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The Link Between Professional Training and Higher Salaries
Professional Development Training: What Actually Works (And What's Just Expensive Window Dressing)
Professional development training. Where do l even bloody start with this one?
After twenty plus years of delivering training and sitting through countless workshops on training that does absolutely nothing except tick boxes for HR departments. And before you think I'm just having a whinge, I'm essentially criticising my own bread and butter here. I've been in the training game since the late nineties, so I'm essentially criticising my own industry here.
The fundamental problem is that training gets designed in boardrooms by people who've never been on the shop floor. You know the type. New graduates with their fancy qualifications, armed with PowerPoint presentations full of jargon and academic models that sound clever but fall apart the moment someone asks "sure, but what happens when reality hits and everything goes pear shaped?"
I was in a session last month won't name the company, but it's one of those big corporate training outfits and the facilitator spent the better part of an hour discussing "transformational leadership principles." Pretty slides. Nice graphics. Then during the break, I watched him completely lose it with the catering staff because they'd messed up some minor detail.
That's the industry in a nutshell right there.
Let me tell you what really makes a difference, though it wont win any innovation awards. One on one mentoring. Genuine mentoring relationships, not the tick box exercises most companies run. I'm talking about matching people based on actual skills gaps and personality fit, then giving them time real time, not twenty minutes grabbed between meetings to work through challenges together.
The best professional development I ever got was from Janet, this no nonsense accounts manager at a freight company in Brisbane. Worked alongside him for months, learning how he managed complex projects, how she structured her day, how she knew which battles to fight and which ones to walk away from. No workbook. No certificate at the end. Just real skills from someone who'd learned the hard way what actually works.
But you cant scale that, can you? Cant run mass sessions and bill big corporate rates. So instead we get these cookie cutter training sessions where everyone sits in bland hotel function rooms, checking their phones, and goes back to their desk with a folder full of handouts they'll never look at again.
I'm not saying all group training is useless. Technical skills training is usually effective. Show someone how to use a new software system, let them practice it, job done. Safety training saves lives. Compliance training keeps you out of court. These are real things with measurable outcomes.
It's the soft skills stuff that's mostly rubbish. Executive coaching. Interpersonal development. Group dynamics. Efficiency training. All the things that actually matter most for career progression, and we've turned them into these generic, one size fits all programs that ignore the fact that every workplace is distinct.
Recently watched construction supervisors doing team building exercises designed for retail managers. Makes about as much sense as applying identical strategies to running a hospital and managing a coffee shop.
That construction supervisor needs skills for managing subcontractors and dealing with site disputes while keeping projects on track. The retail manager needs methods for handling customer complaints and motivating casual staff. Different problems. Distinct solutions. Same training program.
Here's what really gets me we track all the wrong metrics. Participant numbers? Happy sheets? Budget compliance? Meanwhile, nobody checks if the training made any real difference to performance.
I follow up with course attendees for twelve months. About 30% use something worthwhile from what we covered. That's not bad, actually most trainers see maybe 15% application rates. But it means two thirds of the time and money spent is essentially thrown away. Try explaining that to a CFO.
The stuff that sticks usually has three things in common. First, it tackles genuine challenges they're dealing with right now. Second, people actually rehearse the skills with qualified coaching. Third, someone follows up to ensure implementation.
Everything else is just overpriced entertainment.
Dont get me started on e learning platforms. Dont get me started on those click through modules where you can complete "Advanced Leadership Techniques" in your lunch break. People complete hour long modules in fifteen minutes by skipping all the content. Their completion certificates look exactly the same as someone who actually took it seriously.
But here's where I might lose some people I think a lot of the blame sits with the participants themselves. We've created this culture where development is done to people rather than with people. People rock up expecting to be transformed by sitting passively through a workshop, then whinge when it doesnt change their lives.
The participants who get the most out of any training are the ones who come prepared with specific questions, take notes, ask for clarification, and follow up afterwards. They treat it like an investment in themselves rather than a day away from their normal responsibilities.
I had this woman in a project management course a few years back. Sarah, worked for a construction company in Perth. Brought real team challenges he was facing, took comprehensive notes on solutions, stayed back afterwards to work through detailed scenarios. Six months later, she'd been promoted to senior project manager. Coincidence? Maybe. But I dont think so.
Businesses that benefit think strategically about development. They assess actual needs, select targeted solutions, and build follow up processes. They dont just send people to random courses because there's money left in the training budget.
BHP does this really well. Their leadership development programs are focused, hands on, and tied directly to business outcomes. They monitor career progression of participants and refine the programs based on what actually works. Not revolutionary stuff, just simple common sense applied systematically.
Too many companies see training as optional rather than essential. They'll spend millions on new equipment or software, then baulk at investing properly in the people who have to use it.
And the irony is that in most businesses, human performance is the biggest variable in success or failure. You can have the best systems and processes in the world, but if your people dont know how to use them effectively, you're stuffed.
This might upset my industry colleagues, but organisations should develop their own people internally. Your best performers, the ones who've actually mastered the skills you want to develop, teaching others in your organisation how they do it. Understanding your specific challenges matters. Industry knowledge matters. Knowing your particular environment matters.
Outside experts make sense for niche skills or independent insights. But for core skills development? Your team probably understands the reality better than any outsider.
My industry colleagues will hate this, but it's accurate. We've convinced organisations they need us for everything, when what they really need is better systems for capturing and sharing internal knowledge.
Where do we go from here? Professional development training remains essential as skills requirements and regulations increase. But maybe we can start being more honest about what works and what doesnt.
End the fiction that brief sessions create lasting change. Begin tracking results that count. Emphasise actionable content for direct application. And for the love of all that's sacred, quit forcing experienced people through basic content for compliance.
Real development occurs when experts share their knowledge with people ready to learn. Everything else is just paperwork.
If you have any concerns about where by and how to use Professional Development Training Canberra, you can call us at our webpage.
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