We’ve been working in talent and capability development for over 30 years, and there’s a comment we keep hearing from senior leaders. It goes something like this:
“We’ve lost another great project leader to a competitor. We’ve invested in their training and development, and just when they are really hitting their stride – we lose them”
So how can you retain your most skilled people? The answer isn’t what most people expect. It’s not about pay rises or retention bonuses (though they don’t hurt). It’s about giving your talented people something far more valuable: a clear view of their future with you.
The Problem with Traditional Training
Most organisations approach development like this: identify a skills gap, send someone on a course, tick the box, move on. It’s transactional. It’s disconnected. And frankly, it’s not very motivating.
Your high performing leaders don’t just want training – they want a career. They want to know what’s possible, what they need to do to get there, and that you’re genuinely invested in their journey. When they can’t see that pathway, they start looking elsewhere.
What Makes a Project Academy Different?
A Project Academy approach flips this on its head. Instead of piecemeal training interventions, you’re creating an integrated development ecosystem that:
Provides clarity. People can see the levels of progression, understand what’s required at each stage, and map out their own career journey. No more guessing what it takes to move up.
Builds community. Your specialists aren’t isolated anymore. They’re part of a professional community where they can share experiences, learn from each other, and access mentors who’ve walked the path before them.
Recognises achievement. Through structured assessment and accreditation, you’re formally acknowledging growing capability. This isn’t just about certificates – it’s about professional recognition of the depth and complexity of their project experience that carries weight both inside and outside your organisation.
Creates ownership. When people maintain their own capability profiles, track their experience, and take charge of their development, engagement goes through the roof. They’re invested because they can see their progress.
The Business Case That Writes Itself
Now, we’re pragmatic about these things. You need return on investment, and an academy approach delivers it in spades:
- Retention improves because people can see their future with you
- Capability increases through structured, measurable development
- Resource planning becomes possible when you have a searchable database of skills and experience
- Competitive advantage grows as knowledge stays within your organisation rather than walking out the door and into your competitors.
- Project delivery improves when you can match the right people to the right challenges
One of our clients – a major company in the oil and gas industry – saw an annual saving of over $404m on their annual project spend. Another achieved APM (Association of Project Management) accreditation for their academy, fast-tracking over 400 project professionals to Chartered status. Working with senior leaders in government has shown average savings of over £600K per person. These aren’t outliers – these are the expected outcomes when you get it right.
Where to Start
You don’t need to boil the ocean on day one. The most successful academies we’ve worked with started by:
- Identifying one critical professional community (project leaders, engineers, business leaders)
- Getting senior people engaged first – they become your champions
- Making it aspirational, not mandatory
- Investing in proper software that makes participation easy and valuable
- Building in regular community events and knowledge sharing
“The academy approach requires investment, certainly. But the cost of not doing it – losing your best people, repeating mistakes, struggling to resource major projects – is far higher”
Trevor Dawes, OPL
If you’re wrestling with retention of specialist skills, struggling to develop consistent capability across your organisation, or finding it difficult to identify the right people for critical projects, an academy approach might be exactly what you need.
Let’s have a conversation about what that could look like for your organisation.
Contact us to arrange a free 30-minute discovery call: info@onlineprofiling.com