Professional Development: What does the Future of Professional Education entail?

As we enter the 3^rd year of a global pandemic in 2022, it is fair to say the majority of us are familiar with the trends in flexible working, but what does this mean for professional development?

In this blog post, the Institute aims to shed light into what the future of professional education and career development is becoming, as well as the role of online learning (e-learning).

What is professional development?

Simply put, professional development is the process of oneself developing his or her skillsets in ways that enhance workplace competence.

Hence, professional development is equally important for employees and employers. The process of perpetual professional development is coined as continuous professional development (CPD). If you want to read more about CPD and why it is important, we have a blog post talking all about it.

Is flexible working mainstream?

Since 2020, both employees and employers had to quickly adapt to the working conditions that challenged the world with the COVID-19 outbreak. The biggest challenge of all was how to ensure business as usual without obstructing operations; the answer – remote working.

Understandably, many sectors such as hospitality and leisure simply could not operate due to global restrictions and unfortunately, drew the short end of the stick. However, many corporate jobs opted for alternative working conditions such as working from home (WFH). Fast forward two years later, is remote working or WFH now considered mainstream?

As the answer may not be clear yet, one thing remains assured; working conditions are changing.

Recently, various organizations, sectors, and even nations are trialling different working conditions that challenge traditional methods such as the 5-day week, 9-5 corporate lifestyle. Further, countries such as Japan, New Zealand, and Finland all currently have projects in place measuring the impact of a 4-day work week. In the UK and US, many large organizations are also putting the 4-day work week to test.

With new workplace arrangements offering flexible working and promoting a better work-life balance, individuals have more opportunities to explore activities in their personal time.

How can flexible working benefit professional development?

If managed correctly, flexible working has the potential to improve the work-life balance of many individuals which in turn, can benefit employers too.

Furthermore, flexible working arrangements allow individuals to create (to an extent) a schedule that optimizes their workplace output and overall responsibilities. An example where flexible working benefits individuals is during commutes. For many professionals, commuting to and from their workplace requires a significant amount of time. Flexible working enables individuals to decide how they want to work and from where.

Hence, instead of allocating time to commuting every day, individuals have the freedom to work on their own aspirations and goals, whether job related or not. One of which can be self-improvement such as learning a new skill or taking care of their mental or physical health. Therefore, allowing employees to dictate their working conditions to a degree, can play a key role in personal and professional development.

What role does online learning play in professional development?

Nowadays, online learning including professional education, has never been more accessible. Even though there is still a lot of work to be done, the realm of online learning has taