Working from home does not limit your CPD - it changes where it happens. Practical CPD ideas that work entirely from your desk.
Remote workers sometimes worry their CPD suffers without offices, training rooms and corridor conversations. In practice, remote-friendly CPD is richer than ever - it just looks different.
What remote workers lose (and how to replace it)
Lost: informal office learning. Replace with: scheduled virtual coffees with colleagues in other teams, online communities of practice, and asking "can I shadow that call?" more often.
Lost: in-person training days. Replace with: live webinars, virtual conferences and e-learning - all of which now outnumber in-person options in most sectors.
Lost: being visible. Replace with: volunteering to present at online team meetings, writing internal guidance, and mentoring by video call. Visibility is a CPD activity too.
CPD ideas that work fully remotely
- Webinars and virtual conferences - the obvious one; treat them with the same seriousness as in-person events
- Online courses - from free monthly courses to full qualifications
- Podcasts and audiobooks - the remote worker's commute replacement
- Virtual shadowing - sit in on calls and meetings outside your usual work
- Online mentoring - as mentor or mentee; geography stops mattering
- Writing and presenting - internal blogs, team briefings, lunch-and-learns over video
- Professional forums and communities - active participation counts, lurking less so
- Simulation and scenario training - increasingly sophisticated online
- Reflective practice - remote work generates plenty to reflect on; write it down
The remote worker's advantage
You have more control over your time and fewer interruptions. A 20-minute learning slot between meetings is easier at home than in an office. Use it.
One risk to manage
Remote learning is invisible by default. Nobody sees you do it, so if you do not log it, it effectively did not happen - at appraisal time especially. Log everything, immediately.
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