All about ethics, edification and efficacy

Pre-review, many providers offered a variety of roadshows across the UK. Often subject specialists gave quality technical sessions with minimal product pitch. But others naively took to the platform just to extol the virtues of their own offering. Many have now pulled out this type of activity to focus on their core proposition.

Since the RDR there has been a renewed commitment to professional development, especially with CPD being a factor in the issue and renewal of statements of professional standing (SPS).

However, in terms of choosing appropriate CPD there has been a deliberate flight to quality from advisers. RDR was instrumental in changing some adviser perspectives on CPD, and rather than continue to view it as a tick box exercise, it has now become firmly established as a core component of professionalism. It keeps advisers ahead of the curve and ensures they are equipped to provide the best possible outcomes for their customers.

Today’s better educated, more customer-centric, qualification-savvy adviser community appreciates the specific importance of CPD in helping them meet their on-going learning objectives.

As a consequence, there has been a discernible shift in the provision of top quality and business-relevant content. CPD has ceased to be a means to an end and just being concerned with fulfilling professional body / regulatory obligations. Now it is about ethics, edification and efficacy.

But in saying that, and with the plethora of learning options available, what criteria should advisers use to select the learning programme that best suits them? How does one differentiate and follow the most effective path?

I would suggest a six-point checklist that could well guarantee suitability and help ensure the most effective means of CPD maintenance:

Relevance: what do you want to achieve from your CPD? Is it purely to fill gaps identified by your development plan or is there a career progression element? Having a clear understanding of your objectives is a key factor. 

Accreditation: does the CPD provider have a good reputation and even offer additional credentials and learning opportunities? Accreditation means frequent checks on processes to help ensure the appropriate standards are maintained. Consider independence too, as this will ensure there is no sector or product bias.

Study preferences: if you work best in a group learning environment, then signing up to in-venue courses may be your best option. However, if you prefer to study alone and without distraction, then online or distance learning may suit you better.