According to LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report, 36% of companies have a thorough career development program for their employees. Further, 84% of employers believe that learning on the job helps them feel a sense of purpose. To add, learning on the job is also important for career development.
Thus, a CPD (Continuing Professional Development) plays a vital role. By opting for this, every employee can learn new skills throughout their career in a manner that is relevant to their professional aspirations.
However, once an employee takes up certification courses, it is important to keep track of them. Here, a CPD tracker or tracking software comes in.
With an integrated CPD management system, you get a user-friendly interface that tracks your continuing professional development training and certificates and ensures they align with industry standards. Using the CPD system, the task of managing the continuing professional development records and staying up-to-date on training is easy.
How to Choose the Right CPD Software for Your Needs
According to Forbes, 40% of Fortune 500 companies opt for Learning Management Systems. This allows them to stay competitive and ahead of their peers. This can be further aided with a CPD tracker that provides insights on which employees are on track with their learning.
A CPD or professional development tracking software helps boost engagement and retention, alongside professional development. However, to achieve this, you need to have a CPD tracker or software that suits the requirements of your workplace.
The steps to finding a suitable CPD tracking software are as follows:
- Assess the requirements of the employees.
- Evaluate the CPD trackers available in terms of the interface and what they offer.
- Go through the user reviews and feedback for the software.
- Check if the CPD certification service of the software meets the industry standards.
- Make sure that the CPD Certification provided by the software is complete.
CPD or continuing professional development training is delivered as in-person sessions, online sessions, or a hybrid of both. However, with an increase in the number of remote (37%) and hybrid workers (30%), a CPD certification service and tracker that offers online courses is preferred over others.
Essential Features of a Good CPD Tracking Software
If you, as an HRM, are planning to deploy a CPD management or tracking software at your workplace, at the very least, it should have the following features:
Automated Tracking & Logging
Manually entering the details of each certification received and monitoring when they are due for renewal can lead to errors. Thus, with a proper system, the CPD management software can log the details of each continuing professional development certificate received by an employee. Further, it should keep track of every training and certification, and notify the user if any of them are pending or due for renewal.
Compliance Management
The CPD tracking software in use should have a training management system that meets the industry standards. Further, certain jobs require the workers to have adequate certification, which can be tracked via the CPD tracker. In this manner, the right software will help facilitate compliance management.
Cloud-Based Access & Security
The CPD tracking software you choose should be accessible by workers no matter their location. This will help ensure that the software is suitable for those working in hybrid and remote positions. To add, good CPD trackers come with top-of-the-line data security to prevent any loss of data stored and have minimal downtime.
User-Friendly Interface
Since the CPD tracking and management software is meant for every employee, the interface must be easy to learn and use. Further, the vendor should provide a training session or module so that everyone can learn how to use the software.
Integration with Training Management Systems
For an integrated CPD management system, the CPD trackers should work in tandem with the Training Management Systems. Further, it should also offer a CPD certification service. This, in turn, will create an interface that addresses multiple tasks. Also, it can help boost employee engagement, which can lead to a 17% more productive workforce.
Reporting & Certification Generation
The professional development tracking software should offer to maintain continuing professional development certificates and records. Plus, the CPD system should allow people to take up training modules at their own pace and offer certificates on completion for a 360 degree system. To add, it should also have the option to generate reports on the users.
Comprehensive Course Catalogue
The list of continuing professional development training and certificates available on the CPD certification service should be exhaustive. For a specific industry, this should offer all relevant certifications and courses so that every worker can stay up-to-date on the best practices for the industry. These training sessions have the potential to improve job performance, a common belief among 59% of employees.
Mobile Compatibility
With 37% of UK workers working remotely and another 30% in a hybrid arrangement, workers may join in from any location. Further, they may also wish to sign in to the CPD tracker using devices other than a desktop. Thus, mobile compatibility is a must-have when it comes to CPD tracking software.
Cost and Licensing
Every business operates with a fixed budget that is in line with its financial goals. Thus, the CPD tracking software chosen should fit this budget. Similarly, it should have a reasonable cost of licensing and upgrades.
Support and Training
Before deploying an integrated CPD management system, it is important to check if the vendor offers training for the software. This may come as both training modules available along with the software or separate sessions. Further, for any issues that may come up, it is important to have vendor support. Thus, a CPD management software that comes with 24/7 client support is a better choice.
In Conclusion
According to SHRM, 52% believe that learning new skills is of the essence, especially for a successful career. To address this demand among employees, deploying a suitable CPD management software is important. Further, for optimum benefits, it is best to select an Integrated CPD management system.
Evaluate if the CPD tracker you are looking at provides the above benefits, and deploy one that is suitable for your workplace.
