A career in Higher Education (HE) professional services can feel like a niche that can be difficult to describe to others. If you have been working in this area for a while, you might feel you are already highly skilled and that there isn’t really anything left to learn about the job you know so well.
On top of that, there might be environmental or personal reasons why you might feel CPD is not for you, or perhaps it’s just bad timing.
However, even if you feel there is nothing more you want or need to learn to do your job, lifelong learning for personal development can still have its benefits, not least to help refresh your skills and keep you motivated.
This article highlights some of the reasons why Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is worthwhile and offers some suggestions for how to get started with your learning journey.
What is CPD?
As a brief recap for those unfamiliar with CPD, ‘it refers to the process of tracking and documenting skills, knowledge and experience that you gain both formally and informally as you work’. To actively participate in a CPD cycle, it is essential to set yourself targets and keep track of the activities in which you participate. There are typically three types of CPD:
- Structured (Active Learning)
- Reflective (Passive Learning)
- Informal (Self-Directed Learning)
A blended approach to these is recommended, with activities of all three types being undertaken.
Where to start?
Some line managers might actively encourage CPD, building target setting and reflection into annual reviews, which can make it easier for individuals to participate in CPD activities.
Also, many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) offer good training and development opportunities for their staff, and this makes some of the formal CPD activities more readily available, often without additional cost for your employer.
Another benefit of doing formal activities is that they generally come with certificates of attendance or completion, which can make it easier to track your activities and evidence your personal development.
It might be easy to forget that informal activities, such as attending conferences and events, webinars, work shadowing, reading articles, and watching training videos, can still count towards CPD, and for this reason, having a plan can help you to focus and motivate you to continue.
Although it can be harder to monitor informal activities, they are still worthwhile and can give unexpected benefits, such as networking and making connections with like-minded colleagues in a more relaxed environment. You never know where connections will lead, perhaps to future job opportunities or the opportunity to collaborate.
Job Satisfaction
If you’ve been in a role for a long time and feel you know everything required to do the job well, learning new skills can help you see your role in a new light, take new approaches, improve working practices, and ultimately give you better job satisfaction.
This could be good news for employers, as it could mean better team morale and that individuals might stay in their roles longer. In some cases, employees on long-term courses being paid for by their employer are required to stay in their roles for the duration of the course and for a period of time after completing their course.
Keep Skills up to Date
In a competitive job market, it is essential to keep your skills up to date, and CPD is one of the ways you can do this. Being able to demonstrate CPD as part of your personal development can go a long way to showing potential employers you are willing to learn – a skill that is especially important given the fast-moving pace of technology. The use of AI in recruitment, for example, is changing our ways of working and increasing the number of job applications received and assessed.
Self-promotion is another factor in a competitive job market, and some CPD activities can be listed on your CV or added to your LinkedIn profile, demonstrating to potential employers your commitment to learning and development.
Maintain Professional Registrations
Some professions, such as healthcare, education and law, require workers to demonstrate continued competence in their field through participation in CPD activities, with some specifying a set number of hours to be undertaken and a specified way of recording the activities.
Record keeping in order to demonstrate participation in compulsory CPD activities can be essential for providing evidence to keep a professional registration up-to-date and active.
Guidance on how to do this is often provided by employers or professional bodies, ensuring those individuals required to do this are well supported.
Personal Development
If you are able to get started on your CPD journey, you might be well on your way to feeling a sense of personal achievement, expanding knowledge and gaining new skills.
CPD can help you stay relevant and up to date in a competitive job market, making you more employable when the time comes for you to find a new role.
Bringing your best self to work benefits you, your employer and your customers and this is why CPD is so valuable in supporting lifelong learning and helping you stay motivated.
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