Learning and Development for Professional Services
Training planned from need rather than from the calendar.
What this looks like in professional services
The parts of learning and development that are specific to this sector, rather than general.
Development Alongside the Chargeable Clock
Technical depth and client capability together.
What this coversHide
Development Alongside the Chargeable Clock
Technical depth and client capability together.
What this coversHideProfessional firms develop two things at once: technical competence, which is measurable and often mandated, and client capability, which is where careers are actually made.
Technical
- Professional qualification and CPD support
- Technical updates and regulatory changes
- Methodology and quality standards
- Specialism development by practice area
Client and commercial
- Client handling and relationship skills
- Business development and pitching
- Supervision and review capability
- Management skills before the first team
Supervision capability deserves specific attention. Seniors review juniors' work constantly and are almost never taught how, which affects both quality and the experience of everyone below them.
The general method — what learning and development covers, the questions it answers and what an engagement produces — is the same whatever the sector, and is set out on the learning and development process page. What is above is the part that differs for professional services.
Other HR topics for professional services
Where to start
Most engagements begin with a review of how this runs in your business today, then a written process and the sequence to implement it.
See all HR topics for professional services, or another industry.