Career development is a process by which employees assess existing skills, knowledge, abilities and interests; explore job/occupational opportunities; establish career objectives linked to agency goals; and develop realistic career plans.
Career development not only benefits employees, but agencies as well. It is a valuable tool that can assist in retention, succession planning, knowledge transfer and performance discussions. As employees build skills and competencies to meet career objectives linked to business objectives, a system is informally established to respond to future agency needs and strategies. Collaboration between the agency and its employees helps the agency keep its employees engaged in the agency's growth process and helps assure that the right employee with the right skills, knowledge and abilities is placed in the right job, at the right time, to provide the necessary services and products to keep the agency growing in the right direction.
Modern career development models suggest that the employee, rather than the employer, should be proactive about personal career development. This encourages employees to discover and understand where they currently fit within the agency and how that role affects the overall success of the organization. More importantly, it allows employees to see where they can go in the future if they take the initiative to acquire essential competencies. The employer's role is to actively reinforce, encourage and assist employees in establishing career paths suited to their abilities and desires. The established career paths should be aligned with the overall functioning of the agency's mission, corporate goals, strategic methodologies and policies.
The process of career development is complex and continuous. An effective and successful career development program will give employees opportunities to think about different forms of career development such as vertical advancement, lateral movement, job enlargement and job enrichment. The program will give managers a better understanding of the coaching and developmental activities needed to help employees stay engaged, be productive, and be instrumental in meeting current and future agency workforce needs.
