How Professional Development Training Can Support Your Career

March 2020 saw a record broken for unemployment claims, and in coming months, according to Moody’s Analytics, more than 50% of the US Workforce is at risk for unemployment. With companies examining their bottom line in terms of remaining viable for an unknown time span, including economic recovery, savvy employees are seeking professional development training to demonstrate their value. Your skills can be a part of your own professional survival kit.

Professional Training Can Support Your Career More Than Ever

If you find yourself now a Work from Home (WFH) worker, the lack of an early morning commute should not translate into two hours of sleeping in. Nor does suddenly being WFH mean you should just wear your favorite sports team Jammie pants and wait for it to all blow over.

One professional shared his experience from three layoffs, and how he was able to emerge from each: learn as much as you can where you are now, document your skills and value to share with company leaders, and create your own career summary “to help you figure out where you stand, what you could do next in your career, and how to tell your story”. With the volatility of today’s business environment due to COVID-19, professionals should assess their career approach to manage their next steps.

Consider these three scenarios and decide which you believe aligns with this moment in your job. These scenarios can apply to you whether you are a long- term employee at a global corporation, the new recruit at a small privately held family business, or your own LLC or freelance service.Be brutally frank with your situation to best navigate the changes ahead. What are the skills you have, and what are the ones you need to gain, upskill, or deepen? The top soft skills in the LinkedIn Learning most in-demand skills include: Creativity, Persuasion, Collaboration, Adaptability, and Time Management. Recruiters advise that developing those professional skills now means you will be ready for future opportunities.

Remote Work Prepares You for Virtual Training

Working from home is great preparation for managing virtual training and development. Consider these aspects shared with WFH and online learning:

• Time Management. Work assignments or homework – either way you need to get it done and turned in on time.
• Online Technologies. The area you’ve set up to focus on work using your computer works the same for using it for training.
• Virtual training is targeted to the professional, which means class content is self-paced and/or scheduled around business hours to ensure you can complete it.
• Cost Savings. Your job probably wants you to use the most cost-effective solution for anything, and virtual training does not have travel costs.

If you are preparing to pivot or adapt your career, or if you need to demonstrate value in a current role, online courses are an effective way to do it.

Plan Your Training Approach

When considering your training options, be sure your needs are met including working with a company that itself is adapting to the public safety requirements associated with COVID-19. In addition to the expected considerations of cost and skill topics, your training vendor should also provide:

• Range of Virtual Course Offerings skills and certifications
• Options across time zones 
• Schedule flexibility including weekends
• Access to subject matter experts and instructors
• Ongoing Monitoring & Open Communication with Students

It is important you contact your training vendor to discuss their offerings and how they are adapting to changes experienced across the country.

Include Training In Your Professional Survival Kit

It is without question a time of great upheaval and change. Companies have had to rapidly convert to work from home capabilities, to adjust to dramatic changes in the amount of incoming work, and to maximize digital interactions. Some workers have had their jobs furloughed, reduced, or even eliminated. In contrast, some industries are actively seeking people to fill significant increases in workloads. It is in this time of historic change, that professionals need to upskill and reskill to prove their worth today and to be prepared for the shifts coming.

If you’re currently unemployed, Project Management Academy can help. We’re offering deep discounts on our training courses to help people build their resume to find great new jobs.

Interested in some new professional skills to boost your resume? Check out our list of course offerings. 

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