Every profession is changing, and the care and education sectors are at the forefront of these shifts. All sectors are under intense and increasing scrutiny, with headwinds coming from government, the public and technological change, such as automation. Care and education settings must take into account an increasing number of guidelines and changing best practice, while carers have to treat complex conditions under the understandable scrutiny of families. So, what are these challenges exactly, and how can CPD, or continuous professional development, help you get ahead of them?
The headwinds
- The minimum and national living wage are rising above inflation, and employers are finding it more dif-ficult than ever to employ staff. To get ahead of the competition, you need to be continually upskilling
- Increasing wages go hand in hand with increasing automation in the care and education sector. Simply put, more and more jobs that were done by carers and educators are now being done by machines, so learning new skills is more important than ever
- On top of this, every government has different care and education policies, and governments change all the time. Blink, and you’ve got a new curriculum, guidelines and rules to follow
Rising wages, automation, change in best practice and ever shifting government policies are just some of the challenges that make CPD a must for carers and educators. By committing to CPD, a carer can get ahead and stay ahead of the changes in their sector, by continuously assessing their current environment and skillset, and selecting professional development goals based on these.
Face these problems with CPD
CPD gives you the tools to get ahead of all of these challenges.
Learning new skills enhances a CV and makes an employer more likely to pick someone for promotion and makes it easier to justify a new hire. Although research shows that employees are more likely to stay with a company who invests in their professional development, if the time comes when an employee needs to move on, having qualifications to back up your references is really important. Avail’s Training Passport, coming soon, makes this easier than ever for carers who don’t want to take the same training over and over again.
Improving your quality of care
And of course, continued professional development helps you to make sure that the quality of care you deliver, whether that’s to a child, pupil or person living with complex needs, is always in line with the latest best practice and research.
Leaders in the care and education sectors continue to discover new and different methods to improve out-comes for those who need care or education, so what you think may be the best method of doing something, can change quite quickly. The care system matters to those who need care most and staying up to date with the latest skills and knowledge can uphold your quality of care.
Meeting Regulation
By continuously assessing the changes in the sector, employees will be aware of shifts in government, Ofsted and CQC policy, and will be able to choose professional development goals that will help them succeed in a new environment.
To learn more about the courses Avail Learning Academy offers, click here.
