Modern system of continuing professional education defines professional qualification as the type and degree of professional training of an employee, availability of suitable knowledge and skills for the position and the performance of certain work.
Professional qualification (quality. lat.) – is the grade of suitability and level of training for certain types of work; nature and level, quality of professional development, matching the employment duties and responsibilities on the position. Qualification of an employee is confirmed by the diplomas of educational institutions, certificates from various completed courses, as well as in the employment history of an employee.
What is professional qualification – grades and levels
The foundation of professional qualifications can be a primary, secondary and higher professional education. The level of professional qualification of the employee defines his qualification in the framework of a separate position and depends on his knowledge, skills and abilities. Today, professionalism involves not the only high professional abilities - it entails the availability of the knowledge of professional responsibilities and obligations.
Main features of professional qualification may include the following qualities:
- The quality of knowledge and skills, as well as the level of mastering of new knowledge and abilities;
- The extensiveness and range of professional skills;
- Ability and willingness to perform special works;
- Planning and organizational abilities;
- Ability to apply acquired skills in unusual situations;
- Resistance to stress and fast adaptation to changes in technology, equipment, working conditions or changes in the organization.
As for the steps of professional qualifications, they represent stages of training of professional staff in the current system of professional education. In fact, the steps reflect the ratio and volume of professional and general education of an employee. Also, each step determines the professional fitness within a separate qualification.
As an indicator of professional qualifications can be diplomas from professional educational institutions as well as certificates of specialized courses. Today, along with the Public system of professional training and qualification improvement, alternative education, specialized courses and training are actively developing.
How to obtain a professional qualification
Amongst traditional forms of professional qualification, it is possible to differentiate elementary professional qualification. Elementary professional education includes the study of such components as a safety at work, equipment operation, the use of various assisting techniques, etc.
At subsequent stages of professional development, it involves skills improvement in the domain of direct responsibilities as well as in the management, sales and communication, psychological training, etc.
With regard to the forms of obtaining a professional qualification, several consecutive stages can be defined:
- Primary and secondary professional education;
- Higher professional education;
- Additional professional education.
The system of continuous professional education includes various system levels and requires the continuous professional development of staff. As a result, additional professional education grows in relevance.
As for forms of obtaining and development of professional qualification, the most familiar is attending special educational courses and lectures. This form is the best option when you need to present a large amount of training material in a short time. The lecture allows within one session to identify the main priorities, emphasize certain points and develop some new ideas.
Specialized training seminars are also very common. On seminars the form of learning is somewhat different, all the training materials are presented to trainees, and then a live debate and discussion are conducted. The main advantage of the seminar is time-saving.
Ideal option for professional development is when an employer is concerned about the competence of his personnel and involves third-party experts. Practice shows that the organization of specialized training and courses directly affects labor productivity and performance of the company as a whole.
The necessity for continuous professional development
What is the basic for continuing professional training and education of existing staff – let’s try to understand. Unfortunately, managers and employees pay more attention to technical and purely professional aspects of their work. In the situation when these functions are accompanied by new responsibilities without appropriate training, the main work can suffer.
In general, professional development of staff is beneficial for both parties - employee and employer. First of all, the essentiality of such professional growth is due to the following reasons:
- Building a relationship of trust between management and staff, and thus increasing the level of loyalty to the company;
- Opportunity for effective recruitment and engagement of staff. Prospects for professional growth at all times attract good specialists;
- Favorable environment for the realization of potential and maximum self-realization of personnel. When employees’ efforts are renowned, they get satisfaction from work done. In its turn, management can identify potential leaders and managers;
- Additional resources for implementation of new technologies and innovative systems. In today's labor market, there is an acute problem of qualified personnel able to master a new technique. Solution is the professional development;
- Opportunity for active interaction with the customer and improvement of quality of products or services being offered;
- High professional qualification of the staff allows you to effectively, and most importantly, timely respond to market changes.
