Why Continuing Professional Development is important

The Grove aims to make CPD a pleasure rather than a chore.

If you’re a professional then you’ve probably already come across CPD – Continuing Professional Development. This is learning that is designed to help improve skills and abilities, ensure that you’re up to date with the latest trends in your field and help keep you focused and dedicated to what you do. CPD learning covers a very broad spectrum of different options, from conferences to courses, and is an ongoing process even after you’ve obtained formal qualifications. It is intended to make learning proactive and conscious, rather than reactive and passive and is an important part of the way you – and your clients – experience what you do.

The importance of CPD

CPD can fulfill different functions for different people, whether that is filling a knowledge gap or providing a competitive edge in a job interview. It enables you to build on your existing bank of knowledge and understanding and acquire new skills and insights that you can use to enhance the way that you work. Crucially, a robust approach to CPD gives anyone the power to take control of the career path that they’re on. It can make you feel more confident in the work that you’re doing and have a positive impact on performance too. When you’re invested in CPD you’re also continuously upskilling so that the qualifications and experience you’ve acquired so far remain relevant and up to date.

The different types of CPD learning

• Structured. This tends to be interactive and designed around taking part in a learning experience, such as attending seminars, conferences, workshops or e-learning courses.
• Reflective. This element of CPD requires no interaction and is self-directed. It could include reviewing articles and case studies, industry updates and podcasts that are relevant to what you do.
• Unstructured. This is all the unsupervised CPD activities, whether that is peer-reviewed books and case studies or keeping up with certain news feeds.

Why does CPD matter?

CPD is important for both individuals and organisations. It has the potential to be transformative for both.

• Individuals benefit in many ways from CPD. Key among these is the ability to ensure that skill sets are constantly being updated and are relevant to current best practice and industry standards. This can help individuals to feel more confident in their own abilities, to adapt quickly and easily to changes in job demands or in the workplace and to feel more in control of where they’re going next. It can also refresh interest in a particular area of expertise and offer opportunities for growth.
• Organisations find that CPD promotes a positive, healthy learning culture. A workforce where CPD is being prioritised is not just more productive but also happier and more engaged too. CPD can also play a role in helping to improve staff retention rates and increase positive relationships between employees.

CPD is much more than just ticking the boxes on professional body requirements. It’s a process of developing confidence and self-belief, staying up to date with the latest trends and ensuring that your skillset and the needs of those you’re looking to support are always well aligned. The Grove Practice is a leading provider of quality Organisational Development Courses.