In a rapidly evolving business landscape, the ability to anticipate future talent needs is a critical differentiator for organizational success. This training course is meticulously designed to equip HR professionals and business leaders with the advanced skills to move beyond headcount management and develop a truly strategic workforce plan. By mastering a data-driven and proactive approach, you can align talent strategy with business objectives, mitigate risks, and ensure your organization has the right people, with the right skills, at the right time. This program provides the essential blueprint for a forward-thinking organization prepared to meet future challenges head-on and secure its competitive advantage.

This comprehensive curriculum offers a practical deep dive into the art and science of strategic workforce planning. You will learn to use sophisticated analytics to forecast future talent demand, assess current workforce capabilities, and create actionable plans to close critical skill gaps. The course focuses on real-world scenarios and interactive exercises, helping you to build the skills necessary to influence business strategy, partner with finance and operations, and communicate the value of your workforce plan to senior leadership. By the end of this program, you will not only be proficient in workforce planning methodologies but also be prepared to champion a strategic approach to talent management and architect a resilient, future-ready organization.

Duration

5 days

Target Audience

• HR directors and managers
• Workforce planning specialists
• People analytics professionals
• HR business partners
• Talent acquisition and development leaders
• C-suite executives and senior leaders
• Organizational development specialists
• Finance and strategy professionals
• Anyone responsible for long-term business planning
• Consultants specializing in organizational strategy

Objectives

• Understand the strategic role of workforce planning in business success.
• Master a comprehensive framework for strategic workforce planning.
• Use advanced data analytics to forecast talent demand and supply.
• Conduct a thorough gap analysis to identify future skill requirements.
• Develop a strategic plan to build, buy, or borrow talent.
• Align workforce planning with financial budgets and business strategy.
• Communicate a data-driven workforce plan to senior leadership.
• Navigate challenges and secure buy-in for long-term talent initiatives.
• Build a personal toolkit for leading strategic workforce planning.

Course Modules

Module 1: The Strategic Imperative of Workforce Planning

• The link between workforce planning, business strategy, and performance.
• Moving from headcount management to strategic talent forecasting.
• Understanding the macroeconomic trends impacting the workforce.
• The role of HR as a strategic business partner.
• Case studies in successful strategic workforce planning.

Module 2: A Comprehensive Planning Framework

• The four-step strategic workforce planning model.
• Defining the business challenge and planning horizon.
• Identifying key roles and capabilities for future success.
• The importance of cross-functional collaboration.
• Creating a roadmap for implementation.

Module 3: Forecasting Demand and Supply

• Using quantitative models to forecast future talent demand.
• Analyzing internal talent supply and movement.
• Assessing external market trends and talent availability.
• The role of scenario planning and what-if analysis.
• Using technology and data tools to support forecasting.

Module 4: Gap Analysis and Action Planning

• Conducting a comprehensive gap analysis to identify skill shortages.
• Developing a strategic plan to close the gaps (build, buy, borrow).
• Creating a talent development and reskilling strategy.
• The role of talent acquisition and outsourcing in your plan.
• Integrating the plan with succession planning and career paths.

Module 5: Financial Alignment and Business Partnership

• Aligning the workforce plan with the financial budget and forecast.
• The importance of partnering with finance and operations leaders.
• Using data to build a business case for talent investment.
• Communicating the financial impact of talent decisions.
• Proving the ROI of strategic workforce planning.

Module 6: Communicating and Gaining Buy-in

• The art of storytelling with data to influence senior leadership.
• Creating a compelling presentation for the workforce plan.
• Navigating difficult conversations about talent gaps and risks.
• The role of transparency in building trust.
• Strategies for engaging stakeholders and securing commitment.

Module 7: The Future-Ready Workforce Planner

• Emerging trends in workforce planning (e.g., AI, automation).
• The impact of a gig economy and new work models.
• Building a culture of continuous planning and adaptation.
• The skills needed to be a successful workforce planner.
• A personal action plan for leading strategic workforce planning.

Training Approach

This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.

Tailor-Made Course

This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org Tel: +254 702 249 449

Training Venue

The training will be held at our Skills for Africa Training Institute Training Centre. We also offer training for a group at requested location all over the world. The course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, and buffet lunch.

Visa application, travel expenses, airport transfers, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant

Certification

Participants will be issued with Skills for Africa Training Institute certificate upon completion of this course.

Airport Pickup and Accommodation

Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: info@skillsforafrica.org, training@skillsforafrica.org Tel: +254 702 249 449

Terms of Payment: Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 7 working days before commencement of the training.