Current practice shows that most of the business problems are associated with the so-called "human factor". Analysis and a thorough study of problematic situations identified that main difficulties are always related to poor communication, flippant attitude to functional responsibilities and inadequate skills and knowledge of staff. Active approach to the professional development of staff is the great opportunity to avoid some problems.
It is not a secret that large successful companies strive to create a special corporate climate and an environment encouraging the personal development and growth of staff. They constantly develop and implement specialized programs for professional development. This is not simply a one-time event, but a continuous ongoing process of corporate development of the company.
However, despite the urgent need, some employees are not inclined to devote extra time to professional development. Still, many experts are starting to re-evaluate and to rethink the style of their work and training. It is not a tribute to new trend or technology; it is a new requirement of a professional education system. A qualified specialist gets an opportunity to compete in the labor market and to maintain comparative stability in conditions of new technologies and constant changes.
Training and professional development allows you in the shortest time to receive advanced knowledge and skills, utilize your potential, and to be able to set goals and find solutions. A specialist, who is aware of the latest technologies and new methods of work, will quickly orient and adequately perceive market changes or new working conditions.
International experts note that the need to improve professional qualification of staff is the requisite dictated by the harsh market realities. Economies of many large countries are experiencing hard times, which are characterized by uncertainty, instability, ambiguity and complexity of the work. That is why private business is forced to be competitive, in particular, deep and wide-ranging regarding professional specialization.
In other words, continuous professional development of personnel is the prerequisite for growth and development of business. Today, in times of uncertainty and high mobility, any qualified specialist may lose his position and needs continuous improvement of professional skills. He should actively engage in self-development and learn new things. Many large companies realize that the success of the company is provided by highly qualified specialists’ work, and therefore in the recruitment of staff special attention is given to candidates engaged in self-development and professional growth.
The continuous lack of time and the high pace of life make the process of professional development challenging. However, the new conditions of life involve new opportunities for learning.
Short-term trainings and workshops to improve professional qualifications becoming more popular. Let's try to understand the concept of "training". As a rule, training is a specialized short-term education. It is vital to understand that this is not specific disciplines such as law, finance, marketing or logistics. Training develop personal qualities, contributing to such areas as effective time management, business communication, overcoming client’s objections, teamwork, customer interaction, motivation, resistance to stressful situations handling and more.
Today there are lots of opportunities to improve the level of your professional qualifications. Even if you don't have enough time for long-term business education, you can use short-term trainings that are aimed at solving focused tasks. For example, "To Increase the ability to communicate with your clients effectively", "How to conduct business negotiations", "Business Ethics", etc.
There are both corporate group and individual trainings, intended or adapted for a specific customer. Specialized training companies are engaged in the organization and conducting of trainings.
Trainings remain the most effective form of learning and professional development. In fact, it’s a short-term training course (2 - 5 days) aimed at professional development and targeted development of certain skills and abilities necessary for the job. This form allows the trainer to work with each participant individually. Additionally, the training participants exchange experience and apply acquired skills in practice.
In order for the acquired knowledge and initial experience to be transformed into skills and abilities, trainings provide a variety of tools and methods for consolidation of learning material. These can be business and role-playing games (sales person-client), video analysis, discussion, debate, third party evaluation, etc.
The basis of any training is a work with the theoretical material. Analysis, discussion and consolidation of the materials are carried out through special individual exercises. Training participants receive an opportunity to practice new behavior patterns, to conduct an experiment or a reassessment of their work. Training groups provide a personal environment and creative setting; all these contribute to the realization by each participant of its potential and effective learning of new skills and abilities.
