Meeting the CPD deadline

The December CPD rush

It’s always the same, every December accountants are rushing to complete their annual CPD (continuing professional development) requirement.

Panic in the eye - not completed my CPDTaking ACCA members as an example – despite having 12 months (January to December) to complete 21 hours of verifiable CPD, a large percentage leave it till December and often the last few days of December.

Sometimes with a slight panic when they can see the deadline approaching!

The CPD hockey stick

Similar to the budgeting effect in many organisations. CPD is like a hockey stick. Most of it takes place very close to the deadline of 31st December.
The CPD hockey stick

Why do people leave CPD until the last minute?

Have you heard of the famous quote “If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.”?

Hour glass time is running outAlas this was not said by a qualified accountant completing their CPD! It was by Rita Mae Brown an American writer, activist, and feminist. However, she did have a point!

It is easy to procrastinate one’s CPD when there are so many more urgent and more important tasks at hand. It’s only when it comes closer to 31st December that the CPD itself becomes urgent and important!

So is there anything wrong with leaving CPD till the last minute?

Many people feel the end of year holiday season when they are not working and there is less day-to-day pressure is the ideal time to complete CPD.

This may be true to some extent, however, the converse argument takes us back to the route of what CPD is all about.

Point 1: CPD is continuing professional development. It should take place on an ongoing basis and develop during the year.

Point 2: For learning to be effective it should not be crammed. Ideally learning best takes place in small increments when one has time to reflect and to implement learning points in practice.

Point 3: Fast in – Fast out. Slow in – Slow out. One’s memory works best when learning takes place in small doses.

However, perhaps this is stating the obvious and everyone knows this! Perhaps it’s just a case of practical reality which means that CPD takes place in one go at the year end.

At least people are undertaking CPD. Learning even if undertaken in not the most effective way is always better than no learning.

So how can Financial Fluency help?

Financial Fluency’s online CPD courses can help people meet the CPD deadline via e-learning. They can be undertaken anyplace / anywhere making the learning very accessible, especially when one is trying to meet a deadline!

One of the advantages of our e-learning CPD is that even if it is rushed the first time through before 31st December. It can be revisited as many times as required during the access period. Therefore, if learners uncover a key development point which would be useful in the workplace, they can always logon and repeat that part of the course.

The courses can be accessed in a non-linear fashion so it is very easy to revisit a specific part of a course. This is one way to make the learning more effective.

Find our more about our e-learning courses at financial-fluency.co.uk/online-learning

To see ACCA specific offers and information visit financial-fluency.co.uk/online-learning/acca-members

To read about our 21 hour online CPD offer visit
financial-fluency.co.uk/online-learning/acca-members/21-hours-of-acca-verifiable-cpd