Benefits of CPD

At the Centre for Adult Learning and Professional Development we do our utmost to provide learning opportunities that have the following qualities:

• Flexibility: this allows students to study in a way that fits around a busy life with the responsibilities of a career in the home or the workplace.
• Timely: content is broken down into manageable chunks and provided in a sequential and scaffolded manner. Students have assigned reading prior to attending face to face or online classes. This preparation can be done at a time that suits the student. Similarly the tuition for credit bearing modules is delivered either on Saturdays or evenings.
• Accumulate: CPD modules are usually taken on a standalone to upskill or meet the requirements of professional bodies. However, you can accumulate a number of single modules and transfer to a longer course, getting credit for the modules already completed.
• Context: meeting the learners where they are at and providing learning that is relevant to their context, for example through problem-based learning techniques for management training, experiential learning for skills development or computed assisted learning for those working in the high tech sector.
• Relevance: the content is created based on the latest research and is continually being updated to ensure that it is relevant to the ever-changing workplace.
• Impactful: all of our modules have Professional Transferable Skills built into their delivery, to ensure academic personal as well as professional development.

The benefits of CPD for your career

According to Anne M. Mulcahy former CEO of Xerox Corporation “Employees are a company's greatest asset - they're your competitive advantage. You want to attract and retain the best; provide them with encouragement, stimulus, and make them feel that they are an integral part of the company's mission.” One way of attracting and retaining key staff and ensuring that they are operating at the peak of their abilities is by adopting a policy of continuous professional development. This might seem obvious, but according to the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, 2017 only 5% of those in employment in Ireland participate in lifelong learning compared to the European average of 12%. You can have the edge on 95% of the workforce by ensuring that you have the most up to date skills needed to grow your value as an employee.

If you are an employer and have highly experienced staff members between the ages of 55 and 64, you may be interested to know that the rates of participation in lifelong learning of this sector is only 3%, half the EU average. While these staff members may have years of experience in the field, do they have the most up-to-date training to keep abreast with an ever-changing market place?