Over the last 40 years, employees and organisations across the construction industry have committed time and resources to continuing professional development (CPD). Here’s why.
Using CPD’s structured, practical, methodical, and proactive approach to lifetime learning is benefitting thousands of professionals, who can now consistently:
- Enhance their skills
- Identify knowledge gaps
- Grow their individual expertise
- Keep abreast of industry changes
Organisations who see the value of CPD and support their staff’s efforts enjoy a double advantage. First, they are better able to retain key employees because those employees realise their growth is seen as crucial. And second, they enjoy a sustainable competitive advantage because the higher-skilled workers they have more easily retained can push forward their company’s development at speed.
CPD in the construction industry
CPD is an increasingly mandatory requirement in the construction industry. According to the CPD Accreditation Service, more than 500,000 individuals from approximately 50 construction industry professional bodies and member institutes are actively engaged with CPD.
It’s not hard to see why. Construction-related CPD seminars and training courses offer several benefits to both employees and companies.
Staff can proactively expand their understanding of the industry, keep up-to-date with the latest regulation changes, and understand emerging product developments and solutions. At the same time, smart organisations can use CPD initiatives to ensure standards across the company remain consistently high, staff potential is maximised, and a strong environment of support and learning-based development is fostered.
Many construction institutions, including RIBA, CIOB and RICS, require members to undertake CPD as a condition of continued membership. To maintain their membership, members must demonstrate they have engaged in a set number of hours of educational participation aimed at improving their knowledge and skills. Those activities are then CPD rated and CPD certificates, or ‘Points’, are issued for each activity.
As an example, RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Chartered Members must undertake at least 35 hours of learning each year, with at least half structured with learning aims and outcomes, and taught face-to-face, online or by distance learning. Twenty of the 35 hours must cover the 10 mandatory RIBA core curriculum CPD topics. And members must acquire and record at least 100 learning points during a 12-month period.
Specifiers and CPD
As new techniques and product solutions enter the market, it is important that specifiers - those charged with recommending and selecting material and product choices that drive project efficiencies, value, and the design vision - are constantly making informed choices based on up-to-date market knowledge.
CPD facilitates this and is a vital tool both in educating specifying professionals and for developing relationships across the supply chain.
Continuous learning provides opportunities to demonstrate how innovative products can deliver value-added solutions to design, legislation, sustainability, logistics, and on-site challenges that exist in the majority of construction projects.
CPD is at the forefront of driving up industry standards, helping professionals to develop enhanced expertise and delivering the highly skilled workforce the construction industry needs.
At Eurocell, we understand that it’s never too late to learn. Visit our CPD page to see what we offer.