CPD for Safety Professional’s, Is it right for you? Or just too much to do?
Professional Development and Growth - Continuous Professional Development, (CPD) for Safety Professional’s
CPD seems to be a dreaded abbreviation with most HSE and Technical professionals I talk with. A mention of those repulsive three letters, draws a look of dread and fear, as if on par with the most terrible punishment and torture methods, utilised during the Spanish Inquisition.
Whether its IOSH, IIRSM, IFPO, BOHS, CIEHF, PHASS or REHIS, the majority of group members I have spoken too, seem reluctant to upload evidence and write descriptive text for their recent activities in their respective CPD logs. For me personally, I used to hate doing it, as the learning or ‘development’ event, had already taken place through research or activities within my employed role. The cataloguing of the ’evidence’ was just a hindrance.
Additionally, different organisations like CPD recorded in different ways, with no ‘one size fits all’ means of alignment between them. As an example, I currently maintain three CPD logs. One for IOSH, one for an educational authority and one for my employee profile account. All are laid out differently and all have a different structure and none of them are compatible with each other!
Added to that, a lot of the larger organisations have their own competence management systems, which record activities and achievements as part of the employees profiling for yearly reports and performance reviews.
When learning something new through a new training course, qualification or research activity, I always tried to communicate these to the people I interacted with each day. I ensured I was already utilising my newfound CPD knowledge and skills in the workplace reducing risk. The last thing on my mind was justifying it to some anonymous ‘reviewer’ from my Institution.
Communication and implementation of these skills at the coal face, in getting the messages across, thus ensuring every person gets home safely each day, is after all what should give us the drive to do our jobs, to the best of our abilities, and improves my effectiveness in our roles.
This feeling was historically exacerbated by the fact that when recruiting and hiring advisors for temporary roles, I had dealings with highly graded Institute members, with so many letters after their names, they would put Elon Musk’s choice in baby names to shame! Some of these interactions destroyed my trust and faith in the Institution I am a member of and others. This was in part, due to the narcissistic and self-interested nature of some of the short-term contractors used, coupled with their lack of interest in actually making a difference for the people they were employed to look after and advise. Some even lacked the basic skill of initiating a conversation or carrying out an intervention on an unsafe act within the work place.
Most professionals, who are members of institutes relating to their specific profession, trade, discipline or sector, will likely be scraping around their computer desktops and files, in the hope of finding something to upload onto their CPD Portal. This sometimes occurs at the end of each week, month, quarterly or after the dreaded email threatening to remove your membership grade due to a perceived lack of interest.
I now think of these CPD entries differently. Since moving into the civilian World from the Royal Navy Nuclear Submarine Service. I now appreciate how important it is to have the appropriate qualifications and competencies, which allow me to use these letters after my name. It is not just these though, it is a combination of these, along with interactions, experiences and knowledge that my career has given me up until now. This ensures that I am taken seriously and ensures that my concerns and advice are given due consideration. Institute membership shows that a certain level of education and competence has not only been achieved, but more importantly is being maintained and built upon.
When I create a new entry into the CPD log, I use it as an opportunity to study my new skills or knowledge and reflect on how this is helping me achieve the ultimate goal. What was the problem? What information did I find to bridge the gap that existed? How did I solve it? What was the result of this?
Reflection and documentation of these CPD entries and activities, allows me to put into words, what I have been thinking, calculating and learning. This only solidifies the engraining of these newly formed skills into my head (safety toolbox) to call upon in the future.
This is the practical benefit of updating and using your CPD to improve your own understanding of the various facets of being a safety professional in your field. The other is the international recognition of working to, and achieving the required standard within your institution. It is a badge of achievement, a badge of recognition.
Your post-nominal letters allow you to be easily identifiable as someone who has achieved a high level of proficiency in their field. This could be from recruiters during job applications, from fellow professionals, line managers and auditors during the course of your work activities. It can also allow you to wield more influence with the key decision makers within your organisation, as these decision makers know that you have attained a certain skill level, with a highly regarded and recognised body.
Keep learning, keep reading, keep studying, keep attending courses, keep identifying gaps and backfilling them, keep moving forward in your journey towards the ultimate grading within your institution. But please remember to put these activities into action in your organisations and workplaces and include them in your CPD portfolio’s.
It won’t only help you. It will help those your employed to protect and advise, and make sure everyone on your watch, gets home safe, every day.