When you hear the words “upskilling” or “professional development,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
For some people, it’s learning how to handle difficult customers or being a more supportive coworker. For others, it means getting promoted and climbing the corporate ladder.
No matter what an employee’s objectives are, professional development opportunities can make work more engaging and can improve retention rates. It can also open doors to future opportunities within a company, keeping great candidates in-house and paving the way for them to advance without needing to look to competitors.
And that matters a lot; companies that excel at internal mobility retain employees for almost twice as long as companies that don’t.
Below are three examples of how professional development can help pave internal mobility pathways for their employees.
Construction Career Pathways
1. Project Management
The construction industry is in need of project management skillsets in a major way. Help your early-career project coordinators advance through their project management careers by offering upskilling opportunities so they can level up their skills.
Someone working in project management may ultimately have their goals set on advancing to a senior project manager or beyond. In order to get there, they’ll need to upskill a balance of soft skills (things like leadership and communication) with hard skills (things like project planning and Lean principles).
2. Preconstruction
Construction doesn’t happen without preconstruction. If you can help your junior estimators improve some of the skills they need, you can develop your future preconstruction managers in-house.
Preconstruction can take many forms. In the example above, we used a possible career path in estimating. In that role, a junior staff member may ultimately want to become a preconstruction manager, a role that balances project and people management, once again blending a skillset based on people and practice.
3. Site-Based Management
Tradespeople are the heart of the construction industry, but many of these employees have aspirations to advance. Give them the tools to advance by helping them improve their planning, time management and leadership skills.
No construction job can happen without on-site workers. Not everyone wants to become a foreperson or superintendent. But for those who do, they may not even know the path they need to take to get to management.
Make Professional Development a Priority
Retain the great talent your organization has by helping them grow. D2L Wave is a free-to-use talent development solution that simplifies how employees find, request and register for professional development opportunities that align with an organization’s skill needs.
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