CII urges members to take part in debate
CII members are being urged to tell their professional body how they see the evolution of Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
The fourth and latest of the CII’s Papers in Professionalism series, ‘Beyond Box-Ticking: CPD and the 21st Century Professional’, looks at the role of CPD in building and maintaining a high level of professionalism. It seeks to encourage a practical and constructive debate amongst members and other industry stakeholders, as well as those in other professions who are having a similar discussion.
The paper is published in the wake of CII/YouGov research showing that nearly 70% of the public feels that a mandatory CPD requirement would help win back trust in professionals working in the financial services and insurance sector.*
It identifies four key areas of debate:
• CPD content and oversight – the areas and topics that should be included within CPD, and what support CII could provide
• Measuring activity and effectiveness – how to change evaluation from recording the time spent on CPD to focussing on what and how much new knowledge is gained
• Employer role and engagement – how employers can encourage and facilitate staff in their professional development, and how the CII can work with employers on this
• Raising public confidence – how to get the public interest message across: that the purpose of CPD is most of all to ensure that professionals are up-to-date so that the public are protected, and can trust professionals.
CII president, Trevor Matthews, said: “In the past, CPD has been seen by some to be a matter of routine compliance - just another box to tick.
“We believe that CPD can and must go way beyond box-ticking. As part of a package of standards of knowledge and behaviour, it is at the heart of what it means to be a professional.”
CII director of policy and public affairs, David Thomson, added: “Continuing Professional Development is of growing importance, not just as a means of keeping professionals up to date with their personal development and changes within their sector, but also as a way of demonstrating to the public that a professional is serious about providing the best possible service.
“Good quality CPD is a key element that elevates the professional above the rest of the field. The reaction and discussion this paper hopes to stimulate will be invaluable in helping the CII to ensure that we can improve the CPD programme.”
