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CILIPS Council Conversations (continued…)

Category: Blog, CILIPS Council Conversations

CILIPS Council Conversations, with white text on a blue background and a graphic showing a diverse crowd.

At our biannual CILIPS Council meetings, representatives from each of our Regional Branches and Special Interest Groups come together to share updates on their committee’s activities, help shape the future of CILIPS event content, and discuss key themes related to cross-sector professional practice.

At our first meeting of 2026, reps reflected on the theme:

Fantastic CPD and Where to Find It

What does the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) landscape look like for your committees and colleagues?

  • How easy or otherwise is it to a) identify and b) access learning opportunities, whether in-house or external
  • Where should/could CPD ‘fit’ within our organisations – is it best integrated into formal appraisal processes or kept dynamic and informal throughout the year (or a mix of both)?
  • Do our committee members and colleagues feel empowered and encouraged to undertake Professional Registration and/or other qualifications? 

 

  • Council members reported that their workplaces encourage CPD, with opportunities advertised across their teams and via training-dedicated emails.
  • The volume of training emails and promotions can feel potentially overwhelming – we recommend the judicious use of sub-folders!
  • This can be reinforced by a team member being appointed to ‘lead’ the cascade of training opportunities to the rest of their team, and it is valuable to have a person/people empowered to encourage CPD in this way.
  • Council recognised that CPD is central to the CILIPS offer and a dedicated training section of the CILIPS website would be welcome, complementing the CILIPS calendar.
  • Solo working can present a challenge to CPD as time away from one’s desk or office is scarce, a problem exacerbated as capacity is stretched across the sector.
  • Fluctuating funding levels also have an impact on our ability to engage with opportunities.
  • Including Professional Registration in more job descriptions/requirements would be helpful for this and more broadly encouraging CPD, offering colleagues recognition within as well as beyond their workplaces for the development they undertake.
  • Equally, it is important to recognise that individual needs from CPD can vary, and to distinguish between personal and professional development – growing skills and knowledge need not exclusively be about career progression.

 

Email the CILIPS team anytime at admin@cilips.org.uk to share your views and stay tuned for another post in our Council Conversations series coming soon!

The next CILIPS Council meeting will take place online via Teams in November 2026. To join us and add your voice to these vital member discussions, please contact kirsten.macquarrie@cilips.org.uk.

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