CPD - who pays?

[oldbanger]

I enjoy learning stuff and so always have some money set aside for professional memberships, networking/interest fora and training courses. I’ve often ended up helping to organise workshops and conferences behind the scenes just to keep my oar in. It’s fun.

If work offers me stuff to then great, but generally that’s icing on the cake. I do also ask and sometimes I even get training/conferences paid for, if I think I can make a reasonable business case for it.

I get that I am possibly a bit odd, but it still confuses me when experienced colleagues (often with fewer commitments than I have) complain that there’s no department budget for them to attend a £50 masterclass series, for example, and who don’t read around or network in their particular subject.

I know self employed people generally have to sort their own professional development but as employees, I’d be interested in understanding what other people do in different professions/jobs.

[StevieBee]

Back when I employed people, we would always fund CPD if it was industry related and the company benefited. There was often grant pots available to us so apart from some admin, there was little direct cost to the company but even if there was, we would still support it.

There were a few occasions where someone wanted to do a longer-term course that were sometimes a bit on the costly side. So for these, the employee would front up the costs and we would pay them back over a period of time adding a bit to their monthly pay. This way, if they decided to leave three months after completing the training, we wouldn't have funded skills development only for another company to benefit from.

CPD is is an important part of business - you want staff on top of their game and developing that only from within the working environment can lead to a very blinkered team. You end up getting really good at making the same mistakes.

As an aside - and something that may help you - one of the most effective ways to develop skills, insights and knowledge is to speak at events. This forces you to really get to know your sector because if you don't, standing up and talking to your peers will reveal your deficiencies and make you look a chump. Most people baulk at the idea of public speaking but I would say it's a key part of career progression.

[Countdown]

For my team (Finance) it's always been funded, mainly because we need to be up to date with the various budget/legislation/VAT changes. We also have at least 3 Trainee Accountancy slots but that's mainly for recruitment and retention purposes (plus, with the Apprentice levy) they don't cost us that much.

[oldbanger]

Thanks. These aren’t so much for compliance training or trainee roles.

We do have an annual budget for professional training that people can request longer courses.

Would other employers generally pay for professional memberships and forums?

[oldbanger]

StevieBee said:

Back when I employed people, we would always fund CPD if it was industry related and the company benefited. There was often grant pots available to us so apart from some admin, there was little direct cost to the company but even if there was, we would still support it.

There were a few occasions where someone wanted to do a longer-term course that were sometimes a bit on the costly side. So for these, the employee would front up the costs and we would pay them back over a period of time adding a bit to their monthly pay. This way, if they decided to leave three months after completing the training, we wouldn't have funded skills development only for another company to benefit from.

CPD is is an important part of business - you want staff on top of their game and developing that only from within the working environment can lead to a very blinkered team. You end up getting really good at making the same mistakes.

As an aside - and something that may help you - one of the most effective ways to develop skills, insights and knowledge is to speak at events. This forces you to really get to know your sector because if you don't, standing up and talking to your peers will reveal your deficiencies and make you look a chump. Most people baulk at the idea of public speaking but I would say it's a key part of career progression.

I would agree regarding CPD. I have put some of own team (and others from a colleague’s team) forward for various bits and bobs from the professional development fund, and my own team have a standing order to find out how to do things if they don’t know. If that means spending a couple of hours on YouTube watching videos of others talking through how to do something, or going to sit with a colleague, that’s just part of the job.

I have done a few conferences but not since I moved sideways into my current role. Much less opportunity in what I am doing now, unfortunately.

[Countdown]

oldbanger said:

Would other employers generally pay for professional memberships and forums?

We pay where it's a formal requirement of the job. i.e. For my role a person has to be CCAB qualified, therefore the company pays, it's the same for the Director of HR (CIPD), our In-House Solicitor etc. If it's not something that the Company requires you to have then we don't pay.

I used to work for a Housing Association and the Gas Engineers all got their CORGI/GASSAFE paid for

[danpalmer1993]

Countdown said:

We pay where it's a formal requirement of the job. i.e. For my role a person has to be CCAB qualified, therefore the company pays, it's the same for the Director of HR (CIPD), our In-House Solicitor etc. If it's not something that the Company requires you to have then we don't pay.

I used to work for a Housing Association and the Gas Engineers all got their CORGI/GASSAFE paid for

Same as where I work, my BCS would have to be self funded if I wanted it as it isn't required for me role. My partner works in HR and her company fund her CIPD membership.

[Hoofy]

When I was an employee, yes, my company paid for employees to attend conferences etc and even covered their travel expenses!

[oldbanger]

Hoofy said:

When I was an employee, yes, my company paid for employees to attend conferences etc and even covered their travel expenses!

Which is where I have managed to get work to pay fairly often - always if I was speaking

[towser44]

Countdown said:

oldbanger said:

Would other employers generally pay for professional memberships and forums?

We pay where it's a formal requirement of the job. i.e. For my role a person has to be CCAB qualified, therefore the company pays, it's the same for the Director of HR (CIPD), our In-House Solicitor etc. If it's not something that the Company requires you to have then we don't pay.

I used to work for a Housing Association and the Gas Engineers all got their CORGI/GASSAFE paid for

We pay for professional body memberships etc for our Financial Advisers.

[oldbanger]

towser44 said:

Countdown said:

oldbanger said:

Would other employers generally pay for professional memberships and forums?

We pay where it's a formal requirement of the job. i.e. For my role a person has to be CCAB qualified, therefore the company pays, it's the same for the Director of HR (CIPD), our In-House Solicitor etc. If it's not something that the Company requires you to have then we don't pay.

I used to work for a Housing Association and the Gas Engineers all got their CORGI/GASSAFE paid for

We pay for professional body memberships etc for our Financial Advisers.

Yeah, there aren’t any regulatory requirements in my line of work.

Nevertheless there are regional and national forums which each run around 5 or 6 events a year, including conferences, seminars, careers events and networking drinks. Without conference tickets, membership of two cost me less than £10 a month combined , and I’d have lots to entertain myself with. I don’t understand why more people don’t take up these opportunities, especially early on in their careers. My 40 a day habit (kicked 15 years ago) cost me much more and just made me stinky with yellow teeth.