At WSA, we advocate personal and professional development to each individual within the team. We recognise that everyone has their own strengths and skills and various qualifications and experience, but that doesn’t mean that anyone of any age and work history is discouraged from continuing to learn. Within the marketing industry, things are constantly changing, so it is important our staff want to keep learning and developing their knowledge to make sure we are always ahead of the game. Expanding their knowledge also means that we have upskilled individuals which opens doors to new positions, promotions etc.
What is CPD?
CPD, an abbreviation of Continuing Professional (and personal) Development is a term used to describe the learning activities you can engage in to build and improve your abilities both at work and in your personal life. It is a conscious and proactive learning style as what you learn is specific to what you choose, rather than passive and reactive which can often lead to information not being fully absorbed or utilised correctly. The importance of growing from within is that it can happen at any age and at any position within your profession, to help you develop and grow to new positions and opportunities.
Why is CPD a good idea?
CPD is beneficial for a variety of reasons. It allows you to keep up to date with your industry of work, gives you time to reflect on your shortfalls and encourages you to learn new skills. Best of all you are in charge of your own career development. Considering your industry of work and where you need to improve will not only benefit you but the company you work for too. It means that they have an individual who is highly motivated and has useful and up-to-date knowledge.
What are the CPD learning types?
Active
This is an interactive way of learning and studying. This means you enjoy the hands-on approach, so learning via seminars, attending a training course, workshops, e-learning courses and more.
Reflective
The polar opposite learning style to Active, this requires no participation. Reflective learning activities include reading books, listening to podcasts, news articles, industry updates and more.
Self-directed
Similar to Reflective, this learning style is about things you would do independently. This could be reading documents, articles, publications, books by leading experts, industry journals and trade magazines.
What available resources are there?
Here are a few examples of available resources to help you out:
Record your CPD activity
It takes hard work and spending time to achieve genuine personal development, so it is important to record your achievements. This could be by simply keeping a folder on your computer of certificates or a personal development plan with links to the learning resources of your choice. Alternatively, you could also consult your workplace about a shared drive or platform to keep track of your progress.
CPD is important for you to be able to develop and grow both personally and within the context of your profession. It gives you more opportunity for growth within your position and within your workplace, which also benefits your employer as they gain an upskilled individual. Make sure to establish what learning style is best for you first and from there you can work out what resources will help you learn and absorb the information you access better. Recording your achievements and current progress for yourself and your manager allows you to showcase your efforts and keep track of your professional development.
