Page 41 - October 2019

igem news

CPD SAMPLING

HOW DO YOU CPD? as first aid, ACS or health and safety

training. The level of training could be
a simple awareness course or could
lead to a formal qualification, such as a
diploma or degree. In 2016 and 2017,
most of the activities completed were
IGEM Professional Development Officer Ross McCart takes us categorised as formal training.
through the results of this year’s CPD sampling exercise Informal training includes on the job
learning, informal training, training and/
or mentoring others and development
activities to support your current or
future work role. Informal training also
includes voluntary activities. These sort
of activities tend to be things that you
will do naturally and not think of as CPD.
Most of the activities submitted in 2018
fell under this category.
Reading and research is something
else you probably do on a daily
basis, but don’t considered to be
CPD. Reading can be anything from
an article in a magazine, such as Gi,
to reviewing technical documents.
Research could also be something as
simple as looking something up online,
or more comprehensive research done
as part of a large project.
The final category is meetings and
presentations. You could chair a
technical committee or just take part in
a team briefing; you could be delivering
a presentation on new technology or
an induction for new starters. These all
IGEM HAS NOW completed its first gas industry and some roles have count towards your CPD.
mandatory Continuing Professional opportunities for certain activities that The easiest way to identify an activity
Development (CPD) sample. The others do not. These categories are as CPD is to ask yourself, what were
sample was our most successful to just to help you think about CPD in a the benefits to me? How can I apply
date, with only six members who did different way and to help you identify this to my job? If you were able to take
not respond to the request for CPD activities you may not have previously something away from the activity and
records. Additional efforts will be made considered as CPD. use it to make you better at your job,
to contact these members and provide Formal training includes training then it’s probably worth recording.
the necessary support with their CPD that is delivered by another Once you’ve got the hang of identifying
activities. They will then be given the professional or expert. This would useful CPD activities, the next trick will
opportunity to submit their records for normally be at least half a day but be to get into the habit of recording them.
review next year. may cover several days. This could be You will probably find that you could
All submissions received have now refresher/recertification training, such record something every day. This would
been reviewed and feedback has been obviously be too much, so you may want
provided. The feedback is aimed at types of activites completed to be a bit more selective – only recording
helping members with their future activities that really stand out as useful.
development. When reviewing the 100 Try to get into the habit of recording
returns, IGEM noticed that that the 90 Formal training something on a regular basis, maybe
types of activities being undertaken informal training at the end of the week or the end of the
generally fall into one of four categories. 80 reading/research month. By recording something just
Those categories are formal training, 70 meeting/presentations once a month, you will find that you
informal training, reading/research and 60 quickly built up a comprehensive CPD
meetings/presentations. 50 record. This record can then be used
You don’t need to worry about 40 to help you work out how you want to
the categories of the activities you 30 develop yourself further.
are doing. It doesn’t matter if all the 20
activities you record fall into one 10 For more information about CPD
category or another. IGEM members 0 and IGEM’s sampling process, visit
work in various roles within the 2016 2017 2018 www.igem.org.uk/professional-development

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