Professional development for workplace learning: evidence from community skills instructors in Malaysia

Purpose Professional development plays an important role in strengthening workplace learning and workforce capability, particularly in community-based public organisations where instructors are required to respond to changing workplace and community needs. However, limited research has examined the professional development needs and workplace challenges of community skills instructors within community-based learning organisations. This study aims to explore the professional development needs and workplace challenges of community skills instructors in the Community Development Department (KEMAS), Malaysia, and examined the organisational support required to strengthen workforce development. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research design was adopted, involving semi-structured interviews with eight purposively selected KEMAS officers and skills education supervisors who were directly involved in the management, supervision and development of community skills instructors. Data were analysed using thematic analysis supported by NVivo 15. Findings Three interrelated themes emerged: professional development needs, professional development challenges and organisational support for workforce development. The findings indicate that professional development needs are shaped by individual competency gaps, task requirements and organisational priorities, while limited training opportunities, training mismatch, digital competency gaps and workload constraints present significant workplace challenges. Organisational support through adequate resources, continuous learning opportunities and strategic workforce planning was also found to be important. Research limitations/implications This qualitative study involved eight KEMAS officers and skills education supervisors from the southern zone of Malaysia. While the findings provide in-depth insights into professional development and workplace learning, they may not represent the experiences of community skills instructors in other regions or organisational settings. This study extends workplace learning research by providing qualitative evidence from a community-based public-sector organisation and highlights the need to consider individual, task-related and organisational factors in professional development. Practical implications The findings suggest that KEMAS should align professional development initiatives with individual competency needs, job responsibilities and organisational priorities. Training content should reflect instructors’ specific fields of specialisation, while continuous digital competency development, adequate facilities and resources and equitable access to professional development should be strengthened. Strategic workforce planning can further support the application of learning and strengthen instructor capability in community-based skills education. Social implications Strengthening professional development and workplace learning among community skills instructors may improve the quality and relevance of community-based skills education and support lifelong learning among local and rural communities. Enhanced instructor capability may also contribute to community empowerment by enabling instructors to respond more effectively to changing workplace, livelihood and community needs, thereby supporting sustainable community development. Originality/value This study contributes qualitative evidence to the workplace learning and human resource development literature by providing insights from an under-researched community-based public-sector organisation. It also offers practical implications for strengthening professional development and workforce capability in similar organisational settings.