Why Career Development Matters and How HR Can Drive Success

Career development is a strategic imperative that can make or break your enterprise’s long-term success.

Unfortunately, many organizations aren’t doing enough. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2023 finds that, globally, six in 10 workers will require training before 2027, but only half of workers are seen to have access to adequate training opportunities today.

Let’s explore why career development is so important and how to create career growth opportunities for employees that work for your organization. Additionally, you can review some career development programs examples.

What is career development, and why is it important?

Career development is the ongoing effort for workers to maximize their skills and advance in their profession. For employers, it’s hard to overstate the importance of career development. Here are some of the benefits it can deliver:  

Attract employees and keep them engaged. A robust career development program makes your organization more likely to attract and retain top talent. According to the 2024 SEI Consumer Survey, 93% of U.S.-based full-time employees agree that learning new skills keeps them motivated at work.  

Increase skills across the organization. As individuals grow and develop, they raise the collective skill level of your enterprise.

Enhance competitiveness and adaptability. When you support diverse types of career development, your employees can stay current with developments in your industry. 

Deepen the talent pool. Prepare new leaders. Your people are your most important asset. By supporting their growth and development—including emerging leaders—you’re building a more adaptable workforce. Plus, you’re saving money: 79% of L&D professionals agree that it’s less expensive to reskill a current employee than to hire a new one, according to a 2022 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report.

What is the objective of career planning?

Career planning is about guiding individuals toward successful and fulfilling work that’s aligned with organizational goals. Here are some key objectives of career planning:

It sets an expectation that every employee is on a growth path. It can also enhance organizational alignment, ensuring that there’s a strong connection between the employees’ goals and the organization’s needs. 

Career planning can help employers maximize their resources by focusing on areas where skill development can deliver the best return on investment. Another benefit is increased productivity. Career planning can help employers place workers in the roles where they’ll be most successful.

A focus on career planning contributes to a growth mindset across the organization.

How does HR help with career development?

To be successful, career development for employees needs to be thoughtfully structured and managed. Some ways that HR can be effective partners include:

• Create the program. Your HR team is a crucial player in setting up any career development effort. 
• Offer tools and resources. From skill assessments to training programs, HR can support development by connecting employees to the materials they need.  
• Guide the review process. HR can help ensure that employee assessments are consistent and strategic.  
• Support internal mobility. HR can guide employees in exploring potential new roles and work with managers to identify pathways. According to a 2022 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report, 54% of Learning and Development professionals agree that internal mobility has become a higher priority at their organization since COVID-19.  

What are specific examples of career development activities?

To support all employees, a career development program should include a wide variety of development opportunities. Your program could include some or all of these career development examples: 

• Job rotations. Employees try their hand at different roles, becoming more adaptable in the process. 
• Mentorship. Junior employees gain valuable insights by connecting with senior colleagues. 
• Leadership development. Specialized training can help prepare your organization’s next generation of leaders. 
• Career pathing. A clear map of career advancement helps employees pursue achievable goals for growth.  
• Performance reviews. With a structured plan to track and discuss progress, you have built-in milestones and checkpoints. 
• Technical training. Helps employees build relevant skills such as programming, data analysis, and more. 
• Soft skills training. Encourages interpersonal success attributes such as communication, collaboration, and leadership.  
• Tuition assistance or reimbursement. Supports employees in their pursuit of advanced degrees or other education. 
  

Nearly one-third of business leaders expect to increase the investment of their company’s education benefits over the next two years. 

Get support for employee learning and growth

With such a broad range of potential career development tactics, it’s difficult for any organization to do it all. That’s why it’s essential to find the right partner. Workforce Edge is here to support you and your employees with powerful and affordable ways to gain new skills and knowledge.