Continuing Professional Development and the hallmarks of professionalism: An overview of the current environment for the record-keeping profession1

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is increasingly regarded as a necessary part of our working lives. This article looks at how CPD fits into a larger framework of education, training, competency standards, registration and accreditation. It also reviews models of CPD in the UK and overseas, within and outside of the recordkeeping profession. The author examines recent research into effective CPD schemes to provide a broader context to assess the value of CPD. Recent research into the recordkeeping workforce, trends in employment and estimates in growth and workforce skills needs are also reviewed to provide context. The case is made that the recordkeeping profession in the UK has a solid foundation of education and a good tradition of continuing professional development (albeit unacknowledged).