Undertaking Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a pivotal driver for enhancing employability, particularly among young professionals. It empowers learners to refine their skills, enhance their knowledge, stay pertinent in the job market and become work-ready. To maximise the benefits of CPD, learners should formulate a plan. This involves identifying knowledge gaps, analysing relevant activities or courses, and evaluating their professional development through the CPD Cycle.
In order to have a clear understanding of the CPD Cycle, let’s explore its stages mentioned below:
7 Stages of the CPD Cycle
1. Identify
To begin the CPD Cycle, it is crucial to identify your knowledge gaps, strengths, and weaknesses. CPD is not just about the quantity of learning; it is more about the quality of what you learn and how you can apply that knowledge in the long run. To pinpoint your goals and interests, guiding you towards areas of improvement and career objectives, you may ask yourself:
- What lack of knowledge has led you to face such circumstances?
- What steps must you take to move up and excel in your professional career? Or
- What improvements do you need to achieve the desired results?
Asking these questions will assist you in navigating areas of improvement and career goals, allowing you to move forward with sharp focus and clarity.
2. Plan
Once you identify what areas and skills need adjustments and improvements, the next step of the CPD Cycle is to plan. In this step, set SMART achievable goals and objectives, considering different perspectives and angles to achieve these goals within a flexible timeframe.
Ensure your goals are amendable, allowing for adjustments while staying focused on your interests and preferences. Moreover, figure out what opportunities best match your preferences.
These development activities may be formal – training courses provided by your employer – or informal which is side-by-side learning.
3. Act
In the third stage of the cycle, you need to start to act on the devised plan and activities. These activities may include:
- Webinars, seminars, online courses or any mentoring opportunities
- Self-led CPDs – reading books, journals or joining book clubs
- CPDs within the outdoor learning community – presenting at workshops or writing for a local magazine
- Professional/formal CPDs – completing an in or out-sector award or achieving a short course or workshop.
Regardless of your roadmap, acting, preparing study material, organising a schedule and engaging in the chosen activities are imperative.
4. Record
After the action stage, the fourth phase of the CPD cycle is to record your CPD. It is imperative to systematically document and create a portfolio detailing your insights and acquired knowledge from CPD training. This process prompts you to consider key questions such as: What did I learn? When did I learn it (chronologically)? Does the learning align with my goals? What is the impact of these development activities?
You can also:
- Keep and record notes of the training sessions you have attended.
- Jot down the name and discussion you had during a mentoring or coaching session.
- Make notes of your self-led learning CPD in case you take an online course.
This introspective approach not only enhances the value of the recorded information but also facilitates a comprehensive understanding of its relevance to your professional growth. Furthermore, it serves to demonstrate the expertise, skills, and knowledge you have acquired over time.
5. Reflect
Next in the CPD cycle requires engaging in the process to reflect, a critical step in reviewing the completed CPD training. At this point, you could consider asking yourself the following reflective questions:
- What information have I gained throughout?
- Will this information help me overcome issues I am facing at my workplace?
- How will this information affect my colleagues, peers or patients (if you work in social healthcare)?
- When and how can I apply these skills and techniques in real-world scenarios?
- Do these development activities have an impact on my practice and self-awareness?
6. Evaluate
Following reflection, the next step of the CPD cycle is to evaluate. Assess the effectiveness of your learning and ensure alignment with initial goals. The evaluation stage measures changes in behaviours, skills, knowledge and performance; it also ensures whether the activities were well-designed and well-executed.
7. Apply and Share
The seventh and last stage of the CPD cycle is to apply and share and embed the information, skills and expertise you learned from CPD activities into your workplace. Whether you are starting or leading a new project or finding any other opportunity to revisit and embed that learning experience.
Above all, remember that this CPD cycle is inherently repeatable. You can repeat the cycle to reassess your learning goals, preferences and challenges. You can easily devise learning strategies and activities, act, record, reflect and evaluate, creating a dynamic process for ongoing improvement.
Final Thoughts
The CPD cycle sets the roadmap for your Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The seven stages – identification, planning, action, recording, reflection, evaluation, application and sharing – establish a clear path that ensures individuals acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and understanding to remain relevant in their field and the job market.
