Understanding the importance of continuing professional development, or CPD, and its role in furthering the progress of individuals, professions and professional associations encompasses a range of factors.
Among them are regulatory shifts, consumer/client expectations and wider changes to the techniques and practices of professions. However, there is also the drive to improve competencies, enhance competitiveness through the use of new technologies and grow an association’s reach and revenue base.
One of the key steps in developing an effective CPD program is gaining a clear picture of how it can benefit members and practitioners, and how these benefits will be tracked and measured over time.
There are two main pressures driving CPD:
- Your members’ clients, employers and general public – who need to trust your members are up to date and competent in their professional skills and judgement.
- Governing bodies – who will impose regulation if they feel a profession is not meeting required professional obligations and standards.
When thinking through your professional development and compliance programs, the outside view of your profession is an important starting point. There are also commercial pressures on your organisation, with a growing number of local and increasingly international companies eyeing off the CPD market with profits in mind. It is no longer safe to believe being the natural repository of standards and knowledge gives you an additional advantage in the new environment.
Your members will also create pressure to drive the development of your CPD Programs. They will rightfully look to your organisation as a leader in their field and want to see a clear pathway of learning which will help them develop their knowledge and skill base, so they can be at the cutting edge of their profession. They are also looking to support their own internalised ethic of professional integrity and reputation.
AUSAE has partnered with Pointsbuild, a leading online CPD provider, to help members to understand the opportunities that continuing professional development can benefit both your organisation and your members. Pointsbuild will work through the elements of and process for developing a CPD program for your organisation.
A great place to start is with AUSAE’s new an online learning platform and CPD course, “Association Essentials”, which was developed with Pointsbuild. This course provides associations with an effective new staff induction tool, providing staff with key background and foundational knowledge as they start their journey in association management. The course provides practical examples of the support and activities associations provide to their members and their collective contribution to society.
Pointsbuild empowers professional organisations to deliver flexible, tailored and engaging educational experiences to members, helping them advance careers, enhance credentials and meet their regulatory requirements all the while helping lead conversations that advance the wider industry as a whole. To find out more about Pointsbuild, visit www.pointsbuild.com.au.
