Live and learn

Continuing professional development

Teachers do it, doctors couldn’t keep their jobs without it and for lawyers it’s compulsory. So what is so important to these professions? – continuing professional development (CPD).

With industries recognising that a qualification is just the start of the learning process, CPD aims to continually maintain and enhance professional standards. CPD is as important to driving instructors as it is to other professionals. It’s important to remember that CPD is all about you and how you would like to develop – it’s about where you want to be, and how you plan to get there.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

1. Identify an activity appropriate to your development. For example; update your teaching or driving skills, attend local or national meetings or seminars, spend time developing your business skills, attend formal courses or spend time on the internet carrying out desktop research.

2. Reflect on the benefits that completing CPD brings to you and your business.

3. Keep a record of your CPD activity and any associated benefits. You could use the forms available at www.dsa. gov.uk/Documents/CPD/ sampleforms.pdf

“CPD is useful for all instructors. Our mix of formal and informal development as well as mentoring helps our instructors to improve faster and gives them confidence.”

Jonathan Ingram Sherwood School of Motoring

The public will soon be able to see an ADI’s commitment to CPD when ‘find your nearest driving instructor’ launches, giving them the ability to make an informed decision about who they want to teach them.

“We have a responsibility to ourselves and our customers to continue our own development throughout our careers. We can’t claim to be professional if we don’t make every effort to keep up with new developments in our area of expertise.”

John Lepine, General Manager Motor Schools Association

To show your commitment to CPD, just tick the box on your Integrated Register of Driver Trainers (otherwise known as IRDT) home page. You are not committing to anything other than to say you are voluntarily carrying out at least seven hours of CPD a year.

“ADIs themselves realise that their skills need constant updating in a fast changing world and if they don’t keep up with the changes they will lose the competitive edge.”

Ramesh Versani, Chairman of the Association of Barnet Driving Instructors

Remember that effective CPD can help you keep your skills up to date and strengthen your professional credibility. But perhaps the most important message is that one size doesn’t fit all. Wherever you are in your driver training career, your CPD should be exactly that. Yours.

www.dsa.gov.uk Despatch Magazine 13