PD - What Mountains Do You Want To Climb

Written by: Ania Kania-Richmond

The traditional perspective embedded in Quality Assurance Programs (QAPs) is that ‘continuing competence’, or what we prefer to call ‘career-span competence’, is primarily dependent on learning activities. Hence, most QAPs focus on counting education units. At the CSC Collab, we value learning; however, we also take the position that professional development is more than just counting CEUs and courses. Professional development also requires accessing a variety of resources that provide guidance to effectively support a professional to manage, direct, and navigate their career. Further, we recognize that there are different stages within careers, and often these have different needs or require a refocusing. For example, early in a career thing are often focused on building up skills; mid-career may involve on-going skill development but also movement towards mastery; as well, mid-career there may be significant change in focus or direction; and the end of career may involve more mentorship and often involves determining professional exit strategies.

A key component of the CSC Approach is creating a “professional development plan”. We encourage our clients to use this label instead of “learning plan” to reflect the notion that professional development should not be limited to educational activities alone. Most importantly, professional development involves identifying specific goals and supportive activities that enable you to control your career trajectory.

The CSC Approach is design to support your professional development by helping you identify which mountains you want to climb…and how you will get there.