Why and How We’re Helping Build the Employees of the Future

Most organizations offer some form of in-house education opportunities nowadays, but the quality of it all can vary widely between companies. Here’s why and how we’re hyper-focused on being at the forefront of internal education and helping our employees develop next-level skills to meet client needs and grow their careers.

Our Investment in Education Is an Investment in Our Shared Future

As employees are increasingly focusing on meaningful work and staying ahead of the blistering pace of change, we’re taking steps to ensure our people have the resources to develop the skills they desire to further their careers. The training and internal education that accounting firms have used for years is starting to shift, and we want to lead the way.

Automation in the workplace will increasingly free employees of redundant tasks, leaving them more time to focus on a better experience for their clients with on-demand assistance and better visibility into the progress of projects. Our investment in employee education helps our people stay ahead of the curve and stay on top of developments that are most important to our clients.

Continuing education helps keep employees motivated, and when it’s offered through employers, for free, it can lead to higher learning on specific subjects applicable to job duties without the hefty college course price tag (and who doesn’t love that…). Our people tell us it’s also important for them to feel that what is being learned is applicable to their current role and will benefit them as their career progresses.

Our Approach to Education Includes Broad Resources

Armanino’s extensive internal education program empowers our team with a variety of courses for every level of employee to take at their own pace. It’s a benefit we’re proud of, especially since we’ve developed many of the courses ourselves. This multi-pronged approach to education involves our own courses, continuing professional education (CPE) and LinkedIn Learning. We’ve made it a priority to develop these course offerings and share knowledge within the firm at all levels.

Since we encourage our people to learn at their own pace, we’ve made it easier to take advantage of the educational resources Armanino offers. Elevate Learn is our firm’s learning platform that houses everything needed for continuing education and developing professional, leadership and tactical skills. The platform keeps track of individuals’ progress and allows their performance coaches to see the extra time they’ve spent developing new skills and driving their own progress. Seeing resources and progress in one place is helpful; it takes the guesswork out of what to do next and lets our team members take full control of their careers.

Programs Bring Education to All Levels at Armanino

Below is a sampling of the programs and initiatives we’re most excited about this year. Each program addresses unique needs at various employee levels. Staff learn how to advance their careers and set up a plan for growth, and leaders learn how to support their teams while incorporating the firm’s strategy into what they do. Everyone can earn industry certification badges and learn new skills.

• Career Advancement Program – This program brings together staff and seniors to work on their individual performance and growth through cohort discussions, meetings and work groups.
• Leadership in Action – We enable our supervisors and managers to learn how to balance their own development while driving and developing a team.
• Strategic Growth Program – Senior managers and directors come together to focus on strategic accelerators and developing their team through discussions and work groups.
• Accelerated Path to Manager – This is one of our newest programs and is geared toward super-motivated staff who want to fast-track their path and become a manager in four years.
• Industry Edge Certificate Program – Our e-learning program allows our employees to become experts in the industries we serve by learning from our own Armanino experts. Once a module is completed, employees are rewarded with a digital badge that can be shared with prospects, clients and coworkers.
• Becker Catalog – The entire catalog of Becker courses is available to every employee, not just audit and tax!
• LinkedIn Learning Catalog – Another new and cool resource we provide is free access to the entire LinkedIn Learning catalog for employees, with topics covering the range of professional and personal skills necessary for career success.
• Internal Initiative Groups – Our numerous internal initiatives like the Staff Advisory Board, Management Advisory Board, The Bridge and IDEAL Team also foster personal development and leadership skills and help employees build relationships with coworkers and leaders across the firm that they normally wouldn’t get a chance to work with.

One aspect of our Vision 2025 strategic plan is focusing on our people, how we can improve their experience at Armanino and the role we play in building the employee of the future. We know that our employees have busy seasons in both life and work. Being able to offer our people an extensive educational platform, self-paced courses and initiatives to participate in allows us to encourage and support their ongoing growth and development, which helps them and our clients.