25th April 2011, 09:12 AM
Interesting to read these comments and glad that most see CPD logs as an important part of their career. If you haven't ever written one, then I think if you do, once you sit down and write it, you become surprised at what you know and what you have learned over the years. Employer input and expense does not always come from paid-for courses and seminars. Indeed, learning things on the job (using a piece of survey equipment, graphics software, best ways digging a certain type of soil or archaeology, etc) is as valuable to what you learn and know.
The best way (in my opinion, other people's may differ) is to have 5 headings:
1. Date (many of mine, however, just say 'ongoing' here, but it's good to add the dates as to when you wrote Heading 2)
2. Development. What is your main goals? For example: 'Health & Safety knowledge'; 'Develop my excavation skills'; 'Raise academic standing'; 'Improve supervisory knowledge and experience', etc. By no means exhaustive and this can be tailored for the individual.
3. Training and Development. This is where you put what you have done - ie, under 'Health & Safety' put '..Red Cross training course, 2 days, or 'spoke at seminar at blah-blah conference' under 'Raise Academic standing' or 'Supervisor X at XX company gave on-the-job advice and training about how to complete a complicated harris matrix' under 'Improve excavation knowledge'.
4. Time - this quantifies it and helps when the IfA need to see how much you've done - anything from half an hour here to days. I think teh IfA requires 50 hours in a 2-day period?
5. Comments/Follow Up. Put some extra goals you haven't done yet here, or any notes on anything you want to explore further - this is for you as opposed to anyone else really.
I know that people have developed their own style, and not teaching anyone to suck eggs here, but this method of log seems to work for me and I think is a lot better than listing a lot of stuff as it quantfies and defines the reason for the 'training' (or rather 'learning' by linking it to your main goals in your career and where you want to be and what you want to do.
The best way (in my opinion, other people's may differ) is to have 5 headings:
1. Date (many of mine, however, just say 'ongoing' here, but it's good to add the dates as to when you wrote Heading 2)
2. Development. What is your main goals? For example: 'Health & Safety knowledge'; 'Develop my excavation skills'; 'Raise academic standing'; 'Improve supervisory knowledge and experience', etc. By no means exhaustive and this can be tailored for the individual.
3. Training and Development. This is where you put what you have done - ie, under 'Health & Safety' put '..Red Cross training course, 2 days, or 'spoke at seminar at blah-blah conference' under 'Raise Academic standing' or 'Supervisor X at XX company gave on-the-job advice and training about how to complete a complicated harris matrix' under 'Improve excavation knowledge'.
4. Time - this quantifies it and helps when the IfA need to see how much you've done - anything from half an hour here to days. I think teh IfA requires 50 hours in a 2-day period?
5. Comments/Follow Up. Put some extra goals you haven't done yet here, or any notes on anything you want to explore further - this is for you as opposed to anyone else really.
I know that people have developed their own style, and not teaching anyone to suck eggs here, but this method of log seems to work for me and I think is a lot better than listing a lot of stuff as it quantfies and defines the reason for the 'training' (or rather 'learning' by linking it to your main goals in your career and where you want to be and what you want to do.