How to Create and Nurture Career Growth Opportunities for Employees

Today’s business climate feels faster and more competitive than ever. To succeed, you need a capable, motivated, and dynamic workforce. You need to attract great people, support their development, and retain them. 

That’s why it’s so important to provide career growth opportunities for employees. When employees have opportunities to grow, they may become more engaged, more skilled, and more likely to stay. They can experience greater job satisfaction and potential career advancement. In fact, growth opportunities have become an expectation: 87% of workers believe employers should be investing in employees’ continued education.*

Employees aren’t the only ones who benefit. By supporting employee growth, your organization could see bottom-line gains including lower turnover costs, increased productivity, and more. But to get the most value from developing your people, you need to understand the issue and have a plan.

*Based on data from the 2023 Great Retention Survey

What is growth opportunity for an employee?

Growth opportunities are experiences that enable employees to develop their skills, gain new knowledge, and advance their careers. Growth opportunities come in many shapes and sizes. Some are formal and regimented, and some are informal and unstructured. Some happen naturally as part of the job, and some require active effort to pursue. When it comes to your own organization and how well it supports employee growth, here are a few of the biggest opportunity for growth examples to consider:

Formal training: This could be a training program developed internally at your organization or a third-party program through a certifying body, university, or other institution. This might include:

• Professional development such as workshops, conferences, and job-specific education offerings. 
• Higher education programs such as bachelor’s or advanced degrees, certifications, or specializations. Many employers offer these options through a tuition assistance program. 
• Technical training such as courses or certifications in software applications, programming, or mechanical or manufacturing technologies.  
• Soft skills training in areas such as leadership, communication, collaboration, or innovation. 

Mentoring and coaching. Whether through a manager-employee relationship or a mentor-mentee arrangement, employees can gain valuable insight and advice from a more experienced colleague. 

Internal opportunities. In your own organization, you can identify multiple ways for employees to explore growth opportunities: 

• New responsibilities and projects can give employees a chance to stretch their skills and gain new knowledge. 
• Informational interviewing enables employees to meet with coworkers in different roles to learn about their roles and experiences. 
• Job shadowing lets employees spend time one-to-one with coworkers to observe and participate in different job functions. 

Networking. Making new professional connections is a powerful way to gain insights and knowledge. Your organization can encourage this by supporting membership in professional organizations or assigning employees to cross-functional project teams. 

Why career development is important to an employee

According to a recent survey by McKinsey and Company, 41% of over 13,000 respondents cited lack of career development/advancement as the most common reason for quitting their previous jobs.

It may seem obvious why employees want better opportunity and career growth: it can be a path to earning more money. But that’s only part of the story. Employees have many reasons to value career growth and development. Here are just a few:

Financial success and security. At its most basic level, a job is a financial transaction: employees trade their time and effort for financial compensation. Over the course of their careers, employees hope to grow their pay to build a financial foundation for themselves and their families, secure their retirement, fund their kids’ education, pursue their personal interests, and more. Career development is a powerful tool for greater financial reward.

Job satisfaction. When employees feel that they’re growing their skills or learning new things, their day-to-day satisfaction is likely to increase. For example, 87% of Workforce Edge users report their general level of engagement at their current job as very or fairly engaged. [4695]

Sense of purpose. Most employees want their work to contribute to a personal sense of fulfillment—to feel that what they do for a living makes a difference in the world around them. By growing their skills and knowledge, employees can feel more empowered and impactful. 

Personal growth and self-worth. It’s inherently satisfying to perform at a high level. As their capabilities grow, employees can realize bigger achievements—and boost their feelings of confidence, motivation, and self-esteem. 

In Practice: 

• Give employees access to education benefits on their first day of work
• Include access to funding for any kind of learning that applies to their job (examples include high school diplomas, degrees, professional certifications, bootcamps, etc.)

Why is career growth important in the workplace?

Employees aren’t the only ones who benefit from growth opportunities within a company. Organizations can realize significant, measurable benefits themselves.

Recruitment improvements. Opportunities for growth can make an employer a more attractive place to work. A 2022 survey by Amazon and Workplace Intelligence found that employee development is key for attracting talent. Nearly 90% of respondents said strong skills development programs (87%), ample career advancement opportunities (88%), and paths to different career tracks (87%) were important when considering a new job. 

