Working professionals in conversation

Our Approach

It's hard to find good people. It's hard to keep good people. And it takes time to train and develop excellent employees. We understand – and we're here to help.

We recognize that today's business environment is challenging, with many companies and industries facing difficulties trying to find qualified employees. Current employees who are ready to climb the ladder may lack the leadership and managerial experience needed to help them excel when given additional responsibilities. Once companies have attracted and hired qualified employees, retention can also be a struggle. We know that finding and making the time for employee development opportunities can be stressful and challenging, but doing so now is more important than ever to secure organizational success.

Professional Development makes an impact.

Professional Development makes an impact.

Research indicates that providing professional development and growth opportunities now rank as high in importance for existing and new employees as workplace flexibility and benefits do. Many organizations train their employees to boost knowledge and skills gaps in the short-term. Professional Development takes it one step further and looks to the future to drive growth for both the company and the employee. Effective professional development programs impact:

  •   Employee job satisfaction
  •   Employee retention
  •   Employee knowledge and advancement

 

The employee growth opportunities you pursue are customizable based on your company's unique needs. Programs can be built around several different competencies that could include:

  • Leadership Development
  • Communicating with Confidence
  • Managing Change
  • Creative Problem Solving
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Leading vs. Managing
  • Ethical Approaches to Management
  • Product & Design Development
  • Design Thinking
  • Manufacturing and Operational Efficiency
  • and other industry- and company-specific competency areas

 

  • Expertise. Customization. Results. The WMU Professional Development difference.

Investing in professional development is worthwhile, and WMU Professional Development offers the expertise, customization, and results to make sure you get the most out of your investment.

Expertise.

We draw from our 8 colleges and 240 academic programs to find the subject matter experts who can develop and deliver the training you need.

Our subject matter experts are talented instructors and have relevant industry experience so they can create real-world and company-specific examples to help clearly convey training concepts and bring them to life.

WMU utilizes our in-house market research team, instructional design expertise, and various delivery methods to provide the best professional development options for employee training.

 

 

Video of WMU Professional Development: Expertise

Results.

Our customized training programs have made a major impact in growing leadership skills, improving communications amongst teams, and bettering an organization's ability to manage change.

Clients have witnessed the following outcomes with their employees who've participated in WMU PD:

  • Increased knowledge based off pre- and post-survey scores
  • Practical application of the training material within their departments
  • Promotions within those that have attended
  • Increased confidence
  • Increased collaborative efforts between peers
  • Staff coming out of their comfort zones

 

 

Video of WMU Professional Development: Results

Customization.

We take a consultative approach to designing training by partnering with you to develop the training needed by your organization. We don't try to cram pre-developed sessions to fit your unique needs.

From an initial needs analysis to discussions on how success will be measured, we collaborate with you every step of the way. We can work together with your in-house development professionals or lead the process to build your customized program. You have unparalleled access to our staff and subject matter experts along the way to ensure that your unique business needs are addressed.

WMU can create a training session, series of sessions, or an entire training program. With WMU's expertise in online education, we can provide on-demand training in asynchronous, short, micro sessions, a combination of asynchronous and synchronous training, as well as in-person training.

 

 

Video of WMU Professional Development: Customization

Hear what participants have to say:

  • I felt that the sessions and training topics were very well thought out and that there were great opportunities for managers not only to learn more about their leadership but also how to work with the many different styles and personalities that they work with on a daily basis.

    Jason G.

  • Learning about the different communication styles made me more confident in my communications with the staff I work with.

    Liz D.

  • As a newer manager, I knew how to manage, but many of the topics that we covered helped me lead my team in new ways. I learned to approach topics like change and conflict in a way that was more effective and beneficial to the health of my team and store.

    Dezzie F.

Ready to get started?

  • Ready to get started? Let's start a conversation and see how we can help!