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Career coaches can be a worthwhile addition to the workforce as they’re able to build upon the skill sets of current employees, with a focus on internal mobility.
There are three main elements that make an effective career coach, according to Mantel Group’s career coach, Mel Chin.
- Shaping and presenting internal mobility strategy
- Revising and building upon the existing career paths documentation
- Being a trusted adviser and point of contact for employees who are seeking guidance on their career journey
Employee development is a key focus of a career coach. By implementing this role in an organisation, employers are better able to resist the effects of talent and skills shortages by building upon the capabilities of current employees to fill positions.
“This career coach role increases visibility of the multiple development opportunities that exist within and between our technical domains for our employees. We are in a really fortunate position to be able to offer learning and development opportunities across nine different brands spanning across digital, data, cloud and cyber security, many of which may be difficult to navigate as an employee if you’re not sure who to talk to,” said Ms Chin.
“By increasing visibility of all these opportunities, our employees have greater control over their career journeys and can explore different avenues at Mantel Group as opposed to starting from scratch somewhere else.”
Ms Chin believes that starting a career coaching program can be a great addition to the workplace, as it not only opens up the potential for employees but also for employers.
“We introduced this role initially as a six-month pilot to see what the appetite from the business would be and how much value it could deliver. The reception from the entire Mantel Group team was overwhelmingly positive, with employees coming forward to seek advice as well as contributing to creation of learning and development materials for their areas of expertise,” Ms Chin explained.
“It is also a worthwhile investment in the current market where companies are focusing more on skills-based hiring and supporting internal mobility to in-demand skill sets, as opposed to going out to market for every new role. Importantly, it also shows employees that their company genuinely cares about their career development and that they’re being invested in, which is important to us.”
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Training is the process of enhancing a worker's knowledge and abilities to do a certain profession. It aims to enhance trainees' work behaviour and performance on the job.
Jack Campbell
Jack is the editor at HR Leader.
