Continuing Professional Development And You
Whenever I read about CPD it always appears to come back to the individual. The individual needs to do the work, the individual needs to ascertain if the CPD they are doing is of any use. The CPD recording has to be done by the individual and at the end of it?
CPD seems to be heading off the rails as some kind of self belief system which catches on in the corporate circle but is yet to have a final basis of existence in any true form. A search online shows a variety of institutes, some look professional whereas others look empty and benign of life.
One states that "Continuing Professional Development is the systematic maintenance and improvement, of knowledge, skills and competence, and the enhancement of learning undertaken by an individual throughout his or her working life." and then goes on to ask for £75 and you can receive letters after your name.
Another website, the CPD certification service suggests that "Responsibility of CPD recording is with the individual professional. Continuing professional development learning will always be down to the individual to determine the value of any CPD certified training... There is now an increasing expectation for the UK workforce to undertake Continuing Professional Development."
While it is true that an individual should seek to stay informed and on top of their professional game, it is also true that a good partner in CPD should be found. There are three main reasons why you may wish to invoke the wrath of the God of CPD.
One. At the behest of an employer, you are required to undertake a knowledge curve in a particular subject. Two, you're legally obliged by government to show you understand current changes in laws or structures which apply or three, you're a devil for the latest thing, gossip and keeping in touch with the latest developments in your industry.
Either way, the final outcome will be the Continuing Professional Development And You. You will cover areas such as Provision, Accreditation and Evaluation, Definition and Planning, Recording and Demonstrating and Promotion. All of which you probably thought you left behind you at school.
But while work is work, work is also an industry that changes years on year, new advances in software applications and new scientific discoveries change the way businesses operate. Keeping yourself up to date - and an employer would usually pay for CPD - leaves you able to answer CPD questions openly in new job interviews, showing you are an avid and key worker and keen to take on new knowledge and you are also furthering your career prospects. Simple choose the correct CPD partner for accreditation.