Continual Professional Development : CPD

Its been a while since I sat down and wrote to you all, that's mainly due to not enough hours in the day and days in the week. Firstly, apologies....I love to write and this subject is one that I get asked about from time to time when I am holding training sessions. But surprisingly, not many people know about CPDs or understand their importance. Hence me writing this lovely blog for you all to read up on and hopefully answer your queries and questions?

So what does CPD even mean? 

It stands for Continual Professional Development. This is very important in anyone's career, because it shows a tracking process of training and learning and is a way of documenting skills, knowledge and experience through your individual career path. Why should we have it?

Well, because its a tool to help you record and reflect on your training development, what you have learnt and when. Used in the right way it can be a great tool. It a great way of helping you target where you wish to develop more so or aspire to be in 3,5 or 10 years time.

How does it work?
Basically each course, seminar or it could even be a business meeting or refresher if accredited and recognized should have a CPD point value. Its these points that you need to keep a log of and record for your own reflection and referral. 
Within the hair and beauty industry most courses that are accredited and certified should have their own CPD points, the amount of point valued depends on the content covered in the course.

Organisations such as Habia, The Beauty Guild and VTCT have documents that you should be able to download or upload your individual data onto to show your own CPD points.As a teacher/educator or trainer we are expected to to update our CPDs yearly, and most organisations will give you an amount that they wish for you to develop over a time period of a year to show that the quality of teaching is current, realistic and knowledgeable. You can go back often several years if you have your certificates that show the CPD course value. If they don't  you should contact the training school and they should be able to give you the required information you need.The Beauty Guild magazine even provides you with a knowledge section within their monthly magazine that you can read up over several articles and then earn CPD points because you have refreshed your knowledge and learnt something new and current from the industry. It may only be worth a few points...but its worth every penny to only have to sit with your magazine and a cuppa, and learn something new and interesting isn't it??I do this personally every month to top up my points, plus you never know.....you may even learn something new. Hey that's why I love my job so much its changing and evolving all the time and that means my knowledge is being updated to make my teaching more fun and interesting.

How do I get started?

Well there's no time like the present as the saying goes. Make a log book, keep a track and record all formal training and informal learning. use it as the tool its designed for and reflect over your learning. It will help you with what you wish to achieve, goals and aspirations.

I hope this has been a start to your new reflective learning? Check out my training website www.steppingstonestrainingacademy.co.uk you will see all my courses are listed with their individual CPD point values.
I promise i wont leave my next blog quite so long. Till next time.....love, shimmer and sparkle!
Caroline x