You choose the types of CPD that’s right for you. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the process by which professionals keep their knowledge and skills at the cutting edge throughout their careers. Keeping professionals updated with the latest trends, knowledge, and best practices in their chosen fields is crucial. It can help them stay competent and progress, enabling them to grow personally and open up opportunities for advancement. This guide aims to help you choose the type of CPD that’s right for you.
What is CPD?
Definition and Explanation:
CPD is the planned and structured approach professionals should take to develop the skills, knowledge and/or competence needed to maintain their professional standards. Therefore, we should all invest in it throughout our working lives. CPD is a process, not an event. Its main aim is to ensure that professionals continue to have the skills, knowledge and/or competence needed to carry out their jobs competently. This involves lifelong learning and taking account of the changes in the demands of their professional environment.
CPD encompasses all forms of learning, including formal qualifications and informal learning activities such as workshops or conferences, that can be used for personal and professional growth. It fosters career development by providing professionals with the means to stay current in a constantly changing competition for work. As workplaces and industries evolve to accommodate new technologies, regulations and methodologies, CPD helps professionals keep pace with changing skill requirements, which allows them to continue to provide value to their organisation and industry.
Benefits of CPD:
CPD has numerous positive effects that go well beyond just keeping up to date with knowledge in your industry. Perhaps the most immediate benefit of CPD is that it helps advance your career. As you gain more skills and knowledge through CPD, you become more valuable to your employer and more likely to get a promotion, a pay rise or a new position.
Additionally, because CPD helps a professional become more skilled in his or her role, it enhances the professional’s confidence and competence in his or her work, leading to improved performance and job satisfaction.
Furthermore, CPD is important for standardising practice, especially in industries where standards exist and are required of industry professionals. In medicine, finance, and law, regulators often require that professionals periodically engage in CPD to maintain their licences or certifications so that practitioners are up to date with the latest standards and protocols.
Who Need is CPD?
CPD is beneficial for many professions, especially in any industry where learning and adaptation are vital. Doctors and nurses need to stay updated with medical advancements to provide effective patient care. Lawyers and solicitors have to stay on top of changes in the law to best serve their clients. Educators need CPD to communicate effectively with their students and deliver the best information possible using new teaching styles and technologies.
Accountants, financial advisers and other finance professionals will likely have CPD requirements to keep them abreast of changing regulations and market conditions. Likewise, any profession that requires regular updates of skills or compliance with regulatory regimes would gain from CPD. This is why it is at the heart of the professional development agenda of all sectors.
Types of CPD (Continuing Professional Development)
Structured CPD:
Explanation:
Formal, planned activities (often featuring an instructor or facilitator) with clear goals and outcomes, and often part of a recognised framework or certification programme. Structured CPD typically appears as courses, seminars, workshops, or other types of professional development events designed to enhance skills or knowledge.
Examples:
Examples of structured CPD activities include:
- Attending professional qualifications, certifications and industry seminars.
- Undertaking accredited training courses, such as leadership development or technical training in a new piece of software.
- Visiting conferences where experts present the most recent research findings or new developments in a field.
Benefits:
A key advantage of structured CPD is that it defines learning goals and expected outcomes, making it easy for the learners to track their progress and demonstrate what they have achieved to themselves and others. Structured CPD is particularly relevant where professionals are bound to a regulated industry, such as healthcare or law, which requires them to regularly update their professional knowledge to maintain their licence or certification. Given the formal nature of the CPD process, the knowledge gained is more likely to be consistent with industry standards and best practices.
Unstructured CPD:
Explanation:
Unstructured CPD is more informal and self-directed learning that is not linked to a specific learning outcome or formally assessed. In unstructured CPD, individuals identify their own learning needs and are guided to choose suitable activities that support those needs, professional interests, and goals.
Examples:
Examples of unstructured CPD are reading professional journals or articles about a certain industry, listening to podcasts, watching webinars or being part of an informal networking group. Researching on the internet, engaging colleagues in discussions, or studying a specific area of interest yourself also fall under unstructured CPD. While not always leading to qualifications or certifications, such activities are important for professional development.
