What is Professional Development?

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This is a great time for professionals to also think about their own professional development and to assess what skills they and their staff will need to build and enhance in the upcoming year. It is IPRAs desire to help its professionals to improve, to enhance and to learn new skills that will not only improve the level of service that they offered their residents and program participants, but also to help position the individual in their career progression. At IPRA, we want to be your first thought and stop when seeking professional development opportunities.

What is professional development? Wikipedia defines it as "skills and knowledge attained for both personal development and career advancement. Professional development encompasses all types of facilitated learning opportunities, ranging from college degrees to formal coursework, conferences and informal learning opportunities situated in practice. It has been described as intensive and collaborative, ideally incorporating an evaluative stage."

Why should I participate in professional development? First, we can always learn something new or find a better way of tackling a common problem. Professional development programs have changed significantly over the last several decades. Today technology allows us the ability to provide instruction to individuals in different cities, counties and states without having to leave our office spaces, so it is easier than ever to learn about a new topic or approach without having to leave your office. Additionally, when you attend a face-to-face training it is a great way to reconnect with your peers and to continue to build your professional network.

What is an outcome of professional development? Granted we can all benefit from attending an educational session and I believe that continuous learners are the most prepared professions. However, if you are a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional (CPRP) you will also be able to earn Continuing Educational Units (CEUs) which are required to maintain your certification. CEUs may be awarded for educational activity, which helps you to maintain, to develop or to increase your knowledge, problem-solving, technical skills or professional performance. The belief is that professionals who are committed to continuous learning can provide better quality of life experiences for their residents and program participants.

How can I participate? IPRA offers a variety of approaches to professional development including round tables, webinars, workshops, schools and conferences. In 2012, we will be adding case studies to our menu of offerings which we believe will not only greatly increase the level of engagement during our educational sessions but also improve networking among professionals.

We are currently preparing our 2012 training calendar and plan to have the calendar available by November 1st, so if there are particular topics that you would like to see IPRA offer, please let me know.

Have a great fall. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at one of our upcoming trainings: Supervisor Symposium, Professional Development School, Innovation Workshop or one of the many others!

Best,
Jan R. Arnold