The performance of an employee can be evaluated through the amount of work he can successfully deliver given an upright attitude towards a stressful environment. But to climb the professional ladder, one has to be inspirational, experienced and knowledgeable. Seeking for an all-star employee these days can be tough.  That’s why organizations are sending their mid-tier staffs to trainings to expand their knowledge about the business. These staffs take skills development programs in the form of free online courses, product badges, certifications, and internal and external trainings. Although some trainings are quite expensive and cause potential drawbacks on project deliverables, organizations these days are rather confident in the ultimate return of this investment.

One might think that skills development is job-specific. It is not. A simple gathering to discuss company rules and regulations is already an avenue for employees to strengthen their professional propensity towards following the company’s order. An analyst can get a free product badge that he can relay to his teammates later on. If mancom wants their project managers to learn a project management tool, they can hire an external trainer to conduct the training. In return, these managers can effectively plan the project schedule and its delivery and resolve risks through a software.

There are trainings that are required to get the job done. For instance, when a company extends its clientele offshore, the sales team can undergo a language training. This will in turn allow the sales representatives to effectively close more deals; then the business will expand its horizon. To get a certification a database administrator has to train himself with the ins and outs of the SQL scripts. These kinds of trainings, though more specific to a skill, advance the organization’s technical knowledge. A den of young, dexterous minds projects a well-to-do business facade towards investors seeking for all-time trustworthy vendors.

Here are valuable upshots companies can get from effective skills development programs:

Resolve areas of improvements

Normally, employees do not recognize their weaknesses in the workplace. The colleagues and the immediate supervisor respond to this through their quarterly evaluation. Recognizing this, the boss can review which skills development program is fit for his team member. A good development program is an opportunity for the members to keep up with the changing demands of the company — thus eliminating the weak links. Providing a professional training that is specific to the team’s daily work can help the team members switch from one task to another without necessarily asking for guidance or supervision.

Improve employee performance

The best employee will always have a recognizable consistency in their work products. But without further skills development, that’s the end of it. With sufficient training, however, a typing contestant can now give 300 strokes per minute compared to a considerable 100 strokes prior to professional training. See, as soon as the employee becomes more aware of proper procedures even with basic tasks, he can always nail it better. Trainings build more confidence in the employees because they already have a baseline of the standards of business processes.

Strengthen employees’ staying power

Even during interviews, an applicant keeps the recruiting officer well aware of his needs when it comes to career developments. A company that provides easy access to professional training and development programs offer greater job opportunities. Applicants will line up for sure. And those who are already in will always have a prodigious career experience. Internal company trainings create an environment where employees feel that they are trusted and valued. In return, employees like to stay for long.

Create a competitive atmosphere

Competition, as long as attitudes are being set aside for the common good, is beneficial for the organization. Remember that employees can only climb to the top and to get the spotlight one has to work hard and get more knowledgeable each day. What better way to enhance skills and ready oneself to leadership than to incur a job-compatible training? When employees inspire each other to do better, especially when team members get positively envious of one another’s appraisable outputs, then deadlines can be met and the organization can breathe even more harmoniously.

Return the investment tenfold

While the cost allotted to trainings can be noticeably high, the return of this investment will definitely burgeon in the long run. Not only will companies recognize the improvement in speed, efficiency and productivity of employees, but also the visibility to tangible return. According to Molly Thompson of SmallBusinesses, if before the professional training, the annual profit produced was $3,000 per employee, based on 3,000 widgets a year making $1 profit each, the employee can now make 4,000 widgets each year, at a per-widget profit of $1.75. So the total annual profit from that employee’s widget production is $7,000. The increased profit is $4,000. Multiply that to all employees in the company, see that a money well spent definitely comes full circle with a few more commas.