Undertaking CPD is not just about going on a course; being open to trying new ways of learning is an important skill to develop. Last time in the A-Z of CPD series we looked at a range of different activities from ‘mentoring’ to ‘OpenLearn’. This week we help you consider alternative activities that you can do as part of your own continuous professional development, starting at the letter ‘P’.    

 

 

Taken from CPD for the Career Development Professional by Siobhan Neary and Claire Johnson.

P

PEER REVIEW 

What this is:

Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people of similar competence to the producers of the work. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards of quality, improve performance and provide credibility. In the academic world, scholarly peer review is often used to determine an academic paper’s suitability for publication.

How can this be used as CPD:

Having peers provide feedback on your work can help you to see where its strengths lie and where there is a need for further development. Being the person who provides the feedback can help you to learn from others’ work and, in turn, inform your own development.

PEST ANALYSIS

What this is:

PEST analysis is a tool that helps you analyse the Political, Economic, Social and Technological changes in your environment. This helps you understand the ‘big picture’ forces of change that you are exposed to, and, from this, take advantage of the opportunities that they present. You can also add to this Legal and Environment changes: PESTLE.

How this can be used as CPD:

Doing this can help you to see what PEST changes you need to update yourself on, add this to your CPD plan and determine what you need to do in order to take advantage of the changes. For example, changes in legislation and how this may affect your role; changes in government policy; use of a new form of technology, etc.

Useful examples/websites:

PODCASTS

What this is:

A podcast is a downloadable audio file made available through the internet.

How this can be used as CPD:

Some organisations will record seminars and sessions and make them available on their websites. This is useful if you are not able to attend a seminar or lecture. There are also lots of university careers services that have downloadable podcasts focusing on occupational information topics. Some open learning materials will also use podcasts to share learning. The Careers Leader Podcast is an exciting new podcast supporting careers leaders to achieve their aim of improving the quality of careers provision within their school or college. You can sign up to the Careers Leader Podcast via the link below.

Useful examples/websites:

 

PROFESSIONAL DISCUSSION

What this is:

This is usually used as an assessment method in vocational qualifications, whereby the candidate has a structured conversation with their assessor as a means for the candidate to demonstrate the learning outcomes through exploration, discussion and probing of practice and underpinning knowledge and principles.

How this can be used as CPD:

For CPD purposes the same process can be used. You could ask a colleague to ask you what you know about certain knowledge/understanding criteria from the National Occupational Standards: Career Development. They could ask you questions and challenge your thinking. You could then reverse the process. Mutual learning and sharing of knowledge will be a benefit of this process, as well as determining any areas for further development.

 

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP

What this is:

Being a member of a professional body can help you to acquire, develop and maintain your professional status and to promote the career development sector as a profession.

How this can be used as CPD:

Professional body membership usually allows you access to CPD resources, newsletters, journals, magazines, website information, a means of recording your CPD, networking opportunities, conferences, events, webinars, etc.

Useful examples/websites:

 

PROGRESSION PATHWAY

What this is:

The CDI Career Development Sector Progression Pathway acknowledges the wide range of roles performed across the profession from first contact through to support roles, practitioner, specialist practitioner, manager, senior manager and specialist roles in lecturing, consultancy, inspecting and research and the ways in which a person can progress their career. It shows the interrelationship between the different branches of the profession: career education, career guidance/development and career coaching/talent management and the career mobility that is possible between them. Based on the National Occupational Standards: Career Development, it shows what skills and knowledge are needed for each role and the relevant qualifications.

How this can be used as CPD:

If you want to move from one level of role to another you can use this to see what is involved and what qualifications you will need. You can also see how your existing skills and knowledge relate to your preferred role and how you can use informal CPD as well as formal qualifications to develop these.

Useful examples/websites:

 

PROJECT WORK

What this is:

Undertaking a piece of work or activity with a particular aim in a specified period of time.

How this can be used as CPD:

Undertaking a project can help you to develop new skills and knowledge. It often involves researching what has been done before, planning the project, delivery, evaluation and dissemination of results. Building time in to the work in order to reflect on what you did and why, and if you would do the same thing again or differently can be a really useful source of CPD.

PUBLICATIONS

What this is:

Any written material on a particular topic that has been published; this can be books, papers, reports, PhD theses, journals, magazines, newspapers, etc.

How this can be used as CPD:

Reading publications can be a useful means of updating your knowledge of the sector, of theories, new practices, etc. Writing a book or for a journal or magazine is a great source of CPD as it demands research skills as well as the ability to crystallise your thoughts so that they can be understood by your audience.

Useful examples/websites:

Q

QUALITY ASSURANCE

What this is:

In developing products and services, quality assurance is the systematic process of checking to see whether a product or service being developed is meeting specified requirements.

How this can be used as CPD:

Undertaking a quality assurance process involves learning about what should be done and then comparing actual practice or process to this. This can help you to improve your own knowledge about a particular process or product as well as developing your skills of giving constructive feedback.

Having your own practice or products quality assured is a useful means of finding out how this meets the quality criteria and what areas require development.

 

QUESTIONING COLLEAGUES

How this can be used as CPD:

Colleagues are a very accessible source of knowledge and information. Do not limit yourself to just asking questions of those people with more experience than you. Asking more recently qualified colleagues their views can also be an excellent source of information, especially about new developments. Remember, too, that other colleagues in non-professional roles will also have interesting knowledge to share with you.

Useful examples/websites: