CPD Plan Guidelines

CRITICAL ELEMENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Stage 1

Take ownership and personal responsibility for your continuing personal development. Assess your needs and the organisation’s needs.

This stage will assess whether CPD is required
  • to achieve short term goals to improve skills and knowledge
  • for medium term planning to develop competence level, job or impact on workplace
  • for long term planning to achieve job satisfaction, increase professional status and career progression

Stage 2

Write a clear statement where you want to be at the end of a specified period: assess your learning needs (maybe through use of 360 degree feedback) and goals for the year ahead, prioritise these needs and decide which needs should be dealt with immediately. The key areas of development are likely to be knowledge: acquiring and updating knowledgeskills: demonstrable application of knowledge and the use of new skills in workplace situationsbehaviours: awareness and demonstrable use of appropriate values, conduct and relationships skills in workplace situationsreflective practice: continually review and reflect using feedback on learning and development practices. 

Stage 3

Identify the resources and support you will require to attain your goal.· Identify the criteria which will help you determine that you are on course.· Identify intermediate stages where you can review progress.

Stage 4

Plan appropriate learning activities you will undertake to acquire the knowledge and skills to meet these needs and goals. (Write SMART GOALS)

Stage 5

Implement learning opportunities: put your learning into action, selecting the best way to achieve these goals· Evaluate the outcomes of the implementation of your learning: whether the activities you undertook really did fully meet your requirements and whether any further or subsequent learning needs to take place.

Stage 6

Keep a record as you go through the cycle· Review and reflect on progress made and achievements gained and how they have helped and will help you in the work environment. Note that the satisfaction gained from completing one learning activity and moving on to the next can easily cause you to miss out on this step of reflection.

Stage 7

Complete the necessary paperwork, for the organisation if required, and for SABPP requirements.