The acquisition of new skills represents a major challenge for employees and organisations alike in a context of rapid obsolescence. More than 75% of workers in France have completed at least one professional training course during their career. In 60% of cases, this approach aims at skills development, which presents both a forward-planning and an organisational challenge for managers and leadership.

Skills Development: What Does It Mean?

According to Morgan Philips Group in its "HR Trends and Recruitment Forecasts 2025", the skills shortage is the greatest difficulty facing organisations. This situation reinforces the importance of developing employees' capabilities through a skills development plan adapted to the needs and objectives of the organisation.

Definition and Scope of Skills Development

Skills development refers to the learning and acquisition of new capabilities. It takes place either within an employee's area of expertise to refresh their technical knowledge, or in a new field of action to broaden their scope of responsibilities. This approach involves implementing a continuous training programme that improves the technical or specific capabilities of frontline teams.

Hard Skills and Soft Skills: The Two Dimensions of Development

Hard skills refer to technical competencies linked to a specific profession: mastery of a tool, a manufacturing process or a specific professional action. They are directly measurable and are acquired through targeted training, certifications or tutoring programmes.

Soft skills concern the behavioural competencies that allow an employee to take on new responsibilities, adapt to changes in their environment and collaborate effectively. These two dimensions are inseparable: an employee who masters their professional actions but lacks relational agility remains limited in their progression and in their capacity to contribute fully to collective performance.

How to Support Skills Development in the Field

The annual appraisal is useful for identifying new skills to be acquired, but it is not sufficient to address the gap identified. The objective of the L&D function is to close skills gaps in line with the requirements of forward-looking employment and career management (GEPP).

Identifying Needs, Setting Objectives and Structuring Monitoring

Gathering information on needs makes it possible to refine the response in terms of training actions. The individual professional review and the skills assessment are used to collect reliable data on each employee's capabilities. Mapping the aptitudes of each profile helps to identify the professional competency to be acquired or improved. A designated lead with strong management skills supports employees throughout this process.

Once needs are identified, achievable and concrete short and medium-term objectives structure the process. This involves defining expectations, results and models to apply, timelines and milestones for reaching the objectives set, and the teaching tools and monitoring methods to be used. The training policy may include online modules (e-learning) allowing employees to progress at their own pace and according to their needs.

Training Plans and Professional Certifications

Professional certifications officially attest to the precise competencies of teams in their area of expertise. They recognise the strengths of each employee whilst encouraging the acquisition of new skills. They are obtained through several routes: professional training specific to the field of activity, validation of prior learning (VAE), and certifying assessments or examinations with recognised institutions.

Improving internal hard skills takes priority, without neglecting the new capabilities required by market developments. These certifications are part of a skills development plan that is coherent with both the current and anticipated needs of the organisation.

HR Indicators for Regular Monitoring

Training in professional actions and hard skills is only effective with regular, personalised monitoring of skills development. The management framework combines structured assessment tools and measurable indicators.

360-Degree Assessment in Service of Progression

360-degree assessment guarantees appropriate support for participants. It is based on feedback from the manager, colleagues, clients and other professional stakeholders connected to the employee in a development situation. This cross-referenced perspective makes it possible to build a complete and nuanced picture of each person's progression, incorporating viewpoints that are complementary to that of the direct line manager alone.

KPIs for Measuring and Adjusting Progression

HR indicators relating to skills development provide objective and tangible data for managing the process:

  • Dropout and conversion rates, to measure the relevance of the training content;
  • Satisfaction rates by training format, to adjust the budget accordingly;
  • Absenteeism or departure rates following training, to assess the quality of learner support;
  • The evolution of the average competency level following training, to assess the added value of the development plan;
  • Promotion rates of employees following training, to evaluate the influence of learning on professional development.

The data collected makes it possible to adjust the support, guidance and concrete advice provided at every stage of each pathway. Skills development thus becomes a direct lever for career management and for improving collective performance.