Engaged employees. If you’ve heard about “quiet quitting,” then you know what it looks like when employees don’t feel connected to their work or workplace. But when they can see pathways to a brighter future at work, employees may be more likely to be engaged in their workplace overall. Among those who say they feel incomplete, stagnant, frustrated, or uninspired at their current job, 69% believe they would feel better about their current job if their employer paid for workplace training or continuing education.

Work performance. A workforce with career growth opportunities is a workforce that’s more capable and skilled overall. To illustrate the point, 91% of business leaders agree that tuition assistance benefits programs can upskill their workforce, which gives organizations a competitive advantage.

Developing future leaders. Every organization needs to consider how it will ensure the continuity of its operations into the future, and strong leadership is the key. By developing leaders internally, organizations can build a deep bench of potential leaders who are ready to step up when necessary—as opposed to hiring external leaders who don’t have organizational knowledge and aren’t immersed in the culture. 

Retention. Employees may be more likely to stay at a job where they have pathways to growth. According to a 2022 survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and TalentLMS, 76% of employees say they are more likely to stay with a company that offers continuous training.

79% of Learning and Development professionals agree: It’s less expensive to reskill a current employee than to hire a new one.

Does career growth mean promotion?

For many employers, “employee growth” can sound a little scary. If you help your employees grow new skills, does that mean you’ll have to promote everyone? Not exactly. 

Yes, many employees pursue learning opportunities with a promotion (and pay increase) in mind. But perhaps not as many as you might think: 13% of Workforce Edge users surveyed believe going back to school with their education benefits has helped them earn a promotion at work.

There are many career growth opportunities examples, and not all of them involve promotion. For some employees, growth isn’t about moving up the ladder. It’s about fulfillment, personal growth, and other, more nuanced motivations. Here are some types of career growth that don’t involve promotions:  

• Building skills to feel more confident in their current role 
• Making a lateral move that’s more aligned with their interests 
• Taking on a role that allows them to make a greater contribution 
• Taking on new responsibilities 
• Gaining more autonomy in their work 
• Earning more recognition and visibility 

How to improve career development in an organization

Many employers offer learning and growth opportunities, but there’s always more that can be done to support employees. Here are some ways your organization can get even better at supporting employee development.

Establish Clear Career Paths. This is the foundation on which your career development program rests. Employees need to see that there are opportunities to grow their careers—and that there are clear ways to make it happen. Across your organization, clarify what career advancement looks like at each position, including the specific skills and capabilities required for advancement. Set up transparent and achievable milestones that employees can reach as they progress. 

Invest in training and learning. To move forward, your employees need opportunities to stay up to date on industry trends, build new skills, and grow their professional knowledge base. Some of this will happen on the job, but that approach isn’t enough by itself. Whether you develop training programs internally or seek them out externally, build a structured learning program that is clearly connected to the career paths in your organization.

Create a mentoring program. Being paired with a more senior employee is a powerful way for less experienced workers to grow. They benefit from their mentor’s hard-earned insight and advice, plus they can expand their professional network. What’s more, the benefits of mentorship flow in both directions as more experienced workers benefit from their mentees’ fresh perspectives.

Involve every department. Especially in larger organizations, it’s easy for employees to become siloed within their job function—which can limit career development. Look for ways to encourage cross-departmental collaboration. This could include stretch assignments, job rotations, or project-based collaboration. This can not only help make your employees more well-rounded, but it also exposes them to potential new career opportunities.

Reward development. As employees take the development steps you’ve outlined for them, you should take time to celebrate their success. This could be in the form of monetary reward, but other kinds of recognition can be important, too. Employees want to see that their employer values their contributions.

How to create opportunities for employee growth

Most organizations understand why they should provide employee growth opportunities. The problem is how to do it. Here are some employee growth and development ideas to help you build an authentic culture of growth and opportunity.  

Prioritize learning and skill development. Start by involving stakeholders across the organization to gain a comprehensive view of which skills are most valuable. Then identify internal or external resources that can help employees boost those skills. Make those learning opportunities accessible, affordable, and easy for employees to use. Enlist leaders at every level to encourage and model continuous learning.  

