Today’s job market is highly competitive, so it is vital to continue learning and growing in any role you occupy. According to Totaljobs research, UK employees are passionate about professional growth that 2 in 3 will change jobs due to inadequate learning and development opportunities. Luckily, you can spruce up your skillset on the job, whether you are aiming for a huge promotion or simply seeking to be better at your tasks. Below are some of the best ways to develop new skills on the job.

Explore Mentorship At Work

Mentorship is vital to professional development and investing in oneself, so it is no surprise that 71% of Fortune 500 companies provide formal mentoring programmes to their workers. Therefore, consider getting a mentor at work to help you attain new skills and knowledge. A great mentor will guide you and offer effective feedback that you can work on to sharpen your skillset. However, you can also find a good protégé for the best results. Many high-level skills in the workplace involve people management, so the best way to practice these skills is to be a mentor to someone else.

Take A Course

Many companies consider it an excellent investment to give internal courses to employees. Therefore, ask your manager if they can provide courses to improve your skills. You can take several relevant classes online if your company doesn’t offer any internally, so keep this in mind. The time and costs will undoubtedly differ, but you will surely find one that suits your budget, needs, and schedule from the sheer range of available options. You can also consider universities near you if they offer courses in areas of interest, but you may have to undergo strict selection criteria. For example, you will need to pass a Cambridge interview to get into the world-famous University of Cambridge.

Embrace New Challenges

You are highly unlikely to develop new skills while taking on the same old and familiar tasks. Consequently, always accept new opportunities to learn new skills in your company when they arise. You can simply raise your hand if a new project that aligns with the skills you seek to obtain comes up. Your manager or HR team will typically be more than willing to allow you to learn new skills this way, as long as you can convince them of the value you will add to the project. New challenges force you to think faster and develop fresh skills, so they are always worth considering.

Make Friends In Other Departments

New skills are almost always outside your department or scope of responsibility. As such, internal networking is one of the best things you can do to develop your competence on the job. Consequently, get to know people in other offices and teams and demonstrate a clear interest in their department’s functions. Then, learn everything you can about their roles and how they acquired these skills. Finally, ask how you might be able to help in these departments in your free time to develop the skills you desire to grow professionally.