Keeping a Record of Your CPD

It is no secret that continuing professional development (CPD) is often one of the least exciting of tasks in our yearly ‘to do’ list. As a result, many people don’t record or reflect on their learning as regularly as they should. Maintaining a record of CPD can often feel like a chore, but you should never underestimate the value of keeping an up-to-date record of the training and activities that you have completed or are planning to complete within the coming year.

You may have undertaken training that is above and beyond what is expected of you. Having an accurate record of your CPD provides a clear indicator to your employer how committed you are to your role as well as demonstrating that you are able to carry out your role to a professional standard.

If you have been avoiding updating your CPD record this year, now is the time to make a start. Users of the Aviva Development Zone will already be familiar with recording CPD, but here is a little reminder for those who need it. Think about breaking your CPD record into simple stages. You need to cover off the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘when’…

• What: What is the CPD activity you’ve undertaken? Give a brief description of the activity. For example, “Completed Insurance Distribution Directive module”. Identify the type of activity – was it structured or unstructured? Accepted forms of CPD include e-learning courses, exams, on-the-job training, webinars, workshops etc. These activities should contribute towards your own learning as well as complement your job roles by enhancing the skills that you have to offer.
• Why: Why did you carry out this activity? What was your objective for carrying it out? Have your learning needs been met as a result? Objectives should be simple and achievable. An objective might be, for instance, “To demonstrate the minimum necessary knowledge of claims handling.”
• When: These are the dates/times in which the activity took place and how long it took to be completed. An accurate record of this will help you to calculate how many CPD hours of your annual target have been ticked off.

Don’t Forget to Reflect

Reflection is an important stage of the CPD process, which many can find daunting when it comes to writing it down. The reflective statement doesn’t need to be ‘War and Peace’; usually a sentence or two on what you have achieved is more than enough. Explain how an activity has met certain training needs and how it will benefit you in your role. Reflection is useful for understanding what worked and what didn’t and highlighting areas that may need further work.

Recording your CPD properly is an invaluable exercise and should show where, if any, there are gaps in your knowledge. Keeping your CPD activities varied will also keep you motivated to learn, rather than just doing it out of obligation.

Think about ‘quality’ rather than ‘quantity’ when selecting CPD activities for the year. You are more likely to reap the benefits from a course covering new topics that are relevant to your role compared to taking multiple courses going over what you already know, so choose carefully.