Continuous Professional Development (CPD) refers to the ongoing improvement of skills and knowledge while at work. This can be through structured or unstructured learning and can include on the job training and development plans.
CPD will aid you in maintaining your existing knowledge while also widening your skills and knowledge bases, which could promote career advancement. It will also build your own confidence in your work overtime, helping to ensure faith and trust with your clients.
Recording CPD will give you the opportunity to reflect on the activities you have completed and highlight areas you may need to focus on going forward. Self-reflection on the CPD activity will allow you to identify your strengths and weaknesses within your current knowledge and skillset, which in turn, will encourage you to determine what you can do to improve on them and how you can become more effective in your role.
How can you reflect on your CPD activity?
If you research tips on how to complete a reflection statement for a CPD record, you will come to realise that there are a lot of suggested questions to be answered. However, many of the questions are the same but just worded differently. So, can they be summarised? You’ll be glad to know, yes. Here are a couple of key questions to consider when completing your CPD record; -
If you are reflecting on a group/joint activity (like an appraisal or group training session), it would be worth commenting on the feedback you received, how it made you feel, and what you can learn from the feedback to improve your services.
When completing your CPD reflection statement, it is important that you do not assume that third parties know the learning outcomes you got from the activity. After all, everyone learns differently. You do not need to produce an essay, but a summary of what you took from the activity will be useful to show how it is relevant for your role.
You also want to make sure you do not over-analyse yourself to the point of criticism. No one knows everything (even ‘geniuses’ have weak spots). It is better to take on more challenging activities which highlight areas for improvement, than to fall into the trap of completing the same exercises year-on-year. Yes, it is nice to confirm the knowledge and skills necessary for day-to-day tasks, but If you are undertaking run-of-the-mill tasks out of obligation for completing the minimum required hours, are you truly gaining anything out of it?
Recording CPD does not need to be a tedious task. It is not there to become a bane in your work life. It is there to support you with your career prospects and ensure you can grow your knowledge and skills - so make the most of it!
Find out more about how the Development Zone can help you meet your regulatory CPD requirements!
The Development Zone has been specifically designed with the insurance sector in mind and hosts a range of courses on Consumer Duty, SM&CR, the Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD), FCA regulations, and more.
Whether completed on or off the platform, Development Zone allows learners to easily record and evidence their CPD. Users can even highlight the relevant IDD competencies to make tracking their compliance easier.
Managers can assign required learning on an individual, team, or firm basis, and track user progress through the reporting function.
If you are not already signed up for the Development Zone, click here to sign up for a 14-day free trial.
About the author
Alexandra Brown
Alexandra joined the RWA team from 2021-2023. She has 10 years’ experience in customer-facing roles, having worked for large national companies including Lloyds Banking Group and British Gas.
She has experience in administration, responding to client queries and updating data records in line with Data Protection regulations. As Client Engagement Associate, Alexandra’s role involved building and maintaining excellent relationships with RWA’s e-Learning clients.
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