What would your employees say if you asked them about their opportunities for career advancement within your company?
Would they express satisfaction with the available career development programs, feeling empowered to dedicate time to upskilling and reskilling?
Research indicates a significant concern: a McKinsey study revealed that 41% of employees have left their jobs due to a perceived lack of career advancement opportunities. HR and Learning & Development professionals are acutely aware of this trend. In fact, Together’s report, “Enterprise L&D in 2025: Predictions and Trends”, highlights industry experts’ predictions that limited career growth will be a primary driver of employee turnover in the coming years.
HR and L&D professionals recognize the significant impact of limited growth opportunities on employee turnover.
Addressing the issue of growth opportunities is multifaceted. One impactful approach lies in implementing robust Career Planning Programs. This article will delve into the essence of career development programs, guide you through their implementation, and showcase successful examples from leading companies to inspire your own initiatives.
Understanding Career Planning Programs
Career planning programs are structured frameworks designed to align employee skills, needs, and long-term career aspirations with both current and future opportunities within an organization. They are instrumental in setting employees on a path to success within the company and throughout their broader professional journey. These programs can encompass a variety of elements, including external certifications, participation in industry conferences and seminars, and internal initiatives like peer mentorship programs.
Career development is typically viewed as a continuous, on-the-job learning process throughout an employee’s tenure. Academic career development refers to formal professional courses offered by educational institutions. Similarly, bootcamps are intensive, short-term programs focused on developing specific hard skills, often aimed at upskilling current employees or facilitating career transitions. Whether the goal is to enhance existing skills or enable employees to pivot to new career paths, career planning programs are adaptable to diverse needs.
The Indispensable Value of Career Planning Programs
For HR and L&D professionals, the importance of investing in talent development is self-evident. It’s not merely a strategy for employee retention; it’s a fundamental approach to building a stronger, more engaged, and adaptable workforce. While effective employee training demands considerable effort, the returns are substantial.
Here are several key advantages of implementing career planning programs for your employees:
Elevating Employee Retention
Employee career development stands out as a highly effective strategy for bolstering retention rates. These programs demonstrate a commitment to employees’ personal and professional growth, fostering loyalty and encouraging them to remain with the company long-term.
💡 Remarkably, 94% of employees have indicated they would stay longer at their current company if it invested in their career growth.
By investing in employee development, companies strengthen their employer brand and cultivate a positive company culture, fostering lasting employee loyalty.
Driving Upskilling and Reskilling Initiatives
Well-designed career planning programs enable employees to stay abreast of industry trends and evolving role requirements through targeted reskilling and upskilling initiatives. This proactive approach prepares them for future roles and aligns their skills with the changing needs of the organization.
Often, this means that instead of incurring the costs and time associated with external hiring, companies can cultivate talent from within. Developing existing employees to assume new roles leverages their familiarity with the company’s operations and culture, resulting in significant savings in hiring and onboarding expenses.
Cultivating Leadership Capabilities
Career planning programs play a pivotal role in leadership development. Through tailored programs, employees can hone critical decision-making and cross-functional skills, often through participation in high-potential leadership initiatives.
Integrating a robust leadership development component into your career planning strategy builds a strong leadership pipeline. It equips both emerging and established managers with the competencies needed to guide the company through change and foster sustained success.
Real-World Success Stories: Career Planning Programs in Action
If you’re seeking inspiration for your own career advancement program, examining companies that have achieved tangible success is a valuable starting point.
Here are six compelling examples of career planning programs in practice:
1. Marriott International
Marriott International prioritizes early career development programs and has witnessed significant positive outcomes. Their hotel internship programs offer recent graduates the opportunity to complement their academic learning with practical, hands-on experience guided by industry experts. Furthermore, their Voyage Leadership Development Program enables both new and current employees to cultivate discipline-specific management skills while expanding their professional networks.
2. Workday
Workday employs a skill-based HR strategy that empowers employees to identify and pursue specific skill development goals. Employees are provided with opportunities to collaborate with diverse teams across the organization, fostering the acquisition of new skills and broadening their perspectives on career progression. Since its inception in 2021, Workday’s career development program has garnered overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants.
3. Randstad
Randstad, a global human resources organization, implements professional mentoring programs for its employees. By meticulously tracking turnover rates and employee engagement among program participants, Randstad has documented a remarkable 49% reduction in turnover, alongside a more motivated and engaged workforce.
4. Ethena
Ethena exemplifies how smaller companies can effectively embed their core values into their career development programs. Ethena, specializing in interactive compliance training, provides its employees with unrestricted access to its comprehensive course catalog. This includes training in DEI, unconscious bias, leadership development, and industry-specific skills enhancement.
5. Aflac
While widely recognized for its iconic duck mascot, insurance provider Aflac is also distinguished by its robust career development programs. Aflac’s Career Success Centers are accessible to all employees, offering personalized consultations with career counselors. These sessions help employees define their career objectives and strategize on achieving them within the company.
Aflac’s career advancement initiatives encompass a diverse range of activities, programs, and events, such as Career Insights sessions. These sessions provide employees with direct engagement with leaders from various departments, offering valuable insights into the skills and knowledge required for success in different roles within the organization.
6. Accenture
Accenture, a leading IT and professional services firm, demonstrates a substantial commitment to career development by investing nearly $1 billion USD annually. Their aim is to ensure employees’ skills remain cutting-edge and aligned with evolving industry demands. From supporting external certifications like Salesforce and AWS to delivering leadership training and cultivating specialized industry-specific skill sets, Accenture provides employees across all levels with ample opportunities for continuous learning and professional growth.
Numerous companies have implemented impactful career planning programs that yield impressive results. Explore further examples of leading company training programs here.
The “Enterprise L&D in 2025: Predictions and Trends” report underscores the increasing importance of career development for employee retention and organizational success.
Essential Practices for Building Effective Career Planning Programs
Now that you have a clearer understanding of what career planning programs entail and their inherent benefits, let’s explore the practical aspects of implementation. Here are key strategies to guide you in establishing a successful and impactful career advancement program:
Define Target Employee Groups
Determine which employee segments your program will primarily serve. Will it focus on early-career professionals, high-potential employees being groomed for leadership roles, or underrepresented talent pools? Understanding your target audience will enable you to tailor program content, learning formats, and topics to their specific needs and aspirations.
Foster Collaborative Development Plan Creation
Individual Development Plans (IDPs) are foundational to personalized career growth. An IDP is structured around an employee’s unique career and personal development requirements.
Rather than presenting employees with a generic catalog of courses, IDPs offer a customized approach that empowers them to pursue their short-term and long-term career goals while enhancing their job performance.
The IDP process is a collaborative partnership between managers and employees, emphasizing ongoing feedback and proactive planning.
Integrate Mentorship to Support Growth
Incorporating a workplace mentorship program provides significant advantages for less experienced employees – and even senior executives can benefit from reverse mentorship opportunities.
Career mentors play a crucial role in helping mentees articulate their career goals and providing guidance on achieving them. Integrating mentorship into your broader career planning program offers enhanced support for employees seeking to excel, while simultaneously strengthening their engagement with the company as a whole.
Empower Employee Growth Trajectories Today
A robust career planning program is not simply a retention tool; it is a cornerstone of building a resilient, future-ready workforce.
These programs empower employees to refine their skills in their current roles, navigate career advancement pathways, and explore diverse career trajectories within the organization.
Providing employees with the resources and support they need is essential for their professional flourishing. Tools like Together’s mentoring software streamline the creation and management of career advancement programs, simplifying administration and enhancing participant convenience.
Discover how Together’s mentoring software can support your career planning program—book a demo today.
