Who comes to mind when you plan professional development? If the first names are managers, future leaders or the most visible specialists, take another look at the rest of the organisation. What would a useful development opportunity look like for a receptionist, an administrator, a technician or a colleague working a few days a week?

Start with the work each person does and the direction they want to explore. Everyone should have a meaningful answer to the question, ‘What could I get better at here, and how will I be supported?’

Make the goal relevant to the role

A shared framework can help people understand an organisation’s expectations. Check that its examples make sense across the roles expected to use it. ‘Leadership’ might involve managing a team, but it could also involve coordinating a task or helping a colleague learn a process.

Discuss what the expectation looks like in this person’s work. Ask which task they would like to approach with greater confidence, where they would welcome more knowledge and whether there is a responsibility they want to try. Avoid deciding their ambition from their job title or working pattern.

For a colleague who wants to deepen expertise in their current role, choose an opportunity that helps them do that. For someone considering a different role, agree how they could explore it without implying that a vacancy or promotion is guaranteed.

Check who can take part in practice

Look beyond whether a course invitation has been sent. Is the session within the person’s working hours? Can they reach the location? Do they have suitable access to the materials and time to use them? If attendance requires cover, who will arrange it?

Ask people about the format and support they need. Do not assume that an online course solves every access problem, or that a face-to-face session suits everyone. Where an activity is required, explain that clearly and make a realistic plan for completing it within the working arrangements.

Use an opportunity close to the work

Imagine a receptionist who wants to become more confident managing a shared appointments calendar. A useful opportunity could be to work through some fictional booking conflicts with an experienced colleague, then manage a short period of bookings with support. They could review the decisions they made and any questions that arose.

In this example, the manager agrees time away from other duties and identifies which tasks will be covered. The experienced colleague knows what support is expected and has time for it. The receptionist can then practise a specific skill with a clear purpose.

Check whether the activity serves the person’s agreed need and whether the people involved can support it. Different roles will need different opportunities. Adding responsibility without time, guidance or recognition should not be presented as a development opportunity.

Review access as well as activity

When reviewing your development offer, consider who has had a conversation about their goals, who has been offered relevant learning and who has been able to follow through. Look across locations and working patterns as well as job families. Where participation differs, explore the reasons with the people affected.

Use that discussion to change something practical. You might need an alternative session time, a clearer route to request learning or better arrangements for cover. Check again after the change so the original barrier does not disappear from view.

A useful place to begin is one role that rarely appears in your development planning. Ask the people doing it what they want to learn, then work with them to make a realistic opportunity available.

Explore an approach to development that starts with the person and their work.

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