Professional Development

McCaffrey (2010:206) notes that professional development is '...about inducting staff into a 'community of practice' to the joint benefit of them and their institution'.

Professional development is the continuous process of updating of knowledge, increasing understanding, developing skills and changing of attitudes which promote excellence in academic and professional practice and may take the form of:

Education - formal awards up to and including postgraduate and professional qualifications e.g. Aberystwyth University Professional Development Scheme
Training - formal learning activities which may not lead to qualifications but impact on daily work e.g CPD Programme, Learning & Teaching Enhancement Fund or Leadership Training
Development - informal learning arising from the role e.g. mentoring or attending a staff forum such as the Admin Forum

At Aberystwyth University all staff are encouraged and required to develop with their roles. This development should be considered at three levels:

Individually - e.g. through discipline or professional bodies; one-to-one mentoring or coaching; or personal development outside the work environment.
Departmentally - e.g. through departmental away days; specific internal training activities; new staff induction; management training
Institutionally - e.g. for legal compliance reasons such as Health and Safety or Data Protection; succession planning; policy and planning

At Aberystwyth University the professional development is fundamental to the formation and development of world class research and teaching. The following pages offer an insight into professional development at Aberystwyth University.

If you have any questions regarding professional development or wish to speak to someone regarding career planning, please contact the Centre for the Development of Staff and Academic Practice on cdsap@aber.ac.uk or (01970) 622117