A guide to CPD

What is CPD?

CPD is, simply, learning, by whatever means that helps you fulfil your present or future roles more effectively, to maintain a sufficiently high standard of professional competence, and to remain employable in an ever competitive job market.

Professional chemists, therefore, have a personal responsibility for the development and maintenance of their knowledge and skills to ensure competence throughout their careers: this can be achieved through a scheme of Continuing Professional Development.

A CPD scheme:

• provides a framework for identifying and planning the acquisition of further skills
• is a means of planning career changes
• is a means by which an individual can take responsibility for their lifelong learning and career advancement
• is a vehicle for ensuring that the professional standards demanded by professional bodies are maintained
• provides a means of demonstrating to others that an individual is taking appropriate steps to maintain their level of competence.

Since individuals have different career paths and specialisms, it is not possible to be too specific with respect to the exact nature and amount of professional development activities to be completed: the demands of an individual's job and the extent of their personal ambition will determine what and how much should be done. Remember that it's quality not quantity that counts!

Benefits of CPD

The benefits of CPD are indisputable. Today's employment market is changing rapidly, moving towards a more flexible labour market where short-term contracts are becoming commonplace - an individual's employability is immediately improved by CPD, which reflects adaptability and flexibility, and thus guards against redundancy.

Individuals also benefit from the actual process of planning their CPD, as it provides them with an opportunity to take stock of their present career situation and assess the skills they currently possess and those they require to fulfil their career potential.

Planning a CPD Programme

There are 6 key steps to planning a personal CPD programme:

• Decide what do you need to learn?
  This should involve an 'audit' of current skills, knowledge and experience and take into account factors such as career intentions (both short and long term), employer's business intentions, guidelines and requirements of relevant professional institutions. 
• Decide how are you going to learn?
  This will involve an assessment of the range of learning opportunities available.
• Go and learn.
• Assess whether you have actually learnt/developed any new skills
• Record your achievements, including those which may have been unexpected
• Re-assess your learning requirements regularly and take appropriate action.

Methods of CPD

CPD can be achieved both formally and informally. 

• Formal Methods 
  o On-the-job training 
  o Courses (technical or business-related) 
  o Attending conferences 
  o Writing papers and giving presentations 
• Informal Methods 
  o Private reading, including current publications 
  o Networking with other professionals outside work (e.g. through committees) 
  o Mentoring/tutoring others 
  o Community activities  

You will need to be able to provide evidence of your CPD achievements, be they formal or informal, so it will be necessary to compile a personal portfolio. This portfolio may simply be in the form of a ring-binder containing your personal CPD plan, certificates for any qualifications you have gained, examples of work, project/course descriptions etc: alternatively, your own professional body may produce CPD record books for the use of members undertaking a CPD programme.

CPD support from the Royal Society of Chemistry

The RSC provides a vast range of careers support for members. This includes publications, networking opportunities and a confidential specialist careers service as well as training and events.