What are the top 10 benefits of CPD

The benefits of CPD impact on professionals, organisations and the community as a whole.

CPD covers the whole spectrum of independent learning. It is much more than just formal training. By utilising CPD you are maintaining and developing skills which enables you to perform as effectively as possible. It is a business essential, as it means that individuals are improving and therefore the company has knowledge and expertise to outperform competitors.

But what is CPD? Why is it a necessary essential? And what are the top 10 benefits of CPD? This blog post explains.

What is CPD?

Continuing Professional Development is the term used to describe learning activities that professionals engage in to develop and enhance their abilities. CPD can take the form of in house training, as well as training which takes place outside the organisation.

Many people tend to focus on formal training, but CPD encompasses any form of activities from which you learn and develop. This can therefore include e-learning, case discussions and reading, but can also be as simple as sharing knowledge and challenges with colleagues. According to the Health & Professions Council:

CPD is important because you continue to learn and develop, keeping skills and knowledge up to date so you are able to practice safely and effectively throughout your career.

What are the top 10 benefits of CPD?

1.To keep pace with the standards of others in the same field

Self-improvement of individual professionals can improve due to a wide range of factors, but not everyone within the profession will improve at the same rate. By investing in CPD, professionals can ensure they keep pace with others in the same profession, who are also undertaking CPD. Members of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) are required to obtain at least 40 units of CPD per calendar year, divided into 21 verifiable and 19 non-verifiable units.

2. Maintaining and enhancing knowledge and skills to deliver a professional service Through investing in CPD, you can ensure your skills and knowledge will be in the best position to deliver a professional service. This has benefits to your customers, clients and the rest of the community. The Association for Project Management (APM) required chartered members to undertake a minimum of 35 hours of CPD per year and record their development in an individual CPD log. 3. You stay up to date with changing trends

With CPD, knowledge can stay relevant and up to date. Trends are changing all the time, and current knowledge and skills will become outdated if you are not able to keep up with the pace of change. The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) requires Chartered Marketers to have documented evidence of at least 35 hours of CPD per year.

4. You become more effective in the workplace Through the increased knowledge created by CPD, you can become more effective in the workplace. This helps increase the chance of career progression, where you can lead, manage and mentor others. The Institute of Sales and Marketing Management recommends at least 20 hours of CPD are undertaken by all members every year.

5. You stay interested in your profession With CPD, you can stay interested and engaged with your profession. Trough focused CPD, you can be open to new knowledge and new skill areas. The more interested you are, the more focused you are and the more efficient you can be. The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) expects all members to keep records of CPD and samples of these are inspected. If a member cannot demonstrate that they undertake CPD, then they may have their chartered status removed.

6. You have increased understanding of the implications of your work CPD can help you increase knowledge of the benefits or implications of what you do, which can lead to increased engagement in your work. The Institute for Administrative Management (IAM) has grades and ranks directly linked to participation in CPD.

7. You can help advance the body of knowledge and technology within your profession

By investing in CPD, you can stay at speed with knowledge and technology used within the profession, and even help to enhance it further. The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) states members should participate in a minimum of 20 hours of CPD per year. Five hours of this should be formal learning.

8. It gives you access to experts in the fields

Through investing in self-developments, you can build knowledge through opportunities to speak with experts in the profession. The Institute of Directors (IoD) expects Chartered Directors to undertake 30 hours of CPD per year and log evidence of this online.

9. Potential to increase public confidence in a professional or group of professionals

Another one of the benefits of CPD is that the increased abilities of professionals can help to improve confidence. This can be both internally within an organisation, to a group of professionals or to the wider public. CPD requirements apply to all 684,000 registered nurses and midwives on the NMC register. Each person must complete 35 hours of professional development every three years to be eligible for revalidation.

10. Outside impact of CPD

CPD can improve quality of life, as well as outside factors such as the environment, sustainability and the economy – it is far wider than just benefitting an individual. You can read about the expectations of CPD in teaching here.