Today the Institute of Internal Communication has launched a brand new Continuous Professional Development (CPD) scheme to reward communicators for their hard work.
It’s worth checking out if you’re serious about your career.
I’m delighted All Things IC Masterclasses have been recognised as part of this new initiative, which means if you train with me, you’ll earn hours while you learn.
How it works
CPD is a member benefit (which means it’s free for IoIC members), and managed through a portal. You can create your own personal development plan, and record and review the activities that help maintain and develop it.
Participants need to log, and reflect upon, 32 CPD hours across informal and formal activities. My Masterclasses are six hours.
Many opportunities for building up hours – training courses, conferences, events – can be found on the IoIC website or through regional IoIC networks.
If you are an IoIC member, you can use this link to register for CPD. I’ve just done mine and am looking forward to taking part.
I’m a Fellow of the IoIC and welcome this move to help professionalise communicators. As a CIPR Fellow, I’ve been part of their CPD scheme for a number of years and am an Accredited Practitioner. It’s refreshing to see IoIC offering IC pros the opportunity to have their efforts recognised in this way.
I had a chat with Jen Sproul, IoIC Chief Exec this week to find out more about their new CPD scheme and why comms pros should get involved.
Jen (pictured) said: “As the only professional body solely dedicated to internal communication, core to our mission is helping our members be the best they can be – today, and in the future.
We’ve been setting the standard for more than 65 years, driving the profession forward through professional development and best practice. The credibility of the internal communication profession is driven through the individuals who commit to continuously improving their skills and knowledge.
“To deliver on our mission and support our members, we have provided the only continuous professional development programme dedicated to internal communication.
“IoIC CPD is free to our members, offering a framework to plan your future career goals, identify your development needs, reflect on your learnings and demonstrate your professional knowledge and competence by achieving IoIC CPD Accredited Status.”
CPD Benefits for you:
- Identify your professional development needs
- Embed reflective thinking into your everyday working life
- Boost your confidence
- Showcase your achievements and knowledge
- Plan your future career goals
- Strengthen your professional credibility.
CPD is an investment you make in yourself, linking practice into learning. It can help ensure your knowledge and skills are up to date, prepare you to take on fresh challenges and can easily be embedded into the routine of your professional life.
It helps you stand out from the crowd.
If you are not an IoIC member, and you are interested in registering for CPD, see their website for more info about joining.
Update: I’ve just logged into my CPD for the first time – this is what it looks like:
Further reading via the All Things IC blog
Want to learn more about professional development in internal communication?
See my recent article: Do you have the right skills to work in IC? It features IoIC’s profession map.
I know the map is being updated at the moment following feedback from members. This is what it currently looks like:
Don’t forget the IoIC Awards are open at the moment and they are calling for comms pros to nominate their efforts.
Upcoming Masterclasses
I’m running one All Things IC Masterclass a month.
They take place at the fabulous Wallace Space venue in Covent Garden, London.
Courses cost £499 +VAT and if you work for a nonprofit organisation or are an IoIC or CIPR member, you can save 20% off by using the respective codes: NFP20, IOICmember or CIPRmember.
Here’s what’s coming up from you to choose from:
- Strategic Internal Communication, 23 March 2017.
- Internal Communication, 27 April 2017.
- Strategic Internal Communication, 25 May 2107
- Internal Communication, 29 June 2017
- Strategic Internal Communication, 14 September 2017
- Writing Skills, 18 October 2017
Thank you for stopping by,
Rachel.
Post author: Rachel Miller
First published on the All Things IC blog 15 March 2017.
