20 Ways To Boost Professional Development Opportunities For Employees

Offering meaningful professional development opportunities is crucial for building employees’ skill sets, performance and overall job satisfaction. However, a recent workplace trends report shows that many executives and managers believe professional development is a significant challenge to their organization’s overall success.

Here, 20 members of Forbes Coaches Council share steps leaders can take to overcome this problem and create better opportunities for their people to develop professionally in 2025. From personalizing learning paths to leveraging external resources, the tips below can help leaders nurture a team’s growth while fostering a culture of continuous learning.

1. Budget For In-Person Training

In-person professional development is crucial for upskilling employees, grooming new leaders, improving workplace performance and boosting morale. To provide employees with professional growth, leaders must strategically prioritize and budget for in-person training and professional mentoring programs across the year. Training should align with each employee’s skill set and the company’s mission. – Diane Hudson, cpcc-careercoach

2. Stop Scripting Development

Employees need to grow into opportunities, not be shuffled into roles. Enable growth by taking an active approach to learning. Give people room to develop, even if that means making mistakes. People only become dependent if every problem is solved for them. – Ed Brzychcy, Lead from the Front

3. Share The Responsibility

Investing in your team’s professional development is a core responsibility as a leader. Healthcare as a sector, in particular, is a moving target that requires ongoing learning to maintain competency. Professional growth is a shared responsibility between organizational leadership and the front-line staff, and senior leaders should resource individual learning and development opportunities as a priority. – Dr. Hudson Garrett, Jr., Intuitive Coaching

4. Give Everyone A Voice

Become better informed of the core values and expectations of the various generations in today’s workforce. Give everyone a voice by asking professional development survey questions through both executive (business) and employee lenses to determine what may be needed. The resulting initiative’s approach should be forward-thinking and growth-minded to enable catching up and then leading in our evolving world. – Deborah Vereen, THE VEREEN GROUP

Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?

5. Gather Employee Input

Start by identifying key observations and insights to avoid assumptions. A quick survey to gather input and share what you’re seeing fosters transparency and collaboration. Launching initiatives based solely on what you think is best often leads to compliance, not genuine engagement. When people are invited to weigh in, they’re more likely to buy in, creating stronger alignment and support. – Lawrence Henderson, BOSS Consulting

6. Personalize Learning Paths

One effective step executives can take to overcome the challenge of professional development of employees in 2025 may be to implement personalized learning paths, using the Enneagram typology. Research indicates that applications of the Enneagram in coaching can lead to improvements in leadership versatility, communication and team effectiveness, which are crucial for organizational success. – Gia Tskhovrebadze, GT Coaching International

7. Designate Time For Development

First, acknowledge that the challenge is not professional development—it is time. Employees value learning, yet pressing deadlines often take precedence. To foster a culture of continuous learning, organizations could designate specific times, such as Friday afternoons, for development. Tying these sessions to performance reviews signals their importance, transforming learning into a priority. – Adriana Gattermayr, BTS

8. Foster Psychological Capital

To support their people’s growth, leaders can start by fostering psychological capital—building self-efficacy, optimism, hope and resilience through coaching and training. By enhancing these attributes, employees gain the confidence and mindset to pursue development, adapt to challenges and stay engaged—creating a workforce ready to thrive in this fast-paced age of AI. – Diana Lowe, Blue Light Leadership

9. Ask What Your Team Wants To Develop

Ask individuals what they want to develop instead of assigning courses to them. If you align professional development with your team members’ personal goals, each team member is going to be more motivated to do it. – Minna Hu, AI Bookkeeper

10. Consider Alternative Growth Methods

Make professional development a frequent and ongoing focus. Many leaders avoid this conversation, especially when promotions and pay increases are not on the table. But “up” is only one option. Instead, consider all the ways someone can grow. Lateral moves, special committees, shadowing and mentoring are all opportunities for employees to gain new exposure and expand their skills and interests. – Carrie Skowronski, Leadology

11. Implement Learning Cohorts

One of the biggest opportunities to make leadership development more accessible to a wider group of employees is through technology. This isn’t about just providing e-learning; it’s about scalable, affordable individual and collaborative learning in cohorts. We’ve implemented this approach and have proven that it works. Managers are too stretched to carry the full weight of employee development. – Neena Newberry, Newberry Solutions

12. Pair Experiential Learning With Leadership Coaching

The key to transforming professional development is pairing experiential learning with leadership coaching. Offer stretch projects and cross-functional collaboration while using leadership coaching to improve performance, sharpen decision-making skills and foster resilience. This approach builds expertise, confidence and adaptability, creating a skilled team and driving success for the company. – Lorie Pointer, Lorie Pointer Coaching

13. Find Outside Resources And Organizations

We often see companies lacking internal training support. As a leader in this situation, it’s crucial to know your resources. What outside organization can you tap into? Many platforms, such as edX or General Assembly, even offer free online workshops you can share with your team. Internally, who are your champions? Who can you identify as a thought leader in your organization to share insight with your team? – Susan Bortone, Noble Talent Group

14. Establish A Formal Mentoring Program

Formalize and use a company mentoring program. Whether peer-to-peer, first-line and leadership or cross-functional, a formalized mentoring program provides a sanctioned way for people to learn at every level. The Center for Mentoring Excellence is my go-to resource for developing mentoring relationships that can work for mentors and mentees alike. – Gina Riley, Gina Riley Consulting

15. Shift The Organizational Mindset

To overcome the perceived challenge of professional development, executives and managers must adopt a shift in their and the organization’s mindset. Development is only successful if learning is put into practice. When the organization truly supports the practice and implementation of new learning, growth is possible. Without space to practice, the status quo remains. – Laura Vanderberg, Newton Services

16. Take An Active Role

The key step is for leaders to own and acknowledge their role in professional development gaps. Rather than viewing it as an external challenge, they should say, “I am responsible for my team’s growth,” then transform this ownership into action by creating structured mentorship programs, skill-sharing initiatives and dedicated learning time. – Lynn Smith, Lynn Smith Media & Communications

17. Provide ‘Heat’ Projects; Encourage Intentionality

Change your assumptions about leadership development. Spend less on info-packed classes. Instead, give emerging leaders “heat” projects to build greater capacity to deal with complexity. Encourage them to be more intentional about their daily habits by, for example, being curious, seeking new perspectives, thinking more strategically and practicing good health habits to increase their energy and stamina. – Liz Guthridge, Connect Consulting Group

18. Highlight On-The-Job Learning

Managers can enhance professional development by highlighting on-the-job learning as a powerful growth tool. In the military, hands-on training is a critical development tool that builds skills and leadership. Similarly, by framing daily work as development, leaders foster a culture that aligns growth with organizational success and can teach adaptability, problem-solving and collaboration. – Jessica Agnew, BridgeWing

19. Facilitate Relationships Between Co-Workers

It’s great to offer training and coaching, but people are also looking for an actual relationship with co-workers they look up to. If companies prioritize mentorship by providing a little time, guidance and a simple resource, they can make progress toward meeting the need for professional development quickly and at scale. – Andrea Wenburg, Voice of Influence

20. Guide Teams To Lead From The Inside Out

Leaders must cultivate a culture where introspection and self-awareness are valued. By guiding their teams to lead from the inside out—reflecting on their growth and actions—they create a space where personal transformation sparks organizational change. When individuals see development as an internal journey, it fosters deeper engagement, growth, and lasting results and impact. – Ashley Stewart, The Corvian Group