Title: COMP402 Professional competency and life-long training
1COMP402Professional competency and life-long
training
- Prepared By
- Joseph Leung
- (18th October 2003)
2AGENDA
- Overview
- Introduction of CPD (Continuing Professional
Development - Demand for CPD
- Importance of CPD
- Individuals Perspective
- Employers Perspective
- Professional Associations Perspective
- CPD Costs
- CPD Activities
- Practices of CPD
- Necessity of Lifelong Learning
- Economic Change
- Social Change
- Technological Change
- What is Lifelong Learning
- Three Dimensions of Lifelong Learning
- Why is Lifelong Learning important ?
- Old and New Styles of Delivering Learning
- Lifelong Learning The Difference in
Philosophy
3Overview
- Lifelong learning and the valueof continuous
professional development (CPD) - Individuals perspective
- Employers perspective
- Professional Associations perspective
4Introduction to CPD
- Requires all professionals to take personal
responsibility for the process of updating their
own ability to understand the range of topics
relevant to their area of competence - "Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the
systematic maintenance, improvement and
broadening of relevant knowledge and skills, and
the development of these qualities necessary for
the successful carrying out of professional
duties throughout a software engineer or
information technology professional's career. In
this it is aimed at enhancing individual worth
and thus corporate performance."
5Introduction to CPD
- Continuing Professional Development is an ongoing
necessity in the ever changing technological
world in which we live. The practising
professional software engineers and information
technology professionals should aim to remain
competent throughout their working careers so
that they can properly carry out their various
duties. To this end software engineers and
information technology professionals need to take
opportunities to update their depth and breadth
of knowledge and expertise and to develop those
personal qualities required to fulfil their roles
in industry and in society.
6Introduction to CPD
- CPD covers matters of direct technical relevance
as well as broader studies also of importance to
the professionals in the furtherance of their
careers such as communication, environmental
matters, financial management, leadership skills,
legal aspects, marketing, occupational safety and
health and professional ethics.
7Demand for CPD
- The community has higher dependence on software
engineering and information technology
professionals - Many large scale information technology
infrastructure have failed badly by any standard - Rapid change in technologies
- New technical skills of software engineering and
information technology professionals become
outdated soon - Traditionally, software engineering and
information technology professionals are not good
at inter-personal communications - An important drive to Professionalism and Ethics
8Importance of CPD
- Competence
- Emphasis on learning
- Increased customer expectations
- Litigation
- Standards
- Quality management
- Competitiveness
9Importance of CPD
- Professional development has assumed great
importance in all sectors of education over the
last few years - Focus on higher standards and improving quality
- Demands of increasing accountability mean that
every professionals have an unprecedented need
for ongoing professional development - Each sector has standards or competences for
the assessment of performance
10Individuals Perspective
- FROM
- Expectation of a job for life
- Develop a single specialist skill
- Vertical promotion
- Keep your head down
- Single employer (for entire career)
- Careers planned
- Develop a skill during an initial training period
- TO
- Reality no job is safe
- Multiple skills required
- Horizontal / lateral movement
- Innovative and take risks
- Multiple employers (portfolio of careers)
- Plan your own career
- Continuous lifelong learning
11Employers Perspective
- Develop CPD policy of objectives that reflect
business needs - Document and record CPD activity
- Evaluate CPD
- Pay attention to the effective management of the
learning environment at work - Measure the cost of professional development
12Professional associations Perspective
- Issues considered important
- Who should pay for CPD ?
- How do you measure true costs ?
- Should financial assistance be provided ?
- What is the role of CPD ?
