Dr Stuart Glen, Membership Manager at the Institute of Chartered Foresters, outlines the top 5 reasons why CPD should be more than just clocking hours.
As a professional body that champions excellence in forestry and arboriculture, and supports the ongoing development of a competent, innovative and forward-looking profession, the Institute of Chartered Foresters requires Continuing Professional Development (CPD) from all of our practicing Chartered members. As a condition of membership, practicing Fellows and Professional Members are obliged to undertake, and record a minimum of 100 hours of CPD in every three-year period. However, it shouldn’t just be about clocking up the hours. ICF believes that the learning outcomes are every bit as important as number of hours spent on CPD.
Here’s my Top 5 reasons why CPD should be important to you:
1. Remain competent in your profession
No industry or profession can remain static. Advances in technology, new developments and policies affect all of our professional careers, and it is important that you keep up to date with them. Your colleagues, clients and customers expect it. CPD allows you to remain competent and relevant in your role.
2. Broaden your skill set
ICF’s Code of Ethics, like those of most professional bodies, state that “every member shall perform only those services that are within a member’s competency.” If you wish to explore new areas or work within your industry, it is imperative that you are adequately trained and familiar with current policies and regulations before you can claim to be competent in that area. Remember – a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
3. Increase job satisfaction
For me, much of life is explained in the works of children’s author, Dr Seuss. Beyond the seemingly nonsensical rhymes, a subtle moral lesson often lurks. From the rather wonderful Oh, The Places You’ll Go!:
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
Learning is fun. And the more we learn about our profession, the more satisfied our involvement is on a daily basis. We all want a greater level of personal fulfilment and satisfaction in our jobs.
4. Enhance your career prospects
Everyone is looking for that competitive edge. Whether internally or externally, there is no denying a relevant CPD record will improve your employability. By demonstrating up-to-date knowledge of your field of expertise, you’ll improve your chances of getting that dream role or securing that new business you were after.
5. Improve customer service
Whoever your customer is – private or public sector – we are judged by the level of service and duty of care we offer. Whether it is delivering a piece of written work for a colleague, or managing a project or task for an external client, both should be treated as a valued customer. Therefore the service we offer must be of an exceptional quality, especially in the highly competitive nature of modern business. An in-depth knowledge of regulations and legal obligations, together with a CPD record as evidence, will go a long way to prevent professional complaints or litigation.
Read the Institute of Chartered Foresters’ CPD FAQs >>
