Top Ten Tips... Progressing Your Skills

We are big advocates of continual professional development at cHRysos HR – whatever your age, experience or stage in your career and that’s why we’re looking forward to the CIPD's upcoming Festival of Work.

Formerly known as Adult Learners Week, the festival is the biggest celebration of lifelong learning in the UK and takes place between 10 and 12 June. The festival will be a completely online affair for the first time this year. It promises to be a unique experience allowing you to explore how ‘learning, technology and innovation’ can shape modern workplaces.

We hope you have a great time online this year and in addition to the CIPD’s activities, here are our Top Ten Tips for progressing your skills.

1. Seize opportunities

The CIPD’s Festival of Work is such a great opportunity to learn more from the comfort of your own home and at your own pace. If attending such a high profile event feels a bit daunting (although it’s wonderfully friendly event, we promise!) then this year’s online format is the perfect way to encourage your employees to test the water.

2. Look for inspiration

The Festival of Work showcases a vast array of people who have gained so much from learning as adults and their stories are really inspiring. The festival’s award winners show how life-changing, rewarding and exciting learning something new can be. You are likely to have similar inspirational learners in your workplace, so why not seek them out and see what opportunities arise? Investing in your workforce in this way will no doubt garner loyal employees who are proud to work at your company.

3. Start with the basics

If your employees feel inspired to learn more but don’t necessarily know where to start or what they’d like to do, then the best place, as they say, is at the beginning. For many people, college or university may feel like a million years ago so offering the chance to refresh what they learned in a traditional school setting is always a good idea. Basic refreshers in core skills like maths, English or IT will no doubt lead to other opportunities.

Related: Top Ten Tips for New Students

4. Developing personal skills

Learning and development isn’t just about qualifications and a smart CV but also about personal skills and attributes too. Asking your colleagues what they think their strongest personal attributes are now that they’re more experienced, and how they want to progress further is just an important and a new qualification. For example, they might want to develop their management or team leadership skills or their confidence in a certain aspect of your job.

5. Develop a learning strategy

The Festival of Work will talk about how a strong learning and development strategy is key to enabling and inspiring your colleagues to succeed in their roles and to grow within your organisation. An effective strategy will promote positive learning cultures where everyone is empowered to take ownership and take control of their own development. The Festival of Work’s speakers will show you how to develop your learning strategy so you can nurture your employees development while growing your business too.

6. Consider what you can do online

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, this year’s Festival of Work is adapting its format – there will be a host of online masterclasses, practical case studies and interactive panel discussions. With social distancing set to become the new normal for many of us this year, and with colleges and universities unlikely to open their doors fully, online learning is set to become more popular. Consider what courses or learning projects your colleagues can do online.

7. Understand what qualifications your colleagues need

Continual Professional Development (CPD) can have many personal benefits for your employees but if you offer opportunities to continue to learn whilst also working for you, they’re more likely to remain loyal and to consider their career options at your firm rather than elsewhere. Investing in your co-workers in this way will benefit you too as they will use their new skills to boost your business. Consider what qualifications or skills your employees need and whether they are aligned to what you and your business wants to achieve.

8. Consider boosting your leadership skills

This year’s Festival of Work is totally on topic with the world-wide issues businesses are facing due to Covid-19. Developing skills isn’t just about qualifications but honing other skills business owners need, such as good leadership. One of the event’s work streams – ‘Leading Through Adversity’ - will be looking at how you and other senior colleagues you work with can enhance leadership skills, business management and organisational development practices to power through uncertain and testing times.

9. Learn how technology can boost your business

We are relying more than ever on IT systems and creative ways of running our businesses remotely. If Covid-19 has taught us anything, it’s that we really need to embrace new technology and ways of doing things to survive. The Festival of Work’s ‘Supporting Our People Through Well-being and Technology’ work stream, particularly on day three, will explore what impact technology has on workers and what positive impact it can have on the quality of jobs.

10. Don’t forget to network!

Networking at events such as the Festival of Work is a great way to boost your skills. What better way to learn than from each other? Obviously, this year’s online event is going to feel very different and face-to-face networking will be more difficult. But the event is still a great way to connect with others, to share experiences, ideas and ambitions for the future. There’s nothing stopping you making a note of particular speakers from the line-up who inspire you and following them on social media, dropping them an email or inviting them for virtual catch ups once the event concludes.

What steps will you be taking to progress your skills?

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cHRysos HR Solutions are a UK wide HR training and consultancy company offering CIPD accredited qualifications, Apprenticeships, Training and HR Services to SMEs. For more information about how cHRysos HR can help you or your teams successfully achieve further qualifications, contact us on info@chrysos.org.uk or call 03300 562443.