Engaging in professional development is a key phase in career advancement and if you’re not engaging in professional development of any sort or structure or plan, you will in all likelihood remain at that job going nowhere in your government career.
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Ongoing learning and development of employees ensure employees stay connected to their role, especially as new processes, systems, and methods emerge. Skill development focused on career advancement is an often-overlooked but highly effective way to maximise the impact of your professional development budget. In addition to technical and interpersonal skills required on the job, learning how to write a proper CV, developing a personal brand and honing effective interview techniques can help you develop a strong pitch as a professional.
There are a variety of training programmes designed for government employees, offered both online and in-person. These programmes cover diverse topics you may not have considered, but which could greatly improve your day-to-day job satisfaction and productivity. Here are a few course ideas worth exploring:
In the public sector, many departments allocate an annual training budget for employees, enabling them to invest in professional development courses. Government employees can utilise these allocations for professional development courses that can help them stay up to date with relevant skills they need on the job. Acquiring new skills or refreshing existing ones not only improves job satisfaction but also increases your likelihood of earning a promotion. Professional development programs also help you reflect on personal achievements and improvements, and can be a valuable source of motivation and productivity.
Professional development plans are a critical part of your career development. With a little bit of effort you can easily achieve significant gains in job satisfaction and career advancement, and you don’t need to work alone; your PDP is a gateway to unlocking financial and non-financial support to help you improve your career. Having a documented plan is a two-way street, it’s both a commitment of what you’re going to work towards, but also an outline of the support that you need from your manager and the department. Having a career goal outlined in your PDP is a powerful first step to achieving positive change.
Creating your Professional Development Plan (PDP) each year can seem like a tedious or low value task, however, a strategic approach and a little consideration can pay big dividends in long-term outcomes. With a focus on what’s important to you, this is time well spent, and an exercise in exploring your own ideas about yourself and what future role you see yourself in. If you don’t have a firm idea of where you see your career going through professional development, the first step you could take is to sit down with a coach and develop a new career plan.Â
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Your PDP allows an opportunity to shape positive change by not just identifying skills to develop in the immediate future, but also considering how your career pathway aligns to personal career goals. For example, if your longer-term objective is to work on exciting public health projects, are you getting opportunities to work with expert project delivery practitioners now to build up deep, real-world experience? What opportunities exist in your current branch? Identifying a project management course or certification for your PDP is a great step, but coupled with a plan for on-the-job experience, your PDP becomes a powerful enabler for meaningful career growth.
In government structures, PDPs are very useful in harmonising your career attributes towards set objectives. You can try to evaluate your environment and develop a strategy to close core gaps related to your long-term goals, for example, ascension to a senior management position. This is something that can be achieved by sitting down to develop a career plan with a coach.
In every government career, there are always new projects, teams, and opportunities. By planning and upskilling, you can ensure that you are able to take up a range of opportunities that align with your career aspirations. A progressive skill development strategy allows you to increase your chances of taking new wins. This shows your preparedness for the next step and helps embrace new challenges.
Often, employees don’t use the full development budget allocated for their professional development. Funds are allocated on a ‘use it or lose it’ basis, so you should develop a plan to help make the most out of the development budget. If you’re not sure how to spend your budget, working with a career development expert could be a first step in making informed choices. Your professional development isn’t all about winning promotions to more senior roles, this can simply be about making your job easier to do, or exploring professional themes that are interesting to you.
The importance of a strategic career plan for your profession in the public sector cannot be overstated. PS Careers is dedicated to helping you throughout your career and provides assistance in such important and difficult transitions as achieving a promotion or shifting to a different department. When it comes to executing a key step in your career transition, we’ve got you covered with a complete range of solutions for job applications and interview performance. We’ve helped hundreds of public service employees make the most of their development budgets with a personalised approach that is the best fit for each individual’s situation.