Benefits:
One of the great strengths of unstructured CPD is that it is completely flexible: it means that professionals can learn what they want when they want, and how they want, and this is something that many professionals can benefit from. In particular, unstructured CPD is valuable to professionals who prefer to learn informally and for those who have identified a topic they want to develop more expertise in but which may not be suitable for a formal course. Unstructured CPD can also make professionals more flexible and adaptable, able to learn when an opportunity arises, rather than waiting for a course or seminar to be advertised in the calendar.
Work-based CPD:
Explanation:
Work-based CPD is what you do to learn at work through the experience of actually doing your professional role (often described as ‘learning by doing’ or on-the-job training) rather than acquiring general skills and knowledge. This is learning that applies most directly to the work you are doing now and is often quite practical rather than theoretical.
Examples:
Illustrative examples of work-based CPD are learning new software or technology systems while at work, joining mentoring programmes, or completing job rotations whereby professionals develop new skills, attending in-house training programmes, shadowing colleagues in different departments, or assuming additional duties that cause an employee to stretch their professional skills.
Benefits:
The most obvious benefit of work-based CPD is that it can be connected to job performance and professional development. Professionals can apply their new skills and knowledge as they learn them, thus enhancing their effectiveness in their current role. Work-based CPD has the potential to foster collaboration among teams of professionals, who have the opportunity to share what they have learnt with colleagues. It also tends to be very practical and relevant, with quick and obvious benefits, such as performance improvements in the day-to-day working environment.
Academic CPD:
Explanation:
Academic CPD is a formal education or academic pursuit undertaken by an individual to enhance or improve their knowledge and expertise in a particular subject or area. It is usually associated with higher education courses or further research in a specific area.
Examples:
Academic CPD could include studying for a master’s or PhD, PhD or doing a research conference, or publishing academic papers. Professionals may also participate in postgraduate courses or academic seminars to learn more about complex subjects in their industry.
Benefits:
Academic CPD: deep, specialist knowledge, often leading to formal qualifications in the form of a master’s degree or doctorate, which can greatly enhance career prospects and contribute to the field of knowledge, helping to drive innovation and progress.
Industry-Specific CPD
Healthcare CPD:
Explanation:
CPD is important in healthcare. A healthcare professional should be familiar with new medical developments, treatments, and changes in healthcare protocols to offer the best treatment to patients. Taking CPD activities at regular intervals is necessary for maintaining a license and maintaining high standards of patient care.
Examples:
Health professionals might attend medical conferences to learn about new research and developments in the medical field. They may also undergo accredited training on a new healthcare procedure, for example, introducing new medical equipment or a new procedure.
Benefits:
CPD in healthcare keeps doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals updated about how to offer the best and safest patient care due to compliance standards and keeps them up to speed with the latest technologies so that patients benefit from the high-quality healthcare that is available today.
Education CPD:
Explanation:
CPD is very important for teachers and other educators to perfect their teaching skills and integrate new technologies and educational trends into their education. This is because educators need to keep on developing their skills to adapt to students’ different learning styles.
Examples:
Teachers could attend professional courses for teachers or seminars and workshops that introduce new teaching methods, classroom management, or digital education tools.
Benefits:
ECPD facilitates teaching effectiveness, keeps pace with pedagogical trends, and enables educators to engage students more effectively.
Law CPD:
Explanation:
Within the legal profession, CPD requires lawyers to keep up with legislative changes, new regulations, and court decisions. Lawyers must provide continued education to maintain their professional competence and continue to give appropriate legal advice to their clients.
Examples:
Attorneys can attend workshops on the latest regulations or review case law, focusing on the latest court decisions.
Benefits:
The law can require lawyers and solicitors to follow CPD regimes to ensure that they stay up to date with legal standards and are able to uphold client interests to the best of their abilities. It also enables them to keep abreast of relevant changes in particular areas of law, thereby facilitating their professional development.
Finance CPD:
Explanation:
CPD is important in finance so that professionals stay in touch with market movements, regulatory changes, and developments in financial technologies. This allows them to advise their clients and make the best strategic decisions in a continually changing sector.
Examples:
A financial professional might attend an industry conference, read courses about new rules governing the financial sector, or learn about new and emerging financial technologies such as blockchain or artificial intelligence finance.
