CPD must go beyond box ticking – CII

The CII says Continuing Professional Development (CPD) should go beyond box-ticking and be at the heart of an IFA’s business.

Formerly regarded by some in the past as a matter of routine compliance, CII president Trevor Matthews believes CPD will and must go beyond box-ticking.

The latest CII paper in its Professionalism series, Beyond Box-Ticking: CPD and the 21st Century Professional, examines the role of CPD in building and maintaining a high level of professionalism.

"As part of a package of standards of knowledge and behaviour, it is at the heart of what it means to be a professional," says Matthews.

The CII is urging its members to tell their professional body how they see the evolution of CPD.

It seeks to encourage a practical and constructive debate among members and other industry stakeholders who are having a similar discussion.

A recent CII/YouGov survey found nearly 70% of the public feels a mandatory CPD requirement would help win back trust in professionals working in the financial services and insurance sector.

The CII paper identifies four areas of debate:

• The areas and topics that should be included within CPD, and what support CII could provide
• 
  How to change evaluation from recording the time spent on CPD to focusing on how much new knowledge is gained
• 
  How employers can encourage staff in their professional development, and how the CII can work with employers on this
• 
  How to get the public interest message across: that the purpose of CPD is most of all to ensure that professionals are up-to-date so that the public are protected, and can trust professionals.

CII director of policy and public affairs, David Thompson, says: "Continuing Professional Development is of growing importance, not just as a means of keeping professionals up to date with their personal development and changes within their sector, but also as a way of demonstrating to the public that a professional is serious about providing the best possible service.

"Good quality CPD is a key element that elevates the professional above the rest of the field."

The reaction and discussion the paper hopes to stimulate will be invaluable in helping the CII to ensure it can improve the CPD programme, he adds.

The paper can be downloaded from: http://www.cii.co.uk/pages/research/papersinprofessionalism.aspx.

An email address has been set up so members of the CII and PFS can have their say: cpdreview@cii.co.uk.