Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for Councils and Local Authorities

This article provides a simple overview of Continuing Professional Development for Councils and Local Authorities. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) describes the professional learning activities that individuals complete in order to improve their workplace knowledge and skills. Continuing Professional Development enables people to focus and identify skill gaps so they can become more competent and effective in their career. CPD helps individuals become proactive learners, rather than simply reactive.

Benefits of CPD

Continuing Professional Development shows a clear commitment to self-improvement and professionalism. Effective CPD training can help increase both confidence and competence within role, and supports an individual with their own personal career aspirations. An individual is able to identify knowledge gaps, find suitable learning opportunities and resolve any weaknesses in an effective manner. Councils and local authority are able to become accredited CPD providers in order to apply certified CPD hours to their existing training courses, online & eLearning, webinars, seminars, conferences and events to help any employees or other individuals with their annual Continuing Professional Development requirements.

Local Authority and Council CPD Training Courses

When a Council or Local Authority becomes a CPD provider it is often to certify a range of existing training courses, seminars or events that are being delivered, either to internal staff or for people from the local community. There are hundreds of professional bodies & associations in the UK that require and encourage their members to complete Continuing Professional Development. Through their experience and expertise, Councils and local authorities can provide excellent further learning opportunities to improve the skills of their various stakeholders on a whole range of subject matters, regardless of occupation or educational level.

Councils and local authorities are a recognised knowledge bank in their local communities and can help set the standards for education and investors in people.

What types of CPD can be accredited?

CPD accreditation can apply to a range of learning activities, which includes:

• Training courses and workshops
• Seminars and webinars
• Conferences & educational events
• Online modules & E-learning
• Other structured forms of learning 

Providing accredited CPD ensures the learning activity has reached the required Continuing Professional Development standards and benchmarks, and the learning value has been reviewed to ensure integrity and quality. With 25 years’ experience The CPD Certification Service is the largest and leading CPD accreditation organisation in the UK that helps our CPD providers formalise knowledge into a structured and recognised approach to learning.

CPD accreditation for your courses and events

Certifying your courses and events follows a simple process. Councils and local authorities wishing to embrace CPD can display their commitment through membership of The CPD Certification Service and submit learning activities for formal and impartial CPD accreditation by our team of experienced CPD Assessors. The CPD Service provides different membership levels to suit the number of courses you have in your training portfolio, and your budget. All CPD providers can utilise a number of key features of membership to support their training objectives:

• Review and advice on all CPD training requirements
• CPD Accreditation of courses & events, from 1 – 250+ activities a year
• Licence to use CPD Member logo on Council marketing materials
• CPD Certified symbol on approved Council CPD courses, seminars, modules
• Presence in CPD Member Directory for user validation and searching
• Ability to publicise Council events on CPD Event Calendar
• Administration of delegate CPD certificates post activity 

Benefits of CPD accreditation for Local Councils

The CPD Certification Service work with organisations ranging from training providers to large corporations, conference & events organisers, universities, further education colleges, local authorities, councils and Government departments. Organisations become CPD providers to help present their knowledge as industry experts, provide structured learning for delegates, distinguish from other market competitors, increase delegate bookings and possibly create new business opportunities.

Once approved as a CPD provider, Local Councils can then make CPD Certificates of Attendance available to their delegates to attach to their CPD records log as evidence of their own professional development.

We hope this article was helpful. Established in 1996, The CPD Certification Service has over 27 years’ experience providing CPD accreditation. With members in over 100 countries, our CPD providers benefit from the ability to promote themselves as part of an international community where quality is both recognised and assured.

If you are interested in offering training courses, seminars, workshops, eLearning, or educational events suitable for Continuing Professional Development, please visit the Become a CPD Provider page or contact our team to discuss in more detail. Alternatively, if you are looking for a free online CPD record tool to help manage, track and log your ongoing learning, as well as store your professional training records and attendance certificates in one simple place, go to the myCPD Portal page.