Professional development significantly enhances an employee’s ability to contribute to an organization beyond finite tasks that may be identified upon hire. Continued exploration of new methods, best practices, or conceptual designs stimulate a workforce to evolve so that whatever product or service they provide remains relevant. Professional development partnered with processes to identify needs, carves a path for innovation and valuable ideas being shared by the workforce.
Engaging in discussion that challenges traditional process and performance norms can lead to improvement opportunities in areas across functions throughout the organization. Ensuring that every employee has access to professional development opportunities creates a sense of equity; promotes a culture of expectation that employees will engage in process improvement; and encourages employees to pursue promotional opportunities, especially within the organization. Hiring and retaining highly skilled employees who continuously engage in career-long learning is essential to providing high quality, effective, and efficient services to our Neighbors.
