CPD Explained
So, what is CPD? CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and is the term used to describe the learning activities professionals engage in to develop and enhance their abilities. It enables learning to become conscious and proactive, rather than passive and reactive.
CPD combines different methodologies to learning, such as training workshops, conferences and events, e-learning programs, best practice techniques and ideas sharing, all focused for an individual to improve and have effective professional development. There are over 1000 institutes & professional bodies across the UK, a number that is forecast to increase.
Accompanied by such growth is the acceptance that academic qualifications must offer more vocational and skills-based or ‘practical’ learning. A structured, practical and methodical approach to learning helps employers across industries to keep key staff and develop the skills & knowledge in their organisations to maintain a sustainable and competitive advantage.
Engaging in Continuing Professional Development ensures that both academic and practical qualifications do not become out-dated or obsolete; allowing individuals to continually ‘up skill’ or ‘re-skill’ themselves, regardless of occupation, age or educational level.
What are the benefits of CPD?
Continuing Professional Development is essential in helping individuals, organisations or entire industries to keep skills and knowledge up to date. Providing CPD enables organisations to become a knowledge bank to key stakeholders of your organisation. CPD accredited training courses, workshops and events allow professionals to use the learning time towards individual CPD requirements.
FOR INDIVIDUALS
Continuing Professional Development helps individuals to regularly focus on how they can become a more competent and effective professional. Training and learning increase confidence and overall capability, and compliments career aspirations.
CPD enables individuals to adapt positively to changes in work/industry requirements. Planning CPD helps to be more efficient with time, and recording CPD properly provides evidence of professional development (this can be useful for supervision and appraisals).
CPD shows a clear commitment to self-development and professionalism. CPD provides an opportunity for an individual to identify knowledge gaps and to resolve these in a recognisable approach to improvement.
Accredited CPD Providers should make available to individuals a Certificate of Attendance to attach to their CPD log as evidence of development once training is complete or the desired standards of learning have been met.
FOR ORGANISATIONS
Providing CPD accredited learning benefits your organisation through recognition and increased brand perception. Internal use of Continuing Professional Development encourages and promotes a healthy learning culture for your organisation, leading to a more fulfilled workforce and retaining valuable staff.
Many organisations have staff with CPD obligations as members of professional bodies. In circumstances where internal CPD training resources are low, organisations use outsourced CPD training providers to meet staff requirements.
Outsourced CPD providers are typically training companies, online learning resources, events & conference organisers. They are experts in their field and provide practical learning opportunities through CPD events, seminars and accredited CPD courses. Some CPD courses are just 1 or 2 hours long, delivered in a seminar or classroom-style environment. Other accredited CPD courses can be a full 6-10 weeks program, split into structured bite-size modules.
Structured CPD / Active Learning
Structured CPD / active learning involves interactive and participation-based study. It is typically proactive and can include attending a training course, conference, workshop, seminar, lecture, e-learning course or CPD certified event. CPD active learning also applies to when professionals take career orientated exams and assessments (the study and revision would be considered self-directed learning, see Self-Directed CPD).
What is accredited CPD Training?
‘What is CPD’ and ‘How to become CPD accredited’ are common queries discussed across the varying industries. Accredited CPD training means the learning activity has reached the required Continuing Professional Development standards and benchmarks. The learning value has been scrutinised to ensure integrity and quality. The CPD Certification Service provides recognised independent CPD accreditation compatible with global CPD requirements.