Professional Development

Ongoing learning and growth are essential tenets of our work at Brookings. Through a mentoring program, training workshops, and access to cutting-edge research, employees are empowered to expand their knowledge, refine their skills, and make significant contributions to their respective fields.

Learning opportunities throughout the year include:

• Annual Mentoring Program: Early and mid-career staff are paired with mid- or late-career staff for an 8-month program to explore topics like career pathways, leadership development, building relationships, and more. Staff are eligible to participate every year.
• Access to Thousands of On-Demand Courses: Every employee receives a LinkedIn Learning subscription and can also access Brookings-developed trainings at a click of a button from any device.
• Education Assistance Grant: Employees can apply for up to $3,000 per fiscal year in educational funding to cover graduate program prep courses and entrance exam fees, prerequisite coursework, degree or certificate programs, foreign language courses, and other related expenses.
• Workshops, Seminars, and Speakers: Throughout the year, Brookings hosts workshops, training sessions, and provides resources to build core and functional competencies relevant to all staff and to specific roles across the institution. Recent sessions have covered topics such as project management, leadership development, people management skills, and building effective hybrid teams.
• Peer Learning: All staff have the opportunity to engage in a biweekly lunchtime conversation series led by Brookings scholars to discuss current events, as well as monthly racial equity in research seminars. Staff share expertise and best practices via interest networks, such as the Brookings Data Network, and book groups. Brookings’s public events, publications, and library resources are always available and encouraged for staff.
• On-Site Research Library: The Brookings Library is available to employees and provides access to journals, books, a reading room, professional development sessions, and timely research support from a team of skilled librarians and archivists.