Professional Development

• Providing training and educational opportunities are investments in your employees' future, regardless of whether it's with your company or another employer. While training and education are usually viewed as benefits from the employee's perspective, the employer stands to gain tremendously from offering its employees the chance to learn new job skills or embark upon a new career path. An employee who receives company-provided training or education may not stay with the company until he retires from the workforce; however, he will likely always credit the employer who offered an opportunity for success. Companies that offer employees professional development opportunities usually have a good business reputation and are known for their favorable employment practices.
  
  

Improved Job Skills

• On-the-job training is perfect for improving workplace skills that enhance overall performance or skills that prepare an employee for taking on another role with the company. Training and education in this format enable an employee to engage in experiential learning with a highly-skilled mentor or trainer in the actual workplace. Leadership training can also be offered on the job through mentoring and job shadowing arrangements. Supervisors who are preparing to assume managerial roles learn valuable skills from current leaders. Training through mentoring opportunities may also be helpful to employers who have succession plans in place.
  
  

Promotional Opportunities

• A number of job-related certifications enable employees to compete for promotional opportunities. Employers who subsidize employee training are in an excellent position to retain employees based on the benefits of training. When employees receive employer-provided training through tuition assistance, reimbursement or scholarship, their level of commitment to the job and the employer rises. In addition, employees who receive training to prepare them for more responsible positions have higher levels of motivation. According to highly regarded management theorist and consultant Frederick Herzberg, employees are motivated more by challenging work assignments than compensation.
  
  

Overall Satisfaction

• Investing in your employees' future is not just a valuable benefit for them -- it's a way to demonstrate your organization's commitment to the overall satisfaction of its workforce. The benefit of training and education for employees is, therefore, two-fold. Employees who feel appreciated are more apt to be fully engaged workers with the desire to achieve success for themselves as well as their employers. Employers benefit from improved performance and productivity levels of employees who receive company-provided training.