The start of the year is the perfect time to set your continuing professional development goals, look into continuous improvement courses and take stock of your career progression.
Regardless of your vocation, job field or industry sector, continuous professional development (CPD) is a vital component of your job, but amidst an often-busy winter period, it can be easy for other practical commitments to take priority.
It is essential to commit to consistent CPD work, but how much time should you dedicate this year to building your skills and knowledge base to ensure you thrive in the workplace and create a pathway to promotion?
This will depend on many factors, but here are some recommendations based on industry requirements, personal ambitions and other goals.
How Much Time Do You Have To Dedicate To CPD?
Depending on your profession, your CPD requirements can be set by either the government, an employer or an industry body, based on the requirements of the industry and the need to constantly adapt to best practices within the sector.
Industries With Mandatory CPD Requirements
CPD requirements are typically set either by employers or membership bodies, but here are some of the most notable sectors which set CPD requirements:
- Doctors are registered with the General Medical Council, but whilst there is no universal set number of hours, health professionals are expected to complete around 50 CPD hours per year.
- Nurses registered with the National Midwifery Council are required to undertake at least 35 CPD hours, of which at least 20 of these have to include a practical learning element.
- Teachers, lecturers and academics are required to complete CPD hours, although the exact number of hours will vary by employer and membership body.
- Finance and accountancy professionals who are members of ACCA are typically required to undertake 40 units (roughly 40 hours) per year, 21 of which are verifiable.
- Lawyers, solicitors and legal professionals registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority are no longer required to undertake a specific number of hours, but must reflect and identify CPD needs, plan and address these needs, as well as record and evaluate their progress.
How Much Time Should You Set Aside For CPD Courses?
If no set amount of hours has been set by an employer or an industry group, the start of the year is the best time to discuss requirements and ensure that you are not falling behind best practices, standards and additional learning opportunities.
According to the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD), it is recommended that you spend at least 30 hours each year on planned, focused CPD activity, augmented by on-the-job learning and reflection.
What Is The Difference Between Planned And Unplanned Learning?
CIPD and other industry bodies make a distinction between planned and unplanned learning, sometimes described as “verifiable” and “unverifiable” CPD.
Planned or verifiable learning generally takes the form of CPD courses, learning, mentoring and development based towards a specific qualification or skill need.
On the other hand, unplanned learning is anything you learn in the flow of work, whether that takes the form of on-the-job training, discussions with colleagues, unofficial mentorship from older employees or taking time aside to learn a particular skill or knowledge focus.
