CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development.
It is the development of your professional talents, understanding and experience. These skills can be gained formally or informally; either through work, extra-curricular accomplishments, or direct experience, and should be documented to give a comprehensive portfolio that can encompass all of your skills.
Most frequently, the term is used to describe a physical portfolio which tracks your professional development within a career such as the legal field.
What is CPD?
CPD is designed to help you manage your own professional development. It will help you record, evaluate, and reflect upon your learning and expertise.
CPD is not a check list that offers a quick appraisal of your skill base – although, it can certainly do this – instead, it is a portfolio that tracks your development, including informal skills, that highlight the tools, skill sets, capabilities and competency that you have acquired.
It will track your professional development through a broad base of skills, giving insight into your abilities and talents.
A CPD must:
• be a documented process
• be self-directed: driven by you, not your employer
• focus on learning from experience, reflective learning and review
• help you set development goals and objectives
• include both formal and informal learning.
How can it work for you?
As already suggested, CPD can assist you in building a portfolio that displays your skills and experience, but it can also be required by professional bodies for membership, or, it might be obligatory in some workplaces. For example, in the UAE legal consultants must take CPLD by law.
It can work for you by:
• directing your career, helps you to focus on your goals
• reminds you of your achievements and how far you’ve progressed
• highlights further development needed
• provides examples and scenarios for a CV or interview
• provides an overview of your professional development
• demonstrates your professional standing to clients/employers
• helps with your career development or career change.
To get started on your CPD it is worth keeping a journal to record notes and insights. Begin filling in the skills and experience you already have, paying attention to both formal training and informal learning such as, networking, reading, assisting, organising, and experiences that can be linked to your work.
Once this is done you can add to it as you gain new experiences or skills, keeping track of outcomes of each new experience will ensure you can monitor the progress you make.
Ask yourself where you see yourself in one, two, five or ten years (in terms of skill base and development) and monitor your progress towards your goals through your CPD
Reviewing your CPD at set intervals will ensure you remain on target to achieve your goals.
