The role in brief:
Facilitate accreditation of the agency to the IPA CPD Standard, implement and monitor compliance against accreditation criteria, involve members of staff in the programme, possibly write a CPD Gold submission and evaluate CPD’s impact on agency business objectives.
Working with:
- Internal – Agency management, HR Director, Department Heads, all employees.
- External – Trade bodies such as The IPA or The Advertising Association, training providers, CPD consultants, other CPD managers
Responsible for:
- Setting up and maintaining CPD Accreditation programme in the agency, so that the agency has a professional standard, develops its people and maintains its IPA membership.
- Agreeing business objectives with senior management. Having agreed business objectives, oversee development of an CPD/agency training plan designed to meet those objectives, and work out how CPD’s contribution to the result can be measured.
- Negotiating and manage the CPD/development budget, remaining flexible to business needs such as budget reductions and organisation changes.
- Finding the best development solutions and tutors.
- Communicating your programme’s results to the agency, especially senior management.
- Ensuring appraisal system and induction programmes are set up, maintained and fruitful.
- Ensuring that the agency has at least 15% of its staff holding the IPA Essentials qualifications, with policies and techniques in place to encourage uptake.
- Prompting individuals to take ownership of their own development and maintain accurate records of CPD activities.
- Presenting to the staff on the benefits of CPD and what development is available.
- Making sure that some CPD is available to everyone in the agency e.g. Lunch and Learns, All Agency Sessions and online learning.
- Monitoring uptake for diversity and inclusion, to make sure CPD is available and accessed on a fair, transparent and equitable basis.
Those who succeed:
- Maintain and grow their own CPD and Talent skills via courses, free CPD on-line modules (e.g. Evaluating Training) and attending the IPA Training Forum sessions
- Aspire to hold awards which indicate they are doing well - helping the business and helping the employees’ careers e.g. CPD Gold, Investors in People, Campaign Best Places to Work
- Maintain and grow their own competencies e.g. Myers Briggs, coaching qualifications, learning to train etc.
- Are good at communicating and presenting, they probably are empathetic and understand how adults learn
- Are very persuasive at getting an entire agency to keep up the CPD Standard
Where they come from and where they go:
They are often an HR Assistant or Manager who is given dual responsibility. But they also often move sideways from being e.g. an Account Director or Media Account Director. Occasionally they are a Board Director such as the Finance Director who is a champion of CPD.
They can move further into or within HR whilst keeping a talent aspect, for example Head of Talent or Head of People.