In terms of business and professional management, career development systems refers to the methods that career development takes place for the benefit of employers and employees alike. A company that values its employees will have a system of helping them with developing work related skills that can be used immediately for the betterment of the company. This investment pays off in higher performance provided by more capable professionals.
Career development systems are necessary to meet the growing demands on businesses. The exploding international market has resulted in the need for more qualified professionals to work on demanding projects. As more and more companies realize the need for in-house learning programs, career development firms and educators are becoming more engaged with providing quality career development systems.
In most cases, the department that will most be involved with researching and implementing career development systems will be the human resources team. Human resources professionals are generally handed the reins in locating training programs to meet the needs of employees that are lacking the training needed to perform better at work. In some situations, human resources may also be responsible for providing the actual training with employees.
Career development plans can start from the time an employee begins work. As part of the recruitment process, employees can be tested to see which skills they have and which skills are lacking. This helps the company to identify skill sets that are needed in order to formulate career development systems that will best address the needs of each employee in order to perform well on the job.
An additional concern when creating career development systems is evaluating which additional skills may be needed to expand operations into other areas of the business. This career development plan can be developed by executive leadership so that the company has an ever growing supply of employees that possess the skills necessary to take the company into the future. These additional skills can be obtained in-house or by bringing in an external work training provider.
In most cases, employees find career development systems on their own to increase the chances of getting promoted at work. Many companies support the educational pursuits of employees by partly funding or reimbursing employees for tuition and other educational costs. This company support can also apply to employees who choose to become members of industry-related associations where training and career development seminars or other career-enhancing learning opportunities may be offered.