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Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in Further Education

CPD in Further Education

What does Continuing Professional Development (CPD) mean in Further Education, and how can it improve your practice? In this article, Hollie Barnes-Lomax explains what counts as CPD, what makes it effective.

(CPD) in Further Education

Further Education (FE) includes colleges, independent training providers and adult and community learning. It also includes sixth-form provision, offender learning, workplace learning and apprenticeship training. Practitioners teach academic, vocational and technical programmes to learners and apprentices with varied starting points.

What is CPD?

Continuing Professional Development is the purposeful learning educators undertake throughout their careers. It develops the knowledge, skills and professional behaviours that teachers, trainers and assessors need.

CPD extends beyond attending a course or gaining a certificate. It may include coaching, peer observation, professional discussion, research engagement or industry updating. The Education Policy Institute also identifies mentoring, seminars and peer review as forms of professional development (Zuccollo and Fletcher-Wood, 2020).

Effective CPD should lead to more informed professional decisions and improvements in practice. Therefore, what happens after an activity is as important as the activity itself.

Why is CPD important in Further Education?

CPD in FE often develops two connected areas of expertise:

  • Pedagogical expertise: how to plan, explain, question, assess, adapt and create inclusive learning.
  • Subject or industry expertise: current knowledge, standards, technologies and working practices within a vocational or academic field.

What is dual professionalism in Further Education?

Dual professionalism means maintaining occupational expertise alongside strong pedagogical knowledge and skills (Department for Education, 2026). For example, a construction lecturer may remain current with industry regulations while improving how they model practical processes. An apprenticeship trainer may update their occupational knowledge while finding better ways to involve employers in progress reviews.

CPD may focus on planning, questioning, assessment, feedback, adaptive teaching or classroom management. It may also address safeguarding, SEND and inclusion, English and maths, digital and AI literacy, sustainability, wellbeing, leadership or curriculum design.

Employers are likely to provide CPD linked to statutory responsibilities and organisational priorities. However, valuable CPD should also respond to genuine needs within your own practice, subject or setting.

What makes CPD effective?

The Education Endowment Foundation identifies four connected purposes of effective professional development:

  • building knowledge;
  • motivating practitioners;
  • developing teaching techniques; and
  • embedding practice (Education Endowment Foundation, 2021).

A workshop may introduce an idea. However, modelling, rehearsal, feedback, action planning and follow-up are more likely to create sustained change.

The EEF’s KEEP framework applies this evidence to 16–19 settings. It focuses on Knowledge, Engagement, Execution and Practice (Education Endowment Foundation, 2025).

These principles help practitioners understand an approach, recognise its value and develop the techniques required. They also provide opportunities to apply new learning in practice. Although much professional-development research comes from schools, practitioners can apply these principles thoughtfully across FE. This includes apprenticeships, adult learning and vocational education.

Effective CPD can improve teaching, strengthen inclusive practice and maintain vocational currency. It can also support progression into specialist, coaching or leadership roles.

What activities count as CPD for teachers?

CPD for teachers can be formal, informal, collaborative or practice-based.

Activities may include:

  • courses, qualifications, webinars and conferences;
  • coaching, mentoring, peer observation and professional discussion;
  • industry updating, work shadowing or employer engagement;
  • reading research, professional guidance or subject publications;
  • collaborative planning and assessment standardisation;
  • practitioner enquiry, action research or learner-feedback evaluation; and
  • professional networks, teach-meets and practice sharing.

Consider whether an activity has extended your knowledge, challenged your thinking or improved what you do. This helps distinguish purposeful development from routine activity.

How many hours of CPD do FE teachers need to complete?

England has no universal statutory system of CPD points or minimum hours for FE teachers. The government revoked the previous requirement for full-time FE teachers to complete at least 30 hours annually in 2012 (UK Government, 2012).

However, employers, professional bodies and regulated occupations may set their own requirements. Employers may also allocate development days through contracts, appraisal processes or staff-development programmes.

Requirements are particularly relevant in vocational fields such as hair and beauty, construction, engineering and healthcare. Practitioners in these areas must remain current with industry standards, equipment and health and safety requirements.

Always check the expectations that apply to your role, employer and professional memberships.

How should you record and reflect on CPD?

Use a digital portfolio, employer template, professional journal or simple document to record your CPD. For each activity, note:

  • the need or goal that prompted it;
  • what you did and learned;
  • how you applied or plan to apply it;
  • evidence of changes for you, learners, apprentices or colleagues; and
  • your next step.

A strong CPD record explains the difference the learning made. It does more than list the activities you attended.

The Education and Training Foundation’s Professional Standards can help you reflect on your strengths. They can also help you identify meaningful development priorities (Education and Training Foundation, 2022).

Where can I find/access CPD in Further Education?

Begin with trusted sector organisations when searching for free CPD courses. The Education and Training Foundation provides FE-focused courses, resources, Professional Standards and self-assessment tools. Some opportunities are free or publicly funded, while others are paid (Education and Training Foundation, n.d.).

You may also find free CPD through:

  • awarding organisations and professional bodies;
  • employers and industry partners;
  • subject associations;
  • regional and national networks; and
  • communities of practice.

AmplifyFE’s FE Diary of Events also brings together development opportunities from across the sector (AmplifyFE, n.d.).

Final thoughts

Certificates, hours and CPD points provide valuable evidence of professional development. Their value grows when practitioners apply their learning, build professional confidence and improve experiences for learners and apprentices.

 

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Written by Hollie Barnes-Lomax

Hollie Barnes-Lomax is a Teaching and Learning Excellence Manager and experienced Further Education practitioner, specialising in teaching, learning, professional development and quality improvement. She has extensive experience as an English lecturer, teacher educator, examiner, curriculum writer and external CPD facilitator, working with practitioners, leaders and organisations across the FE and skills sector. Hollie holds a BA (Hons) and MA in English language and linguistics, Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status. She is committed to evidence-informed practice and to creating professional development that leads to meaningful improvements for practitioners, learners and apprentices.

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