13CPD Costs (The Individual)
- Costs of undertaking CPD
- Time personal and professional
- Commitment personal and professional
- Costs of NOT undertaking CPD
- Opportunity costs lost
- Potential loss of professional standing
- Inability to compete with fellow members of the
professional body
14CPD Costs (The Professional Association)
- Costs of undertaking CPD
- Time allocated to running the scheme and to
supporting members - Commitment
- Costs of NOT undertaking CPD
- Opportunity costs lost
- Potential lost of standing amongst the profession
if members not seen / proven to be competent
15CPD Costs (The Professional Association)
- Costs of undertaking CPD
- Preparation and dissemination of regulations /
policies - Provision / contracting to provide actual CPD
activities - Issuing guidance / support facilities
- Evaluating the policy and individual members CPD
- Costs of NOT undertaking CPD
- Lack of consistency of standards among members
16CPD Costs (The Employer)
- Costs of undertaking CPD
- Time hours / days individual away from daily
tasks and cost of replacing individual
- Costs of NOT undertaking CPD
- Opportunity costs lost
17CPD Costs (The Employer)
- Costs of undertaking CPD
- Potential loss of staff as individual develops
- Costs of NOT undertaking CPD
- Potential liability through employees lack of
competence - Loss of staff due to lack of personal development
opportunity - Loss of market share / public support where
employees are not seen / proven to be competent - Potential inability to compete in the market
against those organizations whose employees are
kept up-to-date professionally
18CPD Activities
- Technical talks
- Seminars
- Workshops
- Presentations
- Short courses
- Conferences
- Industrial attachment and visits
- Professional activites
- Publishing technical books
19Practices of CPD
- Usually requires a minimum amount of CPD hours
per quarter / year - CPD hours would be recognized or endorsed by the
professional association - CPD programmes might be organized by the
professional association itself or programmes of
other associations they recognized - Failure of achieving the minimum amount of CPD
hours might be resulted with a downgrade or
suspend of the membership, that depends on the
professional associations rules and regulations
20The Necessity for Lifelong Learning
- As we enter the 21st century we face an array of
changes - Economic changes
- Social changes
- Technological changes
- It is an established fact that society is
changing. - The world economy is in transition - from the
industrial age to the knowledge age. There are
shifts in employment patterns as new industries
replace old - There is a change in the age composition of our
communities. As a result of these changes
barriers to trade are coming down and we are now
part of a global economy - The application and convergence of computing and
communication technologies has accelerated the
development of global business and the global
market place - Technology is now an integral part of the
workplace, our homes, our community, our very way
of living
21Economic Change
- Knowledge Economy
- As Hong Kong moves into the new millennium, and
we seek ways of addressing the need to become a
Knowledge Society, we not only face a bewildering
mix of uncertainty, risk, insecurity and
division, but also opportunity - Globalisation
- The challenges of rapid change are all around us.
They can be seen in radical shifts in the
organisation of industry, business and labour
markets - Specialisation
- We are apparent in the rapid changes in
occupations and the demand for new skills, and
manifest themselves in new technology and
communication systems
22Economic Change
- Diversity
- Gone are the days of a single career path for
most people - These challenges feature in the need to meet
increased competition, and in the requirement for
new skills and capacities at work - Complexity, risk, uncertainty, sudden shifts
- Demand for new products and services and in the
radical and far reaching transformation of
technology, information and communications now in
existence - These changes are having great impact on
individuals as they struggle to meet these
challenges
23Social Change
- An ageing society
- Statistics show that we are an ageing society.
Life expectancy at present is into the 80s, but
people are retiring or becoming unemployed at 50
something, so there is a need for these people to
continue with active and interesting lives.
Lifelong Learning is a cradle to grave process
and each and every member of our society plays an
important and integral part in its welfare - Poverty, exclusion, disadvantaged groups
- Statistics also show that an increasing number of
people are on the poverty line. These people are
disadvantaged the most in applying for employment
or having the confidence to take up learning
opportunities
24Social Change
- Changes in demographics
- These are the very adults in our community whom
we must encourage and provide easier, more
cohesive and more connected pathways to learning
for them to fulfil their learning potential. We
need to be proactive about addressing their needs
- Changes in family types
- Hong Kong has the lowest birth rate among
regional countries - There is a trend showing more and more people are
getting late in their marriages
25Technological Change
- Information and Communication Technologies
- There is no doubt that those who do not
understand, use and develop technology within
their field are disadvantaged in the global
market. Where once we wrote letters now we send
e-mails. Where once one telephone in the house
was a luxury we now have multiple land lines,
computer communication, and use mobiles - Changing methods and patterns of communication
- We have cable communication, data networks,
satellite links, and increasingly technological
developments are ahead of its usage - Shift from linear to network societies
- Digital divide
26What is Lifelong Learning ?
- It is a cradle to grave process
- It includes formal, non-formal, informal, and
incidental learning - It is learner driven
- It boosts confidence
- It provides cohesion
27Three Dimensions of Lifelong Learning
- Personal fulfillment for individuals
- Personal growth
- Love of learning
- Knowledge, skills and attitudes
- Employability
- Equity
28Three Dimensions of Lifelong Learning (Contd)
- Economic development of districts, regions and
nations - Innovation
- Competitiveness
- Productivity
- Knowledge Economy
- Ecological integrity
- Sustainability
29Three Dimensions of Lifelong Learning (Contd)
- Social development of communities
- Caring citizenship
- Quality of life
- Active participation
- Cultural richness
- Inclusion
30Put all of this together and you create a Vision
for Lifelong Learning
31Why is Lifelong Learning important ?
