5 types of training and professional development

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The job market is undergoing constant changes, especially in a post-pandemic scenario, both from a social and technological point of view. And these updates result in new training and people development. Therefore, to achieve a better position or grow in your career, it is increasingly necessary to look for options to improve technical and behavioral skills .

In other words, professionals will need to retrain or even reinvent themselves (change professions) if they want to remain in the job market. In this post, we will explain how to do this and what types of training programs are available on the market today. Check out!

What is training and professional development?

The term Training and Development (T&D) refers to the process by which professionals undergo constant improvement. This is professional retraining to acquire new knowledge or work on attitudes and behaviors that prepare people to take on new roles or responsibilities.

This process is so relevant for professionals and companies that medium and large organizations typically have dedicated areas for corporate training.

But don’t worry, if you’re not working at a company that offers training and development options, know that you can look for career development alternatives that will be useful in your professional life. See how in the next topics.

How can training and development impact your career?

The world of work and the professional future are unpredictable. It is quite possible that throughout your professional journey you will experience one, two or even more changes in direction. By constantly improving yourself, training and developing new skills, you will be ready to achieve professional success, whatever your career or field of activity.

To do this, it is important to think about technical skills, but also about your professional development as a whole, including the development of social skills, such as resilience and critical thinking, for example. Below, we present some training and development options available to any professional who wants to grow in their career.

What types of training programs are available?

Currently, there is no shortage of corporate training options and tools available for professional T&D.

Whichever path you choose, it is important to research reliable sources of information and draw up an individual development plan that helps you identify which skills you need to improve to achieve your professional goals in the short and long term. See below 5 types of training and professional development.

1. Technical training

Depending on your area of ​​activity or professional objective, you may need technical training. This type of training is based on technical tasks or specific products, and can be offered by the company itself so that employees are aligned on a specific activity.

There are also training options open to the public at technical schools, which can be an excellent opportunity to practice skills necessary for your career, even if you are not employed.

2. Soft skills training

In addition to technical skills, there is a series of training focused on behavioral skills, or soft skills . This segment includes, for example, emotional intelligence, resilience, creativity, communication and teamwork .

Increasingly, the corporate environment is looking for professionals with soft skills and behavioral skills, which can make all the difference in a work team to achieve results collaboratively. These skills are often called “power skills” or “professional life skills”, due to their increasing value in the job market.

3. E-learning and microlearning

Every day, the offer of distance learning courses, which use online learning tools, increases. Virtual or hybrid teaching has already dominated university, technological and technical training, and is also widely used to improve professional skills.

A complete, structured e-learning course can include pre-recorded lecture content and videos, supporting texts, visual resources, quizzes or knowledge tests, games and other interactive and reality-simulating elements.

Microlearning (or micro learning) follows the same principle, but can involve learning small pieces of content segmented according to specific needs. Generally, these contents can be accessed on demand when the student needs it. The most common forms, in this case, also include blogs, podcasts, and other virtual resources.

4. Coaching and mentoring

When the question is which path to take with your professional career, an alternative is to rely on a specialized consultancy service.

In this sense, there are two main types. One of them is Coaching , a guided process of analysis and advice, widely used for those who want to change their professional journey. It is most sought after by more experienced professionals or at executive levels, and it is a very individualized and personalized model.

Mentoring also has a guidance format, but generally occurs between a senior and a junior employee, aiming for joint growth, learning and career development.

A good mentor can help the mentee (as the professional being mentored is called) to become more efficient at work, learn new skills and make more assertive decisions for the growth of their career.

5. Informal and autonomous learning

There is a learning model that was developed in the 1990s by professors Morgan McCall, Robert Eichinger and Michael Lombardo, from the Center for Creative Leadership, in North Carolina (USA) called 70:20:10.

The model suggests that 70% of learning occurs through experiences, 20% comes from interactions with others, and 10% is the result of formal training. Although the study is more than 30 years old, it is still highly respected in companies by training and development professionals.

But what does this mean? This means that not only formal training courses are important for professional training. The experiences you have throughout your personal life also count when it comes to relating to co-workers or solving corporate problems.

In addition, you also have the autonomy to combine career development and skills improvement methods. The chances of succeeding in hybrid training models may be even greater.

How to choose the best training program for your career?

Choosing the best training and development program for your career will depend on the professional moment you are in. If you are currently employed, but want to improve your performance, or are unemployed and looking for a new job, it can be of great help to carry out a professional self-assessment.

In addition to analyzing your personality, skills and current job performance, this tool will also help you think about what you expect from your future, what your career goals are and what type of professional training could be useful to achieve your goals.

How to leverage your knowledge after training?

Whenever we learn something new, it is important to apply the knowledge in practice so that we can better absorb the content and feel confident using it in our daily lives.

To do this, if you are working, talk to your manager about the new skills you have acquired and would like to use in the company, they can recommend new tasks or projects that you can collaborate on. This way, you practice what you learned and may still have opportunities to grow within the company.

If you are looking for a replacement, you can look for volunteer work where you can perform tasks that you want to gain more experience. Or, if you are a student at an educational institution, find out about junior companies or ways to practice your skills with a group of students with common interests. All of this can count as experience to enhance your resume.