In June 2022, we conducted an online LinkedIn survey to gauge understanding of the benefits of CPD for an organisation. In this article, we will explore the benefits of Continuing Professional Development from an individual and organisation perspective, providing a simple analysis of the findings of our poll and exploring the potential reasons for this result.
What is CPD
CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development. It is the term used to describe the learning activities professionals engage in to develop and enhance their abilities. Whether technical, technological or otherwise; CPD takes a holistic approach towards the development of personal skills and professional knowledge gained throughout one’s career. In practice, this can look like everything a professional does to improve, lead or keep up such as: taking a training course, attending an educational event, studying for new qualifications or learning new aspects of a job.
Who requires CPD
At its inception; CPD came from a need for a more disciplined approach to professional development as industries were quickly advancing in the years after the Second World War. Industries such as healthcare, law construction, engineering and architecture were some of the first to implement policies that resulted in the professionals within these industries (such as doctors, dentists, barristers, and solicitors), leading the way in utilizing a structured approach to enhance work-related skills and education.
Find out more about CPD and the types of learning on our explained page.
Benefits of CPD
There are many benefits to taking CPD each year on an ongoing basis. We have outlined some of the benefits below from both the perspective of the individual and the organisation:
From an individual perspective
- CPD encourages professionals to maintain consistent and high standards, as well as making it easier to demonstrate commitment and dedication towards a particular job role or profession.
- It offers a functional platform & framework for individuals to foster a career progression plan that supports their objectives, whether that be new job openings, developing within an existing role, or even higher earnings opportunities.
- It can be an excellent self-motivation tool, acting as a reminder of personal achievements and progression over time.
- CPD provides flexibility and diversity in terms of different methods of learning available so each individual can find a learning style that suits them best.
From an organisation perspective
- It can be used to advance the body of knowledge, skills and technology within an organisation.
- The application of CPD within an organisation shows a mindful decision and commitment towards clients and employees that professionalism is important.
- Organisations are able to recognise that Continuing Professional Development can be used to ensure quality levels remain high across all departments.
- It can help to identify potential skill gaps in the workplace, and highlight areas where the business can be improved; thus encouraging a healthy learning culture which can lead to a more fulfilled and valuable workforce.
- Continuing Professional Development can be used to attract a higher level of candidates when recruiting for new roles, by encouraging better talent towards the organisation.
- CPD is a tool for improvements in business performance and efficiency, whilst also helping staff with their individual learning requirements.
Analysis of our LinkedIn Survey Poll results
The CPD LinkedIn survey poll results demonstrated that a significant number (65%) believed that the main benefit is a “more highly skilled workforce”. This is a highly desirable benefit of CPD as it allows an organisation to work much more efficiently as each employee is operating at a higher and more skilled level than other organisations that focus less on their staff development.
17% believed that CPD helps retain valuable staff. As previously mentioned, highly skilled professionals are much more likely to stay within a business where they believe they are always learning and being challenged. An organisation that focuses on CPD is essentially always trying to ‘push the bar’, which has the result of mentally and vocationally pushing employees to be better at improving their own knowledge and skills.
Lastly, 9% felt that the most important benefit was an increase to brand perception and that CPD enabled them to stay ahead of competitors. While this was voted the lowest on our poll, the need for businesses to distinguish themselves is fundamentally important in a competitive modern business landscape. CPD helps organisations to better position themselves as experts at the forefront of their industry, and is becoming increasingly essential in a fast-changing world of international standards, digital advancement and globalization.
It’s important to mention the effects of Covid-19 and the world ‘post-pandemic’ as it has had a fundamental effect on people’s relationship with work. Many are now opting to work from home or utilize some form of flexible/hybrid working (see the results of our previous poll). As a consequence, businesses must accommodate this and, in some cases, that may require additional training to allow professionals to carry out their duties from a remote location. Moreover, the lockdowns led to an increase in the number of professionals looking to change career or profession, which resulted in a spike for CPD related searches. This is another distinct correlation and benefit of CPD not included in our poll that is likely to continue to grow in significance.
The CPD Certification Service
We hope this article was helpful and informative. To find out more about the benefits of CPD to your organisation, you can read our previous articles:
Benefits of CPD for employers.
The Importance of Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
Get accreditation for your CPD training courses and events
Established in 1996, The CPD Certification Service is the world’s leading and largest Continuing Professional Development accreditation organisation working across all industry sectors. If you are looking to become a CPD Provider, please contact our team to discuss your requirements in more detail. Alternatively, if you want to record your CPD, please go to the myCPD Portal where you can manage, track and log your learning in one simple place.
