It Should Not Stop at Continuing Education Credits: The Importance of Investing in Training and Development for Tax Professionals

Hearing “lifelong learners” typically results in some eye-rolling; we already did the whole “school thing.” As a former educator who spent 12 years reliving middle school, I can easily explain the importance of education to 7th-graders, whether or not they care at that moment. But when it comes to adults, the conversation changes. We see ongoing learning as elementary, a waste of time, and a misuse of our work hours. Why spend an hour listening to someone drone on about feedback cycles when that hour could be spent generating revenue?

I started in tax resolution trying to understand why everyone described the industry as “sink or swim.” Where are the opportunities to learn, improve, and develop? Why does this field give up on employees when they do not immediately grasp tax, one of the most notoriously complicated topics in life? I am a competent, smart adult: what did I need to succeed in this foreign field?

That was when I quickly identified a major hole in this industry: training. Enrolled agents must complete continuing education (CE) under the requirements in Circular 230, administered by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Return Preparer Office. While these sessions are important, they are often presented more as a requirement that checks a box than as an opportunity for meaningful learning. Employers also frequently treat CE as an enrolled agent obligation rather than a broader development opportunity, leaving other employees with little structured exposure beyond getting the slide deck emailed to them.

A study published in Heliyon surveyed 362 frontline hotel employees in Bangladesh and found significant associations among training and development, career development, organizational commitment, and work performance. While the setting differs from tax practice, the findings reinforce a useful point: When employers support learning and improvement, employees may become more confident, take on higher levels of work, and help their organizations reach their goals more efficiently.

The research points in that direction…so, how do we get tax professionals excited about the prospect of being “lifelong learners,” minus the eye roll?

Leadership: It starts at the top.
Business leaders need to acknowledge the importance of training by investing in it. And yes, that means assigning clear responsibility, adequate time, and resources to the development and growth of a training program. Depending on the size of the firm, that may be a dedicated position or a protected part of someone’s role. Tax is complicated, to say the least, and businesses need someone who can fully commit to addressing things like content understanding, communication styles, and feedback styles with all employees. Treating that responsibility as an afterthought is neither efficient nor sustainable.

Buy-In: Make it worthwhile.
To get employees motivated to learn, business leaders need to incentivize it. Whether employees want cash, time off, or ice cream, use those as “carrots” to get them in the door. Incentives can help create habits, and habits can lead to lasting routines. Few employees may want to spend an hour of their day comparing the Collection Appeals Program (CAP) and collection due process (CDP) but add extra paid time off (PTO) for doing so, and that impacts people’s willingness to learn.

Career Path: Create a roadmap.
Business leaders have to be proactive when addressing training and development by establishing meaningful goals and advancement opportunities. If employees see that learning can bring them more money, recognition, and value, they are more motivated to continue. Business leaders can create a step system or mastery levels so that if employees complete some amount of training or demonstrate specific skills, they get additional privileges and recognition. If you want employees to feel pride in their work, then continue to help them build that confidence, beyond becoming an enrolled agent.

Business leaders know that firing and hiring staff is expensive. Supporting and encouraging professional growth can decrease turnover and increase the abilities of the current workforce, making
employees more efficient, capable, and successful. While training and education do not immediately contribute to revenue, encouraging employees to become lifelong learners (cue the eye roll) may have a lasting impact on the bottom line.