Support your emerging leaders. Successful organizations need a leadership pipeline to secure their future. Identify up-and-coming leaders in your organization and support their growth with training and development opportunities.  

Don’t neglect your individual contributors. Not everyone aspires to leadership, but that doesn't mean their careers should stagnate. As you consider pathways for growth, explore how individual contributors can expand their skills even if they don’t manage others.  

Help employees grow their networks. At every level, employees can gain new insights and knowledge when they connect with others. Within your organization, provide opportunities for employees to expand their contacts. External networks are important, too, and can help employees gain fresh perspective and stay current in their field. Encourage employees to take advantage of professional associations, networking groups, and more. 

Encourage internal mobility. Employees who move to new functions within an organization not only boost their own development and growth, but they also bring valuable cross-functional insights and skills that can elevate overall organizational performance. It’s in your organization’s best interest to enable internal mobility. Here are a few ways to do it: 

• Develop a transparent system or platform for employees to pursue internal job openings. 
• Set organizational targets for internal hiring. This will vary by organization, job level, and department, but assigning specific numerical goals for in-house hires is an important way to show your organization’s commitment. 
• When employees pursue internal opportunities, offer relevant training, coaching, and mentorship to support their success. 
• Allow and promote stretch assignments, job shadowing, and project-based cross-functional teams to help employees build new skills and provide a glimpse of potential career paths within your organization. 

Also, don’t place excessive restrictions on internal mobility—for example, requiring multiple layers of approval or multiple years with the organization before employees are eligible. If employees feel that internal moves are discouraged, they’re more likely to look at external opportunities. In fact, companies that excel at internal mobility are able to retain employees for an average of 5.4 years. That’s nearly two times as long as companies that struggle with it, where the average retention span is 2.9 years.

Create individualized career development plans. Create personalized plans to help employees grow in their careers and build new skills. Include measurable goals, clear milestones, and regular feedback. 

How to create a career development plan for employees

We know that career development can deliver big benefits for both employees and organizations. And we know there are multiple ways to provide development opportunities. So how do you help employees make the most of the opportunities in front of them? With careful planning.  

There are many employee career development plan examples, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. But here’s a starting framework:

Set a baseline. It’s hard to set goals without a clear understanding of where you’re starting from. Establish employees’ skill levels through informal means like 1-1 meetings and check-ins or through a more formalized process such as 360 peer feedback, skill inventories, or aptitude tests. 

Identify where employees want to be. Each employee is different, so it’s important to take time to establish what each individual hopes to accomplish professionally. Do they want to grow within their role? Progress to a higher level within their career track? Pivot to a new career path? Their answer will help guide the specific actions that follow.

Set clear goals. This is the plan part of the development planning process. Identify appropriate goals for each employee. To promote accountability—both for the employee and the organization—use the SMART approach to set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. 

Assign development partners. Connect employees to others who can help them on their development path. This will include their manager but could also include mentors, coaches, or peers. 

Check in frequently and adjust as needed. Establish regular check-ins and open lines of communication for the employee, manager, and others involved in the development plan. Gather feedback on a regular cadence. But make sure to allow for change as the employee proceeds. It’s common for goals to shift as the employee grows new skills and gains new experience.

How to support employee career development

When employees feel that you’ve got their back, you’ll see improved motivation, performance, and loyalty. Here are some ideas on how to encourage employees to pursue professional development—and how to support them along the way.

Provide frequent learning opportunities. More than half of workers (52%) indicate they must continue their education in order to remain competitive in the modern workforce.

Employee learning comes in many forms, from team lunch-and-learns to professional conferences to formal training. Give your employees as much variety as you can, so they can learn in the way that works best for them. And encourage them to view career-relevant learning as a lifelong endeavor. 

Encourage cross-training and job shadowing. Provide opportunities for employees to explore other roles and departments, either by observation or by getting hands-on through a stretch assignment. Not only can this expose your people to new skills and experiences; it sends a strong signal that your organization values its internal talent.

Understand employee strengths. It’s important to know what your employees are good at, where their skills lie, and what their key interests are. With this knowledge, you can help them identify career pathways that will allow them to build on what they already do well—and avoid job roles that aren’t the right fit. Conversation, observation, and assessment are good ways to gather this information.