Benefits:
CPD helps finance professionals navigate the challenging and fluid regulatory environment and market volatility, stay on top of their game, and effectively manage risks. It is also important for personal growth and overall career prospects in the long term.
How to Choose the Right CPD
Identify Professional Goals:
Getting the CPD right for you starts by choosing CPD activities that will help you meet your long-term career aims and objectives. It’s important to think about where you want to be in a couple of years in terms of skills and where you want to be in your role in your industry. Suppose you aspire to take on a leadership or managerial role, for example. In that case, you should focus on management training or leadership development courses or programmes. Alternatively, if you aim to specialise in a technical aspect of your role, you could seek highly focused CPD courses that will give you specialist knowledge in this area.
It enables you to develop a specific CPD plan that not only helps you to fill immediate skills gaps but also enables you to be ready for future roles you might aspire to. In this way, your CPD plan, activities, and monitoring will all be used to help you reach your career goals.
Evaluate Your Learning Style:
A key factor in choosing the right CPD is your learning style. Some professionals work best in a structured learning environment, where learning objectives are clearly defined and measurable. For such people, structured CPD (e.g., formal courses leading to a qualification, seminars or learning events, or accredited training) might be the best route. Structured CPD provides a framework through which learning objectives are defined and then measured.
Or if you favour more unstructured, self-directed learning, unstructured CPD might suit you better. This could involve reading journal articles or other materials related to your professional field, attending webinars at a time that fits your schedule, or conducting research into topics of your choice. Unstructured CPD gives you more freedom but requires you to be disciplined and proactive in your learning. Thinking about how you learn best can help ensure that the CPD you choose is enjoyable, effective and well-suited to you.
Industry Requirements:
Some sectors require CPD, so it is worth checking carefully before committing to certain CPD activities. In some professions, such as medicine, law and finance, CPD is compulsory and includes specific requirements. For example, to maintain a licence or certificate of registration, you might be required to complete a given number of CPD hours or take certain training types. If you don’t meet these requirements, you might be penalised or even lose your licence or certificate of registration altogether.
For example, medical professionals might need accredited training compliant with new health and safety regulations. Lawyers must keep up with the development of law and legislative changes to keep their practice credentials. In finance, understanding the latest regulatory changes is vital to providing proper advice to clients. Knowing your industry’s CPD requirements will help you choose courses or programmes that improve your skillset and ensure that your professional obligations are satisfied.
Balancing Formal and Informal CPD:
Structured CPD, therefore, offers the advantages of clear outcomes and formal accreditation. Still, it’s important to mix unstructured CPD into your professional learning plan. Having elements of both depth and flexibility in your professional development is beneficial. For example, if you want to take a formal course on a particular software program, look for an opportunity to combine this with some self-directed research into the latest trends or tools connected to that software.
The secret to impactful CPD is variety. It is important to balance your formal and informal activities because, on the one hand, you need to stay up-to-date with developments across a broad range of topics and, on the other hand, you need to develop depth of expertise in specific areas. A combination of structured and unstructured CPD is crucial to create a balanced development plan and to ensure you have all your bases covered.
CPD Accreditation and Certification
What is CPD Accreditation?
You can use the term CPD accreditation to refer to the process by which a body accredits a CPD programme or course to signify that it has met certain quality standards. An accredited CPD programme has been assessed in terms of its content, design, and suitability for professional development. Accreditation provides evidence that the learning outcomes are credible and that the programme is recognised.
Accredited CPD is important in all industries, particularly regulated industries where professional certifications are required by law. Accredited CPD guarantees that the training you have undertaken is relevant. Suppose you have worked to take part in that training. In that case, you can be confident that it will be recognised by your employer and by the industry regulator.
How CPD Accreditation Ensures Quality and Recognition:
This means that the CPD programme will tick boxes to show that it is ‘fit for purpose’ based on set criteria of industry standards and best practices. This is reassuring and ensures that the content will likely be timely and relevant – taught by those knowledgeable in the field. It also adds value to your CV or professional portfolio, indicating that you have completed a course that is ‘fit for purpose’ and that your industry requires it.
Accreditation bodies assess CPD courses according to criteria that include the track record and credentials of the teachers, the breadth and depth of the teaching, and fit with the current needs of the profession. When you choose an accredited CPD course, you know you are learning from a credible source and that the time and money you spend on the course will benefit your career.
