What is CPD and why is it important?

Written by Jennifer Trenery on Monday January 8, 2018

The start of a new year is usually accompanied by a renewed focus on oneself and one’s goals. The passage from one year to the next causes many to reflect, particularly on how positive change can be implemented the following year to enrich one’s life. The ‘new year, new me’ philosophy is one that lots of people find to be a useful motivator.

Many find that the new year stimulates thoughts of looking for a new job. The onus being on ‘new’ means that for some, it’s time to seek pastures, well...new.

We think that the new year is the perfect time to bring a new perspective to your role.

Career goals are important, and a fresh year ahead allows you to plan thoroughly. It’s time to focus on CPD.

What is CPD?

Continuous professional development, or CPD as it is more commonly known, refers to the process in which a professional tracks and develops their professional knowledge. CPD comes in many forms: webinars, white papers, certifications, workshops and blogs. Many of these activities are undertaken daily by regulatory compliance and risk prevention professionals – and yet they do not log this activity in a formal way. Logging activities is important for verification; it shows a commitment to your career and how you are recording and reflecting on what you have learnt so that you can ensure that this experience and learning is applied to your role.

What are the benefits?

CPD is an investment. It’s how you manage your career, and how you invest in yourself to be the best that you can be. Saying that you want a pay rise or promotion is a long-term goal. How will you achieve this? CPD allows you to plan your development, so that you can obtain those long-term goals in a more sizeable and interesting way. Furthermore, it’s a commitment to the enhancement of personal skills, and ensures competency. Professional credibility is paramount, and CPD is ‘proof’ of this.

What’s the difference between CPD and a qualification?

ICA offers both CPD and qualifications, so it makes sense to view the two as interchangeable. However, this is not the case. Qualifications allow you to study a certain subject by a recognised body. You will usually be awarded a certificate, indicating your pass score, and ultimately you will become qualified in that field.

CPD, on the other hand, is a documented process that is directed by you- you focus on learning things that fit entirely with your role, and can be both informal and formal way of learning. You won’t always be in receipt of a certificate, but you can use your log as ‘proof’ that you have kept up to date with the latest developments in regulatory compliance and financial crime prevention.

How can ICA help me achieve my goals?

ICA, as an awarding body of world-class qualifications and continuous professional development, provides you with a wealth of tools in your student armoury to help you tackle a meaningful regime of CPD.

ICA CPD content includes:

1. Online learning – including e-learning modules, live and recorded webinars, videos and podcasts.
2. Articles/reports – including knowledge bites, articles, reports, white papers and quick guides.
3. inCOMPLIANCE® – our bimonthly magazine packed with articles from experienced practitioners on various hot topics.
4. Conferences, events, workshops, seminars, online webinars, hot topics
5. CPD events – members can benefit from a range of events organised by recognised providers, including role-based and personal skills-focused events.
6. ICA Qualifications – we award CPD points for all qualifications undertaken, so your next qualification can actually contribute to your CPD quota. Of course, while we’d encourage anyone to take multiple qualifications, it’s vital that you get your CPD from a wide variety of different sources. After all, variety is  the spice of life!

It’s time to push your career forward in a relevant, practical and interesting way. New year, new perspective? You’ve got this…