Another year of CPD completed

As an accredited member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), I am required to complete a certain amount of continuous professional development every year - with good reason.

The PR industry has seen dramatic changes in recent years, with social media and content marketing blurring the boundaries between the different communications professions more than ever. As such, the opportunity to keep on top of the latest developments, thinking and evaluation techniques is invaluable.

The CIPR not only encourages continuous learning, but also the sharing of skills through mentoring and community initiatives. I have been lucky enough to get involved with a couple of enterprise days in local high schools, where pupils are set a complex business task. Seeing the pupils take on the challenge of creating products and bringing them to maket has been fascinating, and it's encouraging to witness some real enthusiasm and good ideas when it comes to marketing their creations.

CPD is, as its name implies, continuous. It won't be long before I start logging my next stage of learning. But for now, it feels good to tick this off as complete for 2016/17.