Talent Development & Succession Planning

Talent Development & Succession Planning: identify top talent, build leadership pipelines, and prepare successors. Includes German labour law and GDPR compliance.

Talent Development & Succession Planning

Talent Development & Succession Planning – Developing People with Purpose and Securing the Future

Imagine this: a key employee suddenly leaves the company. No handover. No successor. No plan. This is exactly the situation many German organisations face today – and the consequences are costly. According to a study by the Institute for Employment and Employability (IBE), more than 60% of small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany lack a structured succession plan. Demographic change, the shortage of skilled workers, and digital transformation have made talent development & succession planning one of the most important leadership challenges of our time.

This course shows you how to systematically identify, develop, and retain talent over the long term. You will learn how to build succession plans that actually work – including within the specific legal and cultural framework of Germany. The Works Constitution Act (BetrVG), the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG), and the GDPR (DSGVO) all play a central role and are addressed practically throughout the course.

Whether you work in learning and development, HR management, or a leadership role – this course equips you with the tools to future-proof your organisation. You will develop concepts you can apply immediately, from strategic workforce planning to leadership development and knowledge transfer.

Talent Development & Succession Planning

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Align strategic workforce planning with organisational goals
  • Identify, assess, and develop high-potential employees
  • Analyse skills gaps and design targeted development measures
  • Create individual development plans and career pathways
  • Plan leadership development across all management levels
  • Build succession planning frameworks and systematically prepare successors
  • Identify and minimise risks arising from key person dependency
  • Implement scenario planning and transition management professionally
  • Apply German legal requirements correctly (Works Council, AGG, GDPR)
  • Structure knowledge transfer and capability building within the organisation

Course Curriculum

5 Sections 20 Lectures 5 Hours
  • Strategic Workforce Planning Principles
  • Aligning Talent Strategy with Business Objectives
  • Talent Supply, Demand, and Capacity Forecasting
  • Future Skills and Capability Planning in Germany
  • High-Potential Identification and Talent Segmentation
  • Competency Mapping and Skills Gap Analysis
  • Performance Management and 360-Degree Feedback
  • Assessment Centers and Objective Evaluation Methods
  • Individual Development Plans and Career Pathways
  • Learning, Coaching, and Mentoring Models
  • Leadership Development Across Management Levels
  • Knowledge Transfer and Capability Building
  • Succession Planning Frameworks and Role Criticality
  • Successor Readiness, Development, and Mobility
  • Key-Person Risk and Workforce Continuity
  • Scenario Planning and Transition Management
  • German Labor Law and Employment Contracts
  • Works Council (Betriebsrat) Rights and Co-Determination
  • Anti-Discrimination (AGG) and Equal Opportunity
  • GDPR, Data Protection, and Compliance Governance

Who is this course suitable for?

This course is aimed at:

  • HR managers and learning & development professionals looking to build or improve talent programmes
  • Leaders and team managers who want to develop their future workforce systematically
  • Business consultants and organisational development specialists with an HR focus
  • Employees in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) without formal HR training who are taking on people management responsibilities
  • Works council members who want to better understand strategic people development
  • Career starters and career changers aiming to enter the HR profession
  • Students of business administration, HR management, or organisational psychology

Requirements

  • No specialist HR knowledge required
  • Basic professional experience in a company or organisation is helpful
  • An interest in people, leadership, and organisational development
  • Access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone with an internet connection
  • Proficiency in German (the course is delivered in German)

Career opportunities

A qualification in talent development & succession planning opens doors to attractive roles in the German job market:

  • HR Business Partner
    A strategic partner to leaders on all people-related matters. Acts as the bridge between HR and business departments.
  • Learning & Development Manager / Personalentwickler
    Responsible for training programmes, talent development, and competency building.
  • Talent Acquisition Manager / Recruiting Manager
    Responsible for attracting and initially assessing talent for the organisation.
  • HR Manager / Head of People & Culture
    Overall responsibility for strategic HR topics including succession planning.
  • Organisational Development Specialist / Change Manager
    Supporting change processes and building organisational capacity.
  • Senior HR Consultant
    Advising organisations on developing and implementing HR strategies.

Further information on HR salary benchmarks in Germany is available at Gehalt.de – one of Germany's leading salary comparison platforms.

Certification information

Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a Talent Development & Succession Planning certificate documenting your knowledge & skills in this area.

Certificate Image

Frequently Asked Questions

01 What is succession planning and why is it so important in Germany? +

Succession planning is the systematic process through which organisations ensure that critical roles can be filled seamlessly when employees leave. In Germany, the topic is particularly relevant because demographic change is driving a massive wave of retirements among experienced leaders, while qualified successors are increasingly difficult to find.

02 What is the difference between personnel development and talent management? +

Personnel development covers all measures designed to promote existing employees – such as training, coaching, and career planning. Talent management goes a step further by also encompassing the identification, attraction, and retention of high-performing or high-potential individuals. Both areas are closely connected and are addressed together in this course.

03 What role does the Works Council play in talent development? +

In Germany, the Works Council has extensive co-determination rights under the Works Constitution Act (BetrVG) – including in matters of personnel development. This applies, for example, to the introduction of appraisal systems, assessment centres, or development programmes. Anyone working in HR must understand these rights and actively involve the Works Council in relevant processes.

04 How can I as a manager identify talent without making subjective judgements? +

Objectivity in talent assessment is one of the greatest challenges in HR. Structured methods such as competency assessments, 360-degree feedback, and clearly defined performance indicators help reduce subjective bias. This course provides concrete, practical methods that have proven effective in real-world settings.

05 How does succession planning account for data protection under the GDPR? +

Succession planning involves the processing of sensitive personal data – such as performance appraisals, career plans, and personal development goals. The GDPR sets clear requirements: consent, purpose limitation, and data minimisation. The course teaches you how to design and document GDPR-compliant processes.

06 Is there a legal obligation to implement succession planning in Germany? +

There is no general statutory obligation to carry out succession planning. However, in certain sectors – such as organisations in critical infrastructure or publicly listed companies – requirements exist under governance frameworks such as the German Corporate Governance Code. Nonetheless, structured succession planning is advisable and economically sound for any organisation of a certain size.

07 How long does it take to introduce a functioning succession planning process in a company? +

This depends on the size and complexity of the organisation. As a general rule, building an initial structured succession framework takes between three and six months. The key is to proceed step by step: first identify critical roles, then assess candidates, and finally create development plans. This course guides you through every step of that process.

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