10 learning at work ideas to boost your career

This list is not exhaustive but hopefully will give you some inspiration on how you can learn at your workplace and potentially boost your career prospects:

Most organisations offer formal training programmes so it’s always a good idea to find out what your employer offers. Training can include short mandatory courses on EDI, Data Protection, Cybersecurity, and Health & Safety at Work. Other options are courses that develop soft skills such as assertiveness, communication, teamwork, time management, or longer training programmes that lead to a required certification, accreditation, or chartered status. If you work in a large organisation, seek out the person responsible for L&D who will be able to advise what’s available and how to access it.

There are so many online learning options employees can take advantage of now - and the best part is that online learning means more flexibility. Possibilities include short courses on platforms such as LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, and FutureLearn. Free Courses in England offers Level 2 and 3 accredited online courses paid for through government funding. Online degrees have never been more accessible, including undergraduate and postgraduate options appealing to profession-switchers and career-boosters alike; see ARU’s distance learning portfolio of online degrees.

You’d be mistaken if you think apprenticeships are for 16-year-olds straight out of school wanting to do a trade. Today, there are more than 900 apprenticeship standards at Level 2 to 7, encompassing sectors as diverse as medicine to construction management to the creative arts. What’s more, professionals of all ages who are currently in a job role, looking to upskill and gain a higher qualification, can look at degree apprenticeships. Find out more about ARU’s degree apprenticeships.

Have you got your eyes on a management role in the future? Then, why not find out if your company offers a leadership programme. In-house leadership programmes often help aspiring leaders to recognise the various leadership styles and may include an understanding of key functions such as organisational structure, finance, HR and recruitment, and conflict and change management. You could also consider an online MBA, an online Business Management BSc (Hons), or specialise in leading in a particular sector such as construction, healthcare, or education - which could significantly enhance your CV.

A great way to learn at work is through mentorship. Your organisation may already have a formal coaching and mentoring programme, but if not then simply ask a colleague or someone in a leadership role to be your mentor. You can between you decide what this looks like. Think about what your goals are, what you want to get from mentoring, how many times you meet, what success looks like, and limitations and boundaries.

As you think about your personal and professional development, you may identify certain skills you want to cultivate or areas at your workplace (departments or specific roles) that you want to better understand. Work shadowing is a great way to do this. For example, you’re a marketer and want to better understand the customer – you would work shadow a salesperson or account manager. Or say you want to stay at your company but are considering a change in job role - ask to work shadow a person from the department of interest.

Not every employer will offer secondments but occasionally the opportunity can arise, particularly if there isn’t the budget to create a new post so seconding an employee temporarily is a viable solution. When this happens in a job role of interest, you want to take advantage quickly. Alternatively, you may see a gap in a department and make a case for you to be seconded to fill that gap. This would be a win-win because you would gain different experience and skills, and the other department gains the help they need to plug that gap.

Attending external events - whether that be networking, conferences, or information workshops - are a great way to learn. It’s about connecting with other professionals from outside your organisation to learn about what’s happening in their field, keeping abreast of the latest innovations in your sector, and hearing from the experts. Join membership organisations and subscribe to their mailing list to keep informed about and access external events relevant to your sector.

Work streams and cross departmental projects are another excellent approach to learning at work. Like networking and work shadowing, you’ll learn from others that may not be in your department, while having the chance to contribute to a body of work that can benefit not just your team and department, but the whole organisation. There’s also a sense of camaraderie when you work towards a shared goal that can be very satisfying.

Employers value soft skills just as much as hard skills and there are various ways you can develop soft skills at work. Look out for internal training courses your company may offer - popular ones are time management, communication, and decision making. If you’re considering a degree, such as an online postgraduate degree, look to see what transferable skills you will acquire. Often you will build critical analysis, data interpretation, teamwork, advanced communication, and research skills at master’s level.

Be open minded and look out for opportunities when it comes to learning at work. Speak to your manager and/or HR department about what’s available, why you want to enrol onto a particular course, and where you want your career to head towards. Once they understand your motives, they can support you by accessing training, carving out time during work to learn, and future openings to demonstrate new skills learnt.