Only a small minority of adults have grasped the immense value of continuing education. However, continuing education should be differentiated from self-education. While self-education is the pursuit of learning for its own sake, continuing education is more goal-oriented — and it includes everything from adult education for catching up on missing early education, to professional education, which assists working people catch up on the latest developments in their industry.
Continuing education can help with your job no matter what that job is. All things being equal—work ethic, attitude, etc—an employer will more likely promote someone who has a higher level of education and skills. And if you’re not employed, but looking to find meaningful work, it’s the best way to resolve your financial situation when your job search has stalled.
People who have grasped the significance of continuing their professional education, which is often referred to as continuing professional development, usually rise to the top in any corporation because they have the necessary skill sets to help their organization achieve its larger goals. Have you thought about a Master of Supply Chain and Logistics Management?
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about education for professional development:
- What is continuing professional development?
Usually, someone who takes a course in continuing professional education gets a certification from an accredited body. This, of course, can then be used to either improve a person’s position in a company—or it could also be used to find a better position in a more progressive company.
- What is an example of continuing professional development certification?
One example is six sigma certification. Six sigma is a systematic way of thinking about improving the quality of processes within an organization. It can be thought of as a set of tools and a collection of techniques to train individuals to identify bottlenecks, errors, or defects in an important business process and then eliminate the problem. Certification is measured by skill levels, designated as belts. The American Society for Quality (ASQ) or some other accredited body issues certifications for Yellow, Green, Black, and Master Black Belt. Each belt designates a different level of skill.
Assuming you signed up for six sigma green belt certification, how would it improve your career? If you had earned this green belt certification it would tell an employer that you were skillful at selecting the right projects to work on and define the core problem that had to to be resolved. After measuring the current problem and the baseline process, you would analyze the process and identify the cause of the problem. You would then initiate improvement by implementing and verifying the best possible solution. After you had solved the problem, you would take one more final step: control the new process by maintaining the solution.
So, if you had earned green belt qualifications, you would be welcome in any industry that has a problem to solve or any function or department in a company that has a problem to solve.
- Why is continuing professional development important?
Continuing professional development can never be overestimated. In some professions, it’s mandated by a professional body, by a code of ethics, or by a code of conduct. However, even in professions where there is no oversight on professional growth, it’s still your personal responsibility to continuously update your knowledge and skills to meet the expectations of your employer or your customers. For instance, taking these courses for clinicians can be particularly beneficial. Courses like these are focused on diagnosing, rehabilitating, and improving outcomes for individuals with injuries such as a ruptured or torn ACL. These can significantly enhance your expertise in the area you are looking to study, ensuring you are well-prepared to handle complex cases and provide the best care possible. Such targeted training not only boosts your professional skills but also demonstrates your commitment to delivering high-quality, up-to-date care.
- How can someone continue their professional development?
If your organization does not offer a professional development course, you can find one on your own. These are usually offered through seminars or online courses. Courses are available for all kinds of professions—Risk Management, Project management, Finance, Marketing and Sales, Technical Writing, and so on. These courses are created and taught by professionals for their fellow professionals. Naturally, due diligence is required when selecting a course to make sure that the certification you earn is from an accredited body.
Many people appear to think of education as a formal system that comes to an end after they graduate from high school or college. This prevailing attitude is discernible in a majority of workplaces, where people appear to have lost touch with the value of continuing to get better at the work they do by keeping professional development continuous.
