"As part of continuing professional development (CPD) it is proposed to place the onus on individuals to ensure that they are competent in operating the equipment under their direction and provide the mechanism for them to achieve this." Harry Gale (Nautical Institute).
So what is the CPD? Here is what Wikipedia says on it.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) can be defined as the conscious updating of professional knowledge and the improvement of professional competence throughout a person's working life. It is a commitment to being professional, keeping up to date and continuously seeking to improve. It is the key to optimizing a person's career opportunities, both today and for the future (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2000)).
CPD should be engaging, informative and progressive, embracing 'best practice' and easily digestible knowledge. It should neither be excessively demanding nor uninteresting. It should stimulate a desire to learn more about your profession and participate in it (The Association of Personal Assistants).
According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development CPD should:
- be continuous - professionals should always be looking for ways to improve performance
- be the responsibility of the individual learner to own and manage
- be driven by the learning needs and development of the individual
- be evaluative rather than descriptive of what has taken place
- be an essential component of professional and personal life, never an optional extra
