Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Programme

The pace of change in the application of information technology is so rapid that it is easy for the IS professional, focussed on a specific assignment, to fall behind recent developments. Continuous Professional Development is about keeping vital skills current – and it's not just confined to skills in information technology. Employers need to know that staff are keeping themselves informed on the latest developments, and are broadening their skills base as their job specification changes. Practitioners need a simple and practical method of monitoring the CPD work that they do.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is about continuously updating professional knowledge, personal skills and competencies. Even in retirement many people may make a contribution to their profession and still have personal learning goals.


Principles and Benefits of CPD
Principles:
The Professional development needs to be carefully planned, properly evaluated and carefully recorded for it to provide maximum benefit.

The provision of world-class management development resources can improve skill levels, increase motivation and aid recruitment and retention of key talent.

The professional should always be actively seeking to improve performance

Planning, Evaluating, Recording and Development are continuous

Development is a personal matter and should be owned and managed by the individual with the support of the employer

Learning outcomes should relate to the overall career plan of the individual and recognize current organizational needs where possible

Investment in training and development should be regarded as valuable as any other form of investment

Any development plan must start with the individual's current learning needs, take into account previous development, fit into their overall life and career plan and, where relevant, meet current organisational needs

Development goals should be clearly defined and accompanied by specific measures of what will constitute a successful outcome

Members should regularly assess their achievement against these measures, either as self-assessment or through peer assessment or with the help of a mentor

Investment in training, development and learning should be regarded as a fundamental principle of enhancing professional and commercial success

Enabling personal, professional and organisational growth

Enhancing patient care through clinical effectiveness and multiprofessional working

Adopting the principles of adult learning, featuring reflectiveness, responsiveness and personal review

Fairness in terms of access to, and time for, learning

Being supportive to colleagues in terms of a flexible approach to their career development

Mutual commitment in terms of sharing responsibility and agreement on resources

Being purposeful in terms of linking educational planning to clear organisational and individual goals

Supporting individuals through personal transitions and transformations in significant features of the service they deliver

Assuring educational effectiveness in terms of evaluating the quality and outcome for educational activities

Assuring cost effectiveness in terms of how learning opportunities are provided

Benefits:
Employers have a better skilled and more efficient work force

Informed employers attract high calibre staff and keep them

Good CPD policies can provide the most cost effective means of providing training, particularly if
carried out in partnership with institutions

Individuals will have the skills to react to a changing profession more readily

Staff will be more adaptable aiding diversification opportunities

CPD support from the employer as far as the employee's are concerned improves motivation and retention

Although the benefits of CPD are primarily felt by the individual, there are benefits to be gained by employers and the Society of Archivists as indicated by the table below.

Benefits to the Individual
Increases self esteem as you look back on achievements

Financial reward-CPD could support a claim for promotion

Encourages analytical thinking; about your job, the tasks that you do and how you do them thereby increasing performance

Provides the opportunity to enrich and develop your existing job

Aids career development; you can plan to learn skills which will equip you to move your career in a direction which interests you

Reflective practice encourages you to assess alternative approaches to tasks and gives you encouragement to thing creatively

Reflective practice can help you to feel in control of your work circumstances and might help to relieve stress

A written record of your CPD allows you to demonstrate your skills in a very concrete way
CPD can help you recognize the way in which skills learnt in other areas of your life could be applied in the workplace

Reflective practice is a safe environment for thinking about and assessing your mistakes, problems and perceived failures. It allows you to ask “what did I learn from this?” and think about what you would do differently in the future

A written record of CPD can help you to define and make clear in your mind your mind your achievements and the progress you have made