Continuing professional development (CPD) involves maintaining and enhancing the knowledge, skills and experience related to your professional activities following completion of your formal training. Just as importantly, it involves the development of those personal qualities that are required for carrying out professional and technical duties during a professional’s life. Both technical and non-technical skills need to be developed.
Continuing professional development should be a lifelong, systematic and planned process to maintain and develop professional competence, creativity and innovation. The outcome has value for both the individual and their profession.
Any learning activity which maintains, develops or increases knowledge, technical skills, problem-solving or professional performance standards can be included in the continuing professional development toolbox.
Continuing professional development helps to ensure that your skills and knowledge are up to date. Undertaking high quality CPD is particularly important in today’s fast moving technological world as the pace of change can soon make previous learning out-of-date.