travelling on the same bus.<\/p>\n

Workforce Development Definition<\/h3>\n

When we talk about workforce development strategy<\/a>, we\u2019re talking about making positive people changes.<\/strong> Changes to culture, changes to attitudes, and changes to people\u2019s potential to influence your business success in the future.<\/p>\n

And this is all way bigger than just a training strategy! What is the difference between job training and workforce development?<\/p>\n

Well, training is usually specific to a job, skill or behavior that needs to be learnt now, today, pronto. It\u2019s focused on the individual\u2019s short-term goals<\/strong><\/a>, and it\u2019s normally not an \u201copt-in\u201d kind of activity.<\/p>\n

Workforce development strategy, on the other hand, is a more fluid, continuous and long-term kind of learning.<\/strong> The role of development is much broader, and applies more generally to the whole workforce.<\/p>\n

The intention is to create a culture of learning and constructive attitudes, to build workforce potential, and to equip employees with the tangible and intangible abilities to deal with any challenges the future may hold.<\/p>\n

Sure, training is often an important component of workforce development programs<\/strong><\/a>. But it\u2019s not development on its own.<\/p>\n

And the best part about models of workforce development is that they\u2019re often individualized and self-selected in a way that training can\u2019t be.<\/strong> Employees can choose to engage in development activities anytime, anywhere, and through any medium.<\/p>\n

Benefits of Workforce Development<\/h3>\n

Now, a workforce development strategy is good for so many reasons. There\u2019s a bunch of reasons why companies should invest in getting it right.<\/p>\n