Pub.1 2019-2020 Issue 2

The Case for Continuing Professional Development T he concept of continuing professional development is not new. Professionals have long recognized the importance of gaining and maintaining knowledge, improving skills, and developing market- able qualities. That is why legal, engineering, landmen, accounting and similar fields have put continuing education (CE) require- ments in place for continued licensing. While the terminology used may vary, Continuing Legal Education (CLE) for the Utah State Bar versus Professional Development Units (PDU) for professional engineers, the concept is similar. What is new today is the broad relevance of CE when it comes to everyone’s success, regardless of their specific expertise, and even in situations where professional licensing is not a requirement. UPA understands the value of CE to our members and is excited to start offering CE opportunities. CE has always been part of good professional practice, but that profession- alism relies increasingly on an ability to respond quickly to changing market conditions, to client requirements, and to the influences of government policies. Even though we are all being encouraged to innovate, doing so often demands mastering new skills. As a result, having access to CE throughout your professional career is increasingly central to your professional and organizational success. Many professions, even those without the tradition of licensing requirements, are choosing to embrace the concept of CE because their leaders understand that learning under the guidance of one or more experts will almost certainly save them time, money, and effort. The following sections describe the top reasons for CE in more detail. Professional Competence Some experts estimate that the knowledge gained in some degree courses has an average useful lifespan of about four years. While this will vary accord- ing to the discipline, it does nevertheless highlight the increasing need to maintain an active interest in changing legislation, technology, and operational procedures. You will get left behind if you stand still. Suppose you want to increase your managerial responsibilities. In that case, the need to acquire new skills and knowledge in a rapidly changing work environment becomes even more acute. CE helps you to stay interested and interesting. Although experience is a great teacher, it does not give you exposure to anything you haven’t done before. Focused CE opens you up to new knowledge, new possibilities, and new skill areas. CE ensures that you will be more aware of the changing trends and directions in your profession as you work to stay relevant. Changing Expectations of Members and Consumers The development of a more affluent consumer society combined with access to the Internet has also resulted in a better informed and more sophisticated public. One consequence of this trend is that people expect a higher duty of care and level of service from their professional advisors than they did in the past. They can, and do, double-check information on the internet all the time to help them determine whether you are trustworthy. Compared with the access to knowledge everyone enjoys, the skills you acquired during your initial training period or during formal classroom education may not completely equip you for the role you are now expected to take. Your ability to provide tailored customer service and to prevent information overload by identifying just the essentials is crucial. CE can help you do both. It ensures that you maintain and enhance the knowledge and skills you need to deliver a high level of personal service to your customers, clients, and the community. CE can lead to increased public confidence in individual professionals and in entire professions. Increasing Knowledge Decreases Risk The professions are at much higher risk from claims of negligence than they were in the past. In response, insurance companies have raised the premiums for professional indemnity (PI) insurance in recent years. Although CE may not totally eliminate PI claims, it does make clear the potential cost of ignorance. The cost of CE will always be less expensive than getting taken to court. Some evidence is also emerging that insurance companies may be willing to slightly reduce PI premiums when professional staff have access to a structured CE program. Raising the Bar The fact that so many organizations emphasize quality assurance, continuous improvement, and workplace ethics means that CE has increased relevance in these areas as well. Quality assurance and continuous improvement both require education and training. Additionally, ethics are often taught in continu- ing professional development classes that teach participants how to recognize and do the right thing. Safeguarding Standards of Competency One of the primary roles of professional bodies is to safeguard standards of competence. In a society that is driven by consumer demand, industry standards have had to rise dramatically in recent years. CE has a key role to play in the communication of agreed standards and in ensuring that members comply with specified procedures. CE ensures that your capabilities keep pace with the current standards of others in the same field. CE also helps you continue to make a meaningful contribution to your team. As a result, you can be increasingly effective in the workplace. This assists you to advance in your career and move into new positions where you can lead, manage, influence, coach, and mentor others. Increasing the Value of Employees and Organizations The recent years have re-emphasized the highly competitive nature of modern business. Whether in the private sector or, increasingly, the privatized public or state sector, the competitive market edge consists of being partly or totally focused on client care, quality of service, and technological innovation. Albert Einstein has been credited with saying, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” To be effective at solving problems, organizations must invest in the development of people skills. Supporting CE is one way organizations can help people to develop these necessary skills. UPA’s Role in CE UPA’s Lunch Series and our Annual Meeting will now offer various CE opportunities and and are one of the ways our association is providing industry educational opportunities to our members. We hope that you will take advantage of our offerings and to increase your industry knowledge and network with colleagues. Suppose you want to increase your managerial responsibilities. UPA’s Lunch Series and our Annual Meeting will now offer various CE opportunities. 11 UP DATE