CPD is the way that people can keep up to date in their profession and improve their career prospects within a company. It can be formal or informal, structured or self-taught. It is a combination of different thoughts and techniques that can assist with continuous learning and development. CPD is personal to each individual differs from person to person – no one is the same. CPD is ongoing and can show you what you will achieve in your career.

Some of the benefits of CPD to an employee are clear not only when looking for career progression, but also when upgrading membership, perhaps to Chartered Membership. A lot of employers measure the worth of an individual by their learning agility and they see this as a main competency. There are a number of personal profits that can be gained by focusing on CPD and continually moving forward, for example keeping track of learning and progression, and keeping focussed on training and development opportunities or needs. By keeping track of learning, this highlights specific areas of learning that need more focus. When having an appraisal, CPD can be used as a tool by the employee to showcase skills and achievements, letting the employer know of progression and learning. Through CPD, there is learning for like and the individual can keep motivated whilst challenging themselves – all in all It is an investment for the future.

CPD benefits an employer as they are now in a position to be able to pass responsibility of CPD back to the individual. The employer therefore sees an individual who has the perception, knowledge and ability to keep track of and manage professional growth as a fundamental strength. By seeing an employees' CPD, the employer can provide more effective learning, tailored to the individual's learning style. They might be an activist – they like to be shown what to do and how it is done and then learn by