CPD for Managers
Continued Professional Development (CPD) is very important to keep up to date with as a Manager, as it helps to refresh your knowledge, skills and behaviours. You should keep a record of your CPD too; include goals and objectives that you are planning on working towards. If you do decide to change your career, prospective employees will want to see your CPD record. This is just one reason why CPD for Managers is important.
CPD For The Education Sector
If you work in the education sector, CPD should not only relate to teaching, learning, assessment and quality assurance; but also to the changes in education policies, technology and developments in your specialist subject. It is important to remember that you are a professional teacher and Assessor, as well as a professional within the subject area.
Types of CPD for Managers
Throughout the year you should regularly reflect on what has gone well, what hasn’t, and what you can improve on. Sometimes just sitting back and having a think can really help to give you more focus.
CPD can take many forms, it can be informal or formal, planned or unplanned. It also doesn’t always have to be related to your job role. For example, if improving something within your personal life will affect your professional development, this is still classed as CPD. All CPD should impact your role, and help to improve the way in which you carry out assessments.
Choosing a CPD Activity
Before embarking upon CPD, it is always a good idea to ask yourself the following questions, in order to make sure you are choosing the right activity for your goals:
- What activity can I undertake which will positively impact my role?
- How will this benefit me both professionally and personally?
- How will the organisation I work for benefit from this?
Then it is important to work out how much time you can add to your schedule for CPD, factor in how much it will cost, and also whether your employer will support you with any funding.
Skills & Knowledge
There are lots of CPD activities you can take part in which aren’t expensive, such as reading journals and books related to your subject. Other ways to improve your skills and knowledge include:
- E-learning and online activities
- Visiting workplaces within your industry
- Becoming a member of a professional trade association
- Attending or presenting at a conference
- Regularly attending networking events in your industry
- Researching industry developments
- Volunteering, or attending work experience placements.
As you can see, the possibilities are endless. Even on LinkedIn you will find groups that you can join which are specific to your industry, and will include like-minded individuals.
CPD For Managers
If you are an Assessor who is also a manager, the perfect course for you to embark on to help with your CPD is the Level 4 Award in Understanding the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practices. Whilst this course doesn’t quality you to internally quality assure assessments, it will give you the foundations of the theory behind internal quality assurance. So if you are looking to become an IQA further on in your career, having this CPD under your belt will be beneficial.
If you would like to know more about this qualification, or any other types of CPD that are useful for managers please feel free to contact us.