CPD Engineering is a relatively new engineering discipline. CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development, and it has been around in some form or another since the 1970s. However, CPD Engineering as we know it today took off when the British government began to offer incentives to companies who invested in their employees’ development.
It’s a win-win situation: the company invests in its employees, and those same employees are rewarded with increased opportunities for career advancement. In this blog post, we will get to know all about CPD Engineering.
What is CPD Engineering?
CPD Engineering is a broad term for any engineering that focuses on continuing education. Whether you are employed in the industry or working freelance as one, there will always be some way to learn more and become better at your job.
CPD can take many forms; attending conferences, seminars, and courses is just three examples of engineers’ common ways to broaden their horizons while maintaining full-time employment.
What Are Some examples of areas that can be improved through CPD?
There’s no limit to what areas can benefit from continuous professional development (you’d be surprised). So here are some very general ideas of topics where someone could improve through further education.
– Sales and marketing (to better understand the customers’ needs)
– Continuous improvement (of oneself or a company’s processes)
– The use of new industry technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence.
What is the difference between CPD And Continuing Education?
Although they are similar in many ways, continuing education can be seen more like an educational shortcut; it is something you do when there isn’t enough time to go through with formalized professional development (or if you don’t have access to any). With this type of learning, one typically takes advantage of online courses that offer insight into certain subjects without spending hours reading books or attending seminars. Both types play an important role in developing yourself professionally.
How does one get started with CPD?
There are so many ways to get started that it can be a little overwhelming.
1. Many online resources offer free courses
Most universities have an entire department dedicated to this type of learning. In addition, they often share the content for free through their websites (or at least make it available at a very affordable rate). Some examples include: edX, Coursera, iTunes U . The engineers Australia training directory is a great start.
2. Attend conferences and seminars
Many of these are free to attend, but they will often charge an entrance fee for the company to break even (or make a profit). Some examples include TED Talks, Google Developer Group.
Companies may also be willing to offer discounts on their products or services if you show proof that you attended a specific conference/seminar.
3. Talk to your colleagues
This one is pretty self-explanatory; if you want advice on something, ask a colleague who has been working in the area for years.
If they have no time to talk right now, set up a meeting or shoot them an email asking for their thoughts on the subject of interest and see what happens. Almost everyone finds joy in sharing their expertise with others.
4. Take courses
Many universities and colleges in the world offer either free or very affordable online courses on just about anything you can think of (and some things you couldn’t). Some examples include Coursera, Edx, iTunes U.
Conclusion
The more effort you put into your education, the better it will pay off in the long run. If there is something that interests you and would like to know more about (or even start working on), go for it. It never hurts to try.
