11 Jul Horses For Courses
Just as there is no single type of learner, there is no single way to provide Continuing Professional Development (CPD). In order to deliver the most effective form of CPD, two factors are critical to consider on your way to success, ‘what are you trying to achieve and how best to get there?’
Just as you wouldn’t saddle-up a thoroughbred to give rides at a birthday party, the development and delivery of CPD requires the same understanding of goal and method in order to achieve the desired outcome.
Different Races to Run
Many people associate structured coursework, for example, online learning or face-to-face with a traditional learn/test pass/fail approach.
Requiring participants to demonstrate they have acquired specific knowledge and corresponding competencies, for example, the relevant requirements for food safety, Child Protection reporting, new tax deduction rules or how to meet fire safety requirements in the National Construction Code is an extremely valid and reliable way of delivering CPD.
Another kind of development journey might be advancing one’s practice. Areas like sustainability, or consumer protection for off-the-plan apartment purchasers, or how to communicate more effectively with Indigenous stakeholders are broader, more general learnings not necessarily suited to a pass/fail approach. These may be better addressed through a workshop, a seminar by an expert, a mentoring program, study tour or attending a conference, each its own ‘course’ with different variables, assets and liabilities for the learner.
Beyond that, your organisation might be one where ‘soft skills’ such as the ability to negotiate, or effective inclusive communication, or facilitating stakeholder engagement are highly valued. While these can be taught formally, through workplace training programs or externally-provided courses, for example, they may also be gained through volunteer work or extension activities such as partnerships on projects or programs.
Once you better understand the learner’s journey, the proverbial ‘race’, for our purposes, you can then establish how best to run it and what the success state looks like at the end, i.e. ‘how do we win’?
And Down the Stretch They Come
Every learning outcome is valuable, and determining how that translates into the requirements of formal educational qualifications such as a Certificate, Diploma or Graduate qualification will be beneficial both for participants and for your organisation.
Knowing that a particular CPD activity has measurable worth in terms of the Australian Qualifications Framework or can contribute towards tertiary study credits can be extremely motivating.
Other forms of CPD such as vocation-specific or skill-specific training can be assessed for points under the relevant occupation or industry association program or other requirements for Vocational Learning, Workplace Learning, or professional CPD requirements.
Specific and measurable goals help you frame your decisions effectively and allow you to choose from a much wider range of CPD delivery methods. Will they have a new skill? Will they be better placed to comply with regulations? Will they be able to advance further in their career or deliver a higher level of service?
Whatever the agreed-upon goals, the important thing is to ensure that when you plan a CPD program or look to update your CPD program that you closely match the goals with the professional needs of participants, the right method or channel to deliver it, and what constitutes a successful outcome when the CPD is complete.
Once these are all in place, finding your learning audience in the winner’s circle is only a matter of time.