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CPA Australia members are embracing a free Continuing Professional Development (CPD) offer.
CPA Australia recognises the real value of Lifelong Learning
08 May 2018
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2 minute read
A new professional development offer announced in April by CPA Australia has proven to be very popular, with more than 6,400 members enrolling in one or both of two complimentary courses within the first month.
The idea to make selected continuing professional development (CPD) courses available to all CPA Australia members at no cost emerged from feedback received in the 2017 member engagement survey.
“One of the clear messages from the survey results was members want greater access to CPD through their professional body” said Peter Wilson, President of CPA Australia. Accordingly, the Board advanced this as a priority and made available two courses free of charge: CPA Q&A 2018 and Global Leaders Insights. Together, these courses allow members to accrue up to 28.5 hours of complimentary CPD per year on an ongoing basis.
To maintain the CPA designation, CPA Australia members are required to participate in a minimum of 20 hours of CPD each year and a total of 120 hours over a three-year period. This requirement ensures that members’ knowledge and skills remain up to date and reflect best practice. The chance to attain some of these hours at no cost and through a convenient online channel has been welcomed by members.
“We’re very happy with the uptake,” says Rob Thomason, Group Executive, Member Engagement and Education, “particularly as this figure includes around 1,300 members who have never previously enrolled in structured professional development with CPA Australia.
“It shows that our members are dedicated professionals who are committed to improving their knowledge and skills. It also shows that the two courses available as part of this offer are relevant and resonate with our members,” Mr Thomason says.
CPA Q&A provides participants with a series of curated resources from the CPA Australia library that relate to specified areas within the profession, such as public practice, corporate SMEs and public sector not-for-profit. Members are tested on the content in a monthly assessment of 20 multiple choice questions that equates to 1.5 CPD hours per month, or 16.5 CPD hours once the member completes all 11 months. CPA Q&A is exclusive to CPA Australia members.
Global Leaders Insights offers members a series of video excerpts where they can hear direct from some of the world’s business leaders about global issues, strategic business development, leadership and innovation. Members earn 12 CPD hours per year by completing the course.
Crucially, members can access both courses online which means they are available anytime, anywhere and on any device.
Formal CPD not only assists members to remain at the forefront of current thinking and professional practices, it enables them to leverage off the combined intellectual capital of other accountants working in similar areas.
This is true whether the CPD is online or at a conference or event. It encourages members to mix with like-minded professionals and build professional networks, which can be both rewarding and rejuvenating.
Mr Thomason adds, “At CPA Australia, we pride ourselves on the fact that our members keep their knowledge current and are able to adapt to the changing needs of the business world.
“CPD supports members as they advance through their career. By making CPD easier to access, CPA Australia is demonstrating our commitment to lifelong learning,” Mr Thomason says.
If you’d like to know more about CPA Australia’s complimentary CPD, contact professional.development@
