The next comment I want to analyse from the CPD and Learning Survey is:
Given the speed of change in IT, I think an average of 2 to 3 hours per week in a mix of verifiable ( e.g. courses (on-line or physical)) and unverifiable- Blogs, papers, news sources, hands on etc.should be a minimum to aim for.
This is a great comment that supports CPD (Continuing Professional Development) in general.
2 to 3 hours a week is a great way of splitting development and learning over a calendar year. Minus a 4 week holiday, this would give anywhere between 96 and 144 hours of training which is almost double what the CPD and Learning Survey came up with as a recommendation for the amount of time spent on CDP Development. This is not a bad thing at all as spreading training out allows you to learn, digest and try out the things you have learnt.
As the world of technology is developing and moving at a very fast pace, spreading the learning out allows you to change direction if needed to a new area that you need to focus on.
Identifying your training into two main categories of Verifiable and Non-Verifiable is a normal requirement of most CPD recording systems and industries.
Verifiable is where you can prove that the training has been completed such as:
- Attendance on a Course (Course Certificate)
- Online Course – Certificates of completion
- Online Course – Test results
- Vendor Certifications
- Research with a resultant paper published
- Brown Bag training (Lunch and Learns) where attendance is recorded
Non-Verifiable is where you cannot prove the learning but have carried out self learning. This includes:
- Reading of industry magazine articles / technical reading
- Reading blogs
- Courses not offering any certificates of completion or test results
- Learning as part of meetings and on job training
- Learning as part of an assigned Project (unless any of the Verifiable results can be achieved)
These lists are by no means exhaustive or may alter depending on which governing body the CPD is for, but show examples of what could be classed in each category.
There is no hard an fast rule on how much Verifiable vs Non-Verifiable should be achieved as part of any CPD, however it is always better to have a Verifiable as it is easier to prove the learning. I would suggest a 60/40 or 70/30 split in favor of Verifiable.
Like this:
Like Loading...