Courses and training as an effective form of professional education
The effectiveness of specialized courses and trainings is due to several key factors, in particular:
- Training programs are tailored to the needs, requests and wishes of the customer (subjects, duration, form of training, etc.);
- Training is conducted by experienced trainers and consultants with teaching and practical experience, as well as long practice of coaching;
- The procedure of training is based on real materials and combined with practical examples;
- The student is provided with full set of coaching and training materials;
- Upon completion of training, students receive the resultant approving document;
Educational trainings and courses – who needs them
Trainings are in demand among skilled professionals, aimed at success in work and effective interaction with people. Today, there are trainings and courses for a wide-ranging list of sectors and market niches - from bankers and industrialists to secretaries and service staff. This may be courses on sales growth, right business communication, service, presentation, etc.
Education courses and trainings for a management of various companies are of no less importance. Managers of companies and divisions, organizations and departments – all of them need to constantly improve their skills and abilities. For this category, tasks and specializations of additional education may contrast. This can be trainings and courses on social impact, development of managerial capacity, psychological stability, etc.
Also trainings are in demand among people who wish to change job or type of professional activity. Such people are suggested to take specific training programs aimed at developing the capability and their professional qualities, abilities and special skills.
Which skills trainings and courses provide
Trainings are designed to give different skills to people including effective communication at various levels and different setting of the final goal. Communication skill is spontaneously adapted from birth and is actively developing throughout life. And only the communicative experience is accumulated in the course of direct interaction with other people. However, business communication and interaction may differ from traditional everyday communication. First of all, this communication is aimed at a certain result, which can be expressed in financial benefits.
With regard to professional development, trainings contribute to the rapid adaptation of educational material and include practical implementation. In most cases educational and training programs include psychological disciplines, revealing the hidden potential of the employee and contributing to self-realization. Current practice shows that the most effective form of training and professional development remains the group training. Of course, the training cannot replace the real life experience, but it helps the staff to organize and adjust their work more efficiently.
Modern trainings are not only an opportunity to gain new knowledge and improve existing skills; it is work with human consciousness. It is not a secret that one person can achieve success in any industry, whether it is sales, customer service or management functions, and the other runs everywhere into obstacles and challenges. Success at work is made up of numerous components and ingredients. If you have decided to bring up truly qualified personnel, focused on success, trainings can be the best tool.
Can we consider professional development as an investment
By investing your money into staff training and professional education and development, the company invests in one of the most important success factors. Market conditions are such that any product must provide the certain consumer benefit, and professional development trainings are not an exception. For business owners and managers, it is very important, what benefit this or that training will bring for growth and business development.
Based on the results of modern research, it is clear that 70 to 90% of the company's success depends on a professional level of the staff and availability of highly qualified specialists. Employees with advanced knowledge and appropriately high professional qualification are capable of bringing better results.
Another important point of payback of trainings is associated with an adequate system of personnel motivation. The continual search for new employees and mainly financial incentives for highly skilled professionals can be very expensive for your business. Also, a loss of such specialist can mean not only financial losses but also leaving of existing customer base to rival companies. In this context, the task of a proper motivation of the personnel aimed both at preserving valuable human resources and increasing labor efficiency indicators, becomes especially significant.
Intangible or alternative motivation of staff
Many experts are inclined to think that the money ends to be a major motivational tool. Modern specialists are also highly interested in self-realization and professional growth, corporate atmosphere and a sense of caring. A specialist needs to know that the company values him and promotes the satisfaction of his personal ambitions. Satisfaction of these expectations of an employee allows educating the staff, which accepts the company's corporate values and works with full devotion.
Training is the key factor of a non-material incentive of personnel. In other words, the care of management and the company about its employees is shown through the possibility of continuous professional growth. This is a great tool for increasing the degree of loyalty of staff and formation of new corporate culture. And if you take into account that the cost for an involvement of specialized trainers is significantly lower than costs for material motivation program (premium, bonuses, etc.), benefits of professional training are obvious.
Professional training of staff is a part of the overall development strategy of the company. Ideally, all educational courses and trainings should be within the existing concept of the development of your business model. It is important to carry out the correct outlining of objectives and goals of training, to understand the value of such training, use the motivation of staff, aimed at continuous professional growth. Proper and timely training is the key to the high performance of each employee, and therefore the company as a whole.