The Usual Job Benefits: Bonus/pension/life Assurance And. CPD?

Taking a cursory look through the vacancies on a jobs website recently (purely for academic research purposes), it was surprising to note that for several posts, alongside the usual job benefits of bonus, pension, life assurance etc, Continuing Professional Development (yes - CPDI) was being listed.It was typically stated in the form of, "CPD is supported and encouraged", "Ongoing professional development will be provided", "Progressive training and CPD initiatives", and "CPD support will be given". The fact that CPD was being quoted as a job perk, and not as part of the person specification, challenged conventional thinking - can CPD really be considered as a job benefit and what are the implications of this for Administrative Managers?What is CPD?The IAM defines CPD as the process of constantly updating personal skills and knowledge, while Kennie and Enemark (1998, p.162) provide, "The systematic maintenance, improvement and broadening of knowledge and the development of personal qualities necessary for the education of professional and technical duties throughout the practitioner's life".CPD therefore infers an obligation for individuals to update professional skills and ultimately sustain best practice in the occupational discipline. This is especially important for Administrative Managers who are subject to technological changes and must therefore look to CPD as a means of adapting to this changing environment through developing new skills. Consequently Hyams (1 998) feels that CPD is crucial, in order to remain viable in the job marketCPD can thus be considered as a planned self-development (personal and professional) endeavour, impacting positively on one's self-performance and invariably on the performance of the organisation. Effective Administrative Managers should continually seek ways to improve their knowledge, skills and competencies on subjects relevant to their personal and professional development, as well as their business.CPD as a job benefit?Whilst the argument for CPD is clearly stated, can it really be construed as a job benefit? Administrative Managers generally work in a busy environment, which could limit their availability to carry out CPD. In addition, Administrative Managers may feel compelled to undertake CPD offered by employers, which could raise stress levels and so could hardly be construed as a benefit?The advertisements themselves are usually vague. In particular, what does the organisation consider to be an appropriate CPD activity? Will the individual have to contribute themselves? Is the benefit conditional, for example, upon business profitability levels?Despite these negative questions, CPD has now become a necessity for Administrative Managers. The concept of lifelong learning now encourages individuals to continually update skills and knowledge. For an Administrative Manager, CPD is vitally important, not only for personal and career development, but also to contribute to improved business performance. Here, CPD should be an integral element of workplace development schemes such as Investors in People.A win-win situationTo secure employment with an organisation that takes a positive approach to CPD must be precious, since the employer is clearly reinforcing its commitment not only to the career progression of its employees, but also to their personal development and , continued relevance in the scheme of things. …