What is CPD?

Continuing professional development (CPD) is the intentional maintenance and development of the knowledge and skills needed to perform in a professional context. This could mean honing current skills, it could mean developing them to a new level, or it could mean learning new ones that will allow an employee’s job role to expand or prepare them for potential promotion.

CPD requirements are present in most professions. Most companies and organisations now prioritise them because they ensure a constantly developing workforce.

This means there are millions of professionals across the UK who are required to undertake CPD training every year.

Structured CPD gives employees a clear path to success within their current role and progression to future ones. Employees in regulated industries (e.g. finance, law, medicine and construction) can lose their license to practice if they do not maintain their CPD.

CPD activities can range from formal educational activities such as instructor-led courses, workshops or seminars, to more informal approaches such as reading, work-based learning or mentoring. CPD can also include self-directed study such as e-learning courses and structured reading.

CPD can be provided by specialist companies (e.g. commercial training providers, independent coaches), or provided internally, in particular by larger organisations.

We can help you provide CPD training

At the CPD Standards Office, we are able to review any provider’s CPD activities and processes, no matter how large or small. We can then support you in gaining CPD accreditation whether you are a specialist training provider, an employer or a small business owner with a niche training programme.

CPD Learning Types

Continuous professional development can be broadly split into three types:

Informal Learning

This is the kind of learning that happens naturally as you go about your work. It includes on-the-job training, mentoring and coaching from colleagues, as well as attending conferences and networking.

Formal Learning

This is learning that takes place in a more structured environment, such as attending face-to-face courses, online learning workshops or lectures.

Non-formal Learning

This is learning that doesn’t fit neatly into either the informal or formal category, but still contributes to your own learning. It can include reflective learning, such as reading industry publications or participating in online discussion forums.

What’s the difference between training and development?

Training is a programme that helps employees learn specific skills to improve their performance in their current role. Development, on the other hand, helps employees prepare for future roles within the company.

One way to think of the difference is that training is about improving employees’ current skills, while development is about expanding their future skills.

What is a CPD plan?

A CPD plan is a tool that helps you to focus on your professional development goals, your own personal skills and track your progress. The process of setting up a CPD plan involves reflecting on your current skills and knowledge, identifying areas where you need to develop further, and setting goals for your professional development plan.

A CPD plan can be a useful way to structure your continuing professional development (CPD) activities, and can also help you to reflect on your learning and identify how the CPD undertaken has helped you to develop professionally.

Why create a CPD plan?

There are many benefits to creating a CPD plan, including:

Helping you to focus on your professional development goals

Keeping you motivated to undertake CPD activities

Holding you accountable for your professional development

Making it easier to track your progress

Helping you to identify your learning needs

Providing a structure for your CPD activities

What are CPD points?

CPD points are a measure of your educational activities and can be used to maintain professional registration. They can also be used as evidence of your commitment to continued professional development.

The points are usually awarded for attending training courses, conferences and other events, or for completing self-directed learning activities. The number of points you can earn for each activity varies, and is set by the training provider or relevant professional body.

Who needs CPD?

Across the UK workforce, CPD is expected of most individual professionals in most sectors. It is generally governed by sector-specific professional organisations or regulators. Employers also increasingly expect their staff to undertake CPD, and may even measure them on it.

Anyone who is a member of a professional body is likely to have CPD requirements laid out for them by the body, rather than by their employer. There are currently over 2,000 professional bodies, institutes and membership associations nationally in the UK. They represent all industries and professions, and all have CPD policies also known as CPD schemes.

Anyone who works within a sector that is formally regulated (e.g. by the Solicitors Regulation Authority or the General Medical Council), is likely to be required to track and progress their CPD in order to maintain their license to practice or professional qualifications. Regulatory bodies are established to ensure that the public receives services of the required standard, so CPD is taken very seriously.

Employers will often support with CPD, and may even contribute to CPD plans. However, the onus is very much with the individual to source CPD training activities that meet their personal learning needs and objectives.

For training and learning providers, this offers a great opportunity to help individuals enhance their careers. By having a formal CPD accreditation, your training activities will have a much stronger appeal.