Continuing education is an educational program designed to further one’s professional or personal skills and development in a specific area.
Continuing education benefits both the employee and their employer in the following four ways:
- Improves Employee Performance
- Creates a Culture of Ongoing Learning
- Improves Employee Retention
- Reduces Turnover Costs
Organizations who invest in continuing career growth and training opportunities demonstrate they’re invested in their employees and want to ensure they have the tools necessary to succeed in their role.
Ready to learn more about continuing education? Let’s explore what continuing education is, the benefits of it, and three ways to continue education at your organization.
What Is Continuing Education?
Continuing education is an educational program designed to further one’s professional or personal skills and development in a specific area. As the name suggests, continued education is for anyone looking to participate in learning activities that further their education.
Instead of making training a one-time event, continuing education embraces the creation of personalized learning paths where employees continue to learn and master their skills.
Organizations who invest in continuing career growth and training opportunities demonstrate they’re invested in their employees and want to ensure they have the tools necessary to succeed in their role.
Read More: How to Create a Continuing Educational Program for your Organization
Benefits Of Continuing Education
- Improves Employee Performance — The major benefit of continuing education is that it improves an employee’s existing skills in a specific area or develops new skills in a more unfamiliar area. With an ever-evolving business landscape where technology is constantly advancing, it’s worth it to upskill employees and create performance improvements that ultimately save money.
- Creates a Culture of Ongoing Learning — By creating a workplace environment that encourages continuing education, employees will feel more valued and motivated to expand their skills in different areas. A culture of ongoing learning benefits current employees, attracts potential employees, and impresses recent hires.
- Improves Employee Retention — Providing resources for continuing education shows employees their organization values them, effectively improving employee retention. High quality continuing education programs help employers maintain their workforce and improve employee retention.
- Reduces Turnover Costs — With improved retention rates comes a reduction in turnover costs. When employees feel valued and are given opportunities to improve their skills, they’re less likely to leave their organization.