- provides cohesion and connectedness
- provides inclusiveness
- stimulates new partnerships
- changes focus from institutions to learners and
learning - boosts competitiveness
- improves quality of life
- reduces unemployment
- promotes cultural development
- reduces barriers
- reduces inequality
32Old and new styles of delivering learning
Old New
Character Formal Formal Informal Reflexive
Funding Mainstream budgets Initiatives Special projects
Focus Provider driven Learner led
Structure Segmented Competitive Age driven elitist Majority leave _at_ 16 or 18 Integrated Collaborative All age open to all Lifelong
Delivery Teachers Classrooms Schools closed 75 of year Autonomous learners Networked learning centres All day, all year 24/7
33Lifelong Learning The Difference in Philosophy
- An education is based on a formal, structured
programme of learning, for a set period of time,
where you have to learn before you can do - Lifelong Learning takes what you can do and
allows you to learn what you want to learn, when
you want to learn, where you want to learn and
shows you how to turn those skills to economic
advantage for the rest of your life - Fundamentally learning is about change, whereas
education implies completion, learning is
ongoing.
34Characteristics of a Learning Society
- Learning is accepted as a continuing activity
throughout life - Learners take responsibility for their own
progress - Assessment confirms progress rather than brands
failure - Capability, person and shared values,
team-working are recognised equally with the
pursuit of knowledge - Learning is a partnership between students,
parents, teachers, employers and the community
who all work together to improve performance - Everyone accepts some responsibility for the
learning of others - Men, women, the disabled and minority groups have
equal access to learning opportunities - Learning is seen as creative, rewarding and
enjoyable - Learning is outward-looking, mind-opening and
promotes tolerance, respect, and understanding of
other cultures, creeds, races and traditions - Learning is frequently celebrates individually,
in families, in the community and in the wider
world.
35Challenges of Life-long Learning
- Time Management
- Too many temptations
- Self disciplines
- Insufficient working experience
- Financial constraints
- Peer group pressure
36Life-long learning opportunities in Hong Kong
- Professional associations
- eg. HK Institute of Engineers, Institute of Human
Resource Management, Chartered Institute of
Marketing, . - Extramural studies
- eg. HKU SPACE, SPEED, SCOPE, LIFE,
- Vocational training
- eg. HKPC, VTC
- On-job training
- Self-study
37Professionalism vs Academy
- It has been argued that academics in higher
education need both educational expertise and
subject expertise if they are to be regarded as
TRUE professionals - Another argument stated that Professional
autonomy is premised on relationship of trust
built on mutual respect between client / sponsors
and professionals and belief in the value of
professional services
38Reference Sites in Hong Kong
- Education and Manpower Bureau
- www.info.gov.hk/emb
- CPD Alliance
- www.cpdalliance.i.am
- Joint Professionals Centre
- www.hkprofessionals.org
39Government Funding
- Continuous Education Fund (CEF)
- The Continuing Education Fund (CEF) subsidizes
adults with learning aspirations to pursue
continuing education and training courses.
Eligible applicants will be reimbursed 80 of
their fees, subject to a maximum sum of
HK10,000, on successful completion of a
reimbursable course or module(s) forming part of
the course. The fees for more than one
reimbursable course may be reimbursed, subject to
the maximum ceiling of HK10,000 per applicant
not being exceeded .
40Government Funding
- Skills Upgrading Scheme
- The "Skills Upgrading Scheme" provide continuous
learning opportunities for in-services employees
from different industries. The courses are
jointly designed by the representatives of
employers, employees and training organizations.
A major part of course fee will be subsidized by
the government. The scheme has also put in place
a stringent quality assurance mechanism. The
skills qualification a trainee received under the
Scheme will be widely recognized by employers in
the industry.
41Conclusion
- The essence of Lifelong Learning is that
- Learning should become as natural as breathing
- Learning should be both lifelong and life-wide
- Learning is about securing our future.
- Lifelong learning is a self-perpetuating process
- the more successful it is, the more successful
it becomes