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Principles and benefits

Principles:

The professional should always be actively seeking to improve performance
Development is continuous
Development is a personal matter and should be owned and managed by the individual with the support of the employer
Learning outcomes should relate to the overall career plan of the individual and recognise current organisational needs where possible
Investment in training and development should be regarded as as valuable as any other form of investment

Benefits:

Although the benefits of CPD are primarily felt by the individual, there are benefits to be gained by employers and the Society of Archivists as indicated by the table below. The costs of not following CPD are also examined:

Benefits of CPD	Costs of not following CPD
Individual
Increases self esteem as you look back on achievements Financial reward - CPD could support a claim for promotion Encourages analytical thinking; about your job, the tasks that you do and how you do them thereby increasing performance Provides the opportunity to enrich and develop your existing job Aids career development; you can plan to learn skills which will equip you to move your career in a direction which interests you Reflective practice encourages you to assess alternative approaches to tasks and gives you encouragement to think creatively Reflective practice can help you to feel in control of your work circumstances and might help to relieve stress A written record of your CPD allows you to demonstrate your skills in a very concrete way CPD can help you recognise the way in which skills learnt in other areas of your life could be applied in the workplace Reflective practice is a safe environment for thinking about and assessing your mistakes, problems and perceived failures. It allows you to ask 'what did I learn from this?' and think about what you would do differently in the future A written record of CPD can help you to define and make clear in your mind your achievements and the progress you have made	Loss of professional standing Feeling of isolation and loss of support from within the profession Inability to compete with fellow professionals Lack of job satisfaction No clear career path Unable to recognise and benefit from transferable skills Inability to demonstrate skills
Employer
Increased morale in the workforce Enlightened employers attract high calibre staff and keep them Increased opportunities for funding; high calibre staff participating in CPD CPD provides a cost effective means of providing training; mentoring, sharing skills, work shadowing	Loss of staff due to lack of personal development opportunity Reputation harmed due to staff inadequacies Unable to compete in the field of Best Practice
The Society of Archivists
Gains respect from other professionals who are probably participating in similar schemes Aids standardisation of professional skills Strengthens skills within the profession Close cross sectoral links via networking, mentoring relationships and exchange of skills	Reduced perception of professional status of members

Those who choose to formalise their learning through CPD are not only improving their performance in their current job, but also enhancing their future career prospects. By encouraging reflective practice and emphasising the outcomes,"what did you learn" and "how do you apply this learning?", CPD helps you to do your job better and plan and achieve any necessary learning.

To be a good archivist/records manager I not only need to keep up to date with professional issues, I also need additional skills. I need to be an effective administrator and communicator, I need secretarial skills and report writing skills, and I need time management skills. CPD means having a holistic approach to what I do…. It allows the job to get the most out of you, and more importantly, it allows you to get the most out of this wonderfully varied and exciting profession. (Lynda Barraclough)

By managing your own learning you are indicating to employers that you are raising the level of your expertise and performance.

Last modified 16/01/2006



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