CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
We all know that different jobs require different skill sets to comply with 21st-century professional requirements. Continuous Professional Development refers to earning and maintaining these modern professional credentials. It focuses on developing and improving of one’s knowledge to meet the demands of present employment needs. The wide variety of knowledge, skill training, certification and effectiveness earned through continuous professional development is required by a worker to advance in his/her career. It is intensive and collaborative work, which incorporates an evaluative process.
There is a variety of approaches to professional development (PD) which includes coaching, lesson study, mentoring, technical assistance, hands-on training, evaluation stage etc. Even if a worker presently has the necessary skills, he/she may need additional expertise to cope with modern technicality and knowledge. Variety of individuals like teachers, working professionals, lawyers, engineers etc engage in professional development for lifelong learning of new skills, to improve professional competence, to progress in career, to keep aware of new technology and practices, etc.
Achieving success in one’s career requires ongoing training and education, which is why individuals embrace professional development programmes. It is designed to teach new and existing workers the skills needed to succeed in their respective lines of work.
What are the benefits of Continuous Professional Development (CPD)?
- Professional development delivers competency to the employees or workers. It can help them to obtain the necessary certification and learning which are demanded in many workplaces.
- Personnel engaging in professional development course are more confident about the skills they have, which are needed to succeed in their line of work. Employee lacking those skills faces questions regarding their ability to work.
- CPD or Continuous Professional Development promotes higher employee retention rates.
- Continuous professional development can open doors to lucrative opportunities for employees. It accelerates one’s Career.
- Professionals struggling to get promotion can secure his/her position when he/she can use the skills they learned through PD.
- Employees will become more productive and efficient through professional development by learning the right skills for their careers.
Continuous Professional Development or CPD is extensively used for furthering education and knowledge in teachers, improving their fundamental teaching techniques by training or mentoring them with specialized teaching methods enabling them to earn certification in a particular educational approach or program from credible organizations. It is the primary mechanism that helps educators to continuously learn and improve their skills over time. In recent decades, CPD has been thoroughly researched and many strategies and initiatives have been implemented to improve the quality and effectiveness of professional development for educators. They learn to help students learn at the highest levels.
Also the state and the national policies now have focused more on the issue of “teacher quality” which states the ability of individual teachers to improve the standards of their performance. The policy mentions that professional development for teachers should take the form of a “comprehensive, sustained, and extensively intensive approach in improving teachers’ and principals’ effectiveness to raise student’s achievement.” Such extensive range of learning necessary for graduates to become effective educators cannot be provided by College and university programs. Hence there comes the need to train oneself through Continuous Professional Development Programme.