Communicate often. If you’re only discussing career development at your employees’ mid-year and year-end reviews, you’re not talking about it enough. Development is an ongoing process that requires open, frequent communication. Share career growth guidance and feedback regularly through check-ins, spot coaching, 1-1 meetings, and more. 

Protect work-life balance. Burnout is real. Development and advancement require challenging work, but putting too much on an employee’s plate can backfire. When you build a culture that respects employees’ well-being, you’ll see high levels of morale, engagement, and retention. 

How can managers support employees' career development?

We’ve seen how crucial it is for organizations to support employee development, but now it’s time to narrow our focus to one of the most influential roles for any employee: their manager. Managers play a huge part in job engagement, satisfaction, and much more. It’s not surprising that managers are also key players when it comes to employee growth. Here are some important ways that managers can support employee career development. 

Adopt a development mindset. Some managers don’t see it as their job to promote or encourage career development. Some even wonder why they should invest time and resources to help an employee grow, and risk losing them to promotion. But withholding development is actually a greater risk—a risk to employee engagement and satisfaction, and an organizational risk in potentially losing employees who are frustrated by their lack of growth. According to a survey conducted by Workplace Intelligence in fall 2022, 74% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents said they are ready to move on from current employment due to subpar skills-building support or a lack of career mobility.

Make a plan. With goals identified, now it’s time to make a plan to reach them. Create a clear roadmap to help your employees toward their career destination. Include specific, smaller goals and milestones to break the main goal into manageable pieces—and celebrate those achievements one by one. Also, create an accountability framework to keep everyone on track. 

Keep communicating. At regular one-on-ones, informal conversations, and official reviews, stay focused on development. Ask your people to clarify where they’d like to be in the future and how they’ll get there. Share your feedback and guidance so your employees can understand their strengths and areas for improvement. 

Connect them to resources. Training programs, online classes, conferences, certifications—all of these (and more) can be important ways for employees to grow and learn. And as a manager, you can play a key role in making these resources available. Consider your current budget and how it may allow for learning opportunities. Identify internal opportunities for learning. Draw upon your own network to explore potential avenues for employee growth.

How to enhance career development

As we’ve seen, there are many ways to encourage and support employees in their career development. Explore these key approaches:

Build a culture of learning. Through your organization’s actions and words, make it clear that you value learning and skill development. 

• Invest in continuous learning. 
• Make learning and development a top organizational priority. 
• Encourage employees to take advantage of learning resources. 
• Provide plentiful learning opportunities. 
• Reward employees who participate. 

Establish a career development program. When career development is structured in an organization-wide program, employees see that your organization cares. And employers are catching on: in a recent survey, 65 percent of employers thought that professional career development benefits were important now compared to 37 percent in 2020/2021 and 51 percent prior to the pandemic.

Here are some career development programs examples:

• Mentoring 
• Career coaching 
• Professional development 
• Leadership succession planning 
• Career progression pathways 

Customize development opportunities. Each employee is an individual—with individual motivations and goals. Consider how your organization can tailor its learning and development opportunities to employee needs. This may include individualized career coaching, skill assessments, and learning formats.

Don’t forget soft skills. Technical knowledge may be easier to observe and measure, but soft skills can make or break an employee’s progress. Provide frequent opportunities for employees to explore, practice, and grow a full range of soft skills: 

• Leadership 
• Teamwork 
• Analytical thinking 
• Conflict management 
• Problem solving 
• Communication 
• Time management 

Foster frequent and open feedback. Make clear that your organization values open and honest communication about career development. This means seeking employee and manager input, incorporating that input into your development offerings, and giving employees the freedom to share their thoughts and ideas even if it might be uncomfortable for your leadership team to hear. Set up tools and processes to gather and process feedback, whether through regular manager-employee meetings, anonymous surveys, or other methods.

Take your organization’s career development efforts to the next level

With a clear and consistent focus on employee development, your organization can realize significant gains in recruitment, retention, job performance, and morale. At Workforce Edge, we’re ready to help you explore proven ways to maximize employee potential through learning and skill growth.

Schedule a consultation to get started.