Professional Development Should Not Be a Luxury for Businesswomen

Tuesday 28 April 2026

By Laurie Dowie, Director at Centre of Learning, part of The WiB Group.

For too many female professionals, carving out a chunk of the day for continuous professional development (CPD) verges on wishful thinking. You do not need me to remind you of the reasons why that is, but it often comes down to prioritising other needs before your own.

It is rarely a question of motivation; the professionals we encounter at the Centre of Learning have all the intent, yet none of the time. That reality was laid bare in our recent member survey which identified workload constraints and availability as the biggest hurdles between them and time spent on training and development.

The potential knock-on effect cannot be overstated. When CPD is passed off as a luxury, a woman’s career and impact never quite reach their full potential.

Not to mention the time spent going the extra mile and beyond on low visibility tasks – think onboarding new team members or organising social events – that are more likely to arrive in a woman’s in-tray than a man’s. In fact, UK research by The No Club put an overall figure on the amount of this non-promotable work: 200 hours. That’s equivalent to an extra month’s work, likely unpaid and certainly underappreciated. All of which curtails career advancement and professional growth. And CPD? At best, it’s seen as an optional bonus or, worse, overlooked altogether.

Opportunities for upskilling really ought to reflect the reality faced by professional women in 2026. Women are already time-poor without wasting hours on a low-value tick-box exercise.

Delivering high-impact training has been the driving force behind Centre of Learning since our launch in 2024. By working with industry-leading experts, we provide practical programmes that are rich in insight and free from jargon, all of which can be applied immediately to the workday of a busy professional. With proven benefits for the employer, too; effective CPD initiatives can improve employee retention by 30% at a time when onboarding a new staff member on average carries a £3,000 bill.

Centre of Learning is supporting women at all stages. Now an engine room for excellence, in 2025 alone, our team delivered more than 700 hours of mentoring, totalling support for

5,000 women right across Northern Ireland. More recently, through our Digital Skills Academy, 60% of women returning from a career break found employment in the six months since graduating from the course. Therein lies the power of women investing in themselves.

Over the coming months, our team is focused on a suite of tailored programmes, covering topics that address the key barriers facing women in the workplace today, including negotiating, assertiveness, workload management as well as leadership and digital skills. Search Centre of Learning NI to get involved.

Tuesday 28 April 2026