How to Identify Accredited CPD Providers:
Check that your accredited CPD provider is accredited by an organisation respected within your industry. In some industries, a provider can have their CPD reviewed and accredited by an industry-recognised accreditation body. These organisations set the standards against which the CPD is judged and thereby endorse quality.
If you’re choosing a CPD provider, prefer one that provides you with CPD points or hours since you might need to demonstrate that you fulfil your CPD requirements set by the industry. Some professional bodies keep a database of accredited CPD providers, so you could check with your industry’s regulatory body.
Certifications and Proof of CPD:
Professional development certificates are invaluable for proving that you’ve completed your CPD activities. Many professionals are asked to provide evidence of their CPD when they re-register or renew their licence or certificate. Even if it’s not required in your industry, a CPD certificate is a great addition to your professional portfolio.
CPD certificates can, therefore, give employers tangible proof that you’ve undertaken activities for your professional development, enabling you to provide evidence of the skills you’ve accrued when applying for new roles or a promotion. Many employers see a CPD certificate as evidence that you are invested in your continuing development, which can set you apart from other applicants.
The Role of CPD in Career Advancement
CPD as a Tool for Promotion:
CPD is also a fantastic way to enhance your career, it gives you the knowledge and skills to do more challenging or senior roles. If you can show employers that you are doing CPD, it indicates that you are already thinking about these aspects of your job and looking to do more. As you learn new things, you will acquire skills that mean you can do more, making you a good candidate for a promotion or leadership role.
In some sectors, CPD is required for promotion. It’s common in highly regulated sectors such as healthcare and finance, where advanced CPD qualifications might be necessary for moving up to senior positions. Suppose you can demonstrate that you keep on the cutting edge of your field through CPD. In that case, you’ll become more and more valuable to your organisation and thus increase your chances of promotion.
CPD and Personal Branding:
CPD isn’t just about developing your skills. It also helps to develop your professional reputation. By showing a willingness and intent to engage in CPD, you develop a personal brand – a reputation for being committed to lifelong learning and professional development, which can make you stand out and be noticed. It’s well worth incorporating your CPD activity on your CV, LinkedIn profile, or professional portfolio.
Effective CPD, which means creating a personal brand that helps you stand out, can also lead to other opportunities. You might start meeting the right people at CPD events. You might get noticed and recognised by your peers in the profession. You might start being seen as a candidate for leadership roles. You’ll also start to look more attractive to employers as a candidate for senior roles because employers want to know that you’re a person who’s going to keep learning and staying current in your profession.
CPD for Leadership Roles:
It is especially beneficial for professionals who want to progress into leadership roles. Transitioning from an individual contributor role into a leadership position involves mastery of skills beyond technical expertise. You’ll need to hone management, communication and strategic-thinking skills to succeed in a senior position. Leadership development, project management or team-dynamic CPD programmes can help you prepare for senior-level challenges.
CPD can also help develop the less obvious skills leaders need, sometimes called ‘soft skills’. These skills are often not taught at university, even though they are important for effectively managing others. Taking part in CPD that focuses on leadership will signal to your employer that you are serious about progressing to a management role and have shown you are ready to meet the challenges of leadership.
Long-term Impact of CPD:
The benefits of CPD aren’t just limited to helping you up the career ladder. Staying involved in CPD over time can be a cumulative process, building up a ‘bank’ of skills, knowledge and connections that will become increasingly important to the level of responsibility you can take on in your role, the level of contact you can have with others, and the freedom to want to learn and understand more.
In the long term, also puts you in a better position regarding the relevant industry changes, technological upgrades, and career advancement opportunities that constantly arise. CPD isn’t just about helping you identify the next step in your career—it can also help you future-proof your career, keeping you relevant and on your toes in an ever-changing world.
Conclusion
CPD is very important for a person’s personal goals as well as for all companies for the simple fact that without it, you would not be able to progress, improve your skills, and stay up to date with your line of work. CPD needs to be taken into account to keep up with industry standards and find new opportunities for learning and improvement.
Armed with this information, you can begin to make career decisions that will help you to take command of your career by identifying the CPD you need to progress. You can find the CPD you need on our CPD course page.