What is CPD?
CPD is generally acknowledged to be the acronym for Continuing Professional Development. These are the processes of planning, reflection and reviewing aimed at encouraging ongoing learning and a continuing level of professional competence used by professional bodies. They are essentially the same as the processes of Progress File and Personal Development Planning used within the education sector and there are some common operational problems. Similar problems of language also exist. CPD is sometimes interpreted as Continuous (or continuing) Personal Development which moves the focus beyond the professional level but might also imply a less employment oriented emphasis. However, the major drive for CPD comes from the professional bodies and debate within them centres around issues of voluntarism or compulsion and the extent or nature of learning experiences needed to comply with their policies.
