CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development and is the term used to describe the learning activities professionals engage in to develop and enhance their abilities. CPD is a holistic approach towards the enhancement of personal skills and proficiency throughout a professional’s career. At its core, Continuing Professional Development is about the individual and their commitment to ongoing lifelong learning. It encourages looking forward and identifying opportunities to learn something new, refresh existing knowledge, improve skills, or simply keep up-to-date with the latest developments within a particular profession or industry. In practice, it could mean everything from taking a training course or attending an educational event, to studying for new qualifications or learning new aspects of a job.
Increasing knowledge, skills and experience
CPD enables learning to become conscious and proactive, rather than passive and reactive. It involves an individual documenting and keeping a record of the increasing skills, knowledge and experience they gain throughout their career. CPD combines different methodologies to learning, which includes training courses, seminars, workshops, conferences and events, webinars and online eLearning programs, as well as sharing best practice techniques, thoughts and ideas, all focused towards an individual methodically improving within the work environment.
Continually 'up skill' or 're-skill' in the workplace
Engaging in CPD activities ensures that both academic and practical qualifications do not become outdated or obsolete, and allows for individuals to continually ‘up skill’ or ‘re-skill’ themselves regardless of their occupation, age or educational level. Continuing Professional Development is an ongoing process of frequently improving skills and competencies to enhance workplace performance and future career prospects.
Background of CPD and its purpose
The concept of Continuing Professional Development can broadly trace its roots to the decades following World War II, when institutional bodies identified a need for more structured further learning post formal qualification. Up until this point it had largely been assumed that qualified professionals would identify and initiate their knowledge enhancements on a casual or voluntary basis. However, in an increasingly litigious and technologically advancing world, the need became apparent for a more disciplined approach to ongoing learning and development.
By the 1980s Continuing Professional Development had begun to establish within leading UK professional bodies. Industry sectors such as healthcare and medical, construction, architecture, engineering, and law took the decisions to implement organisational CPD policies and helped to build the foundations and frameworks of a proactive learning culture within each profession. Highly skilled individuals such as doctors, surgeons, dentists, architects, engineers, barristers and solicitors led the way to include CPD as a practical and methodical approach to enhance their work-related skills and learning.
International terminology for professional further learning
Continuing Professional Development has continued to grow from this strong starting position and is increasingly becoming known as the international terminology for professional further learning. The CPD Certification Service is a key driving force in the promotion of Continuing Professional Development across the world, with CPD members in over 100 countries and growing. Continuing Professional Development is a powerful learning tool that professionals from across all industries can apply to their lives to remain focused on improving skills, ensuring academic qualifications do not become outdated, and take an empowering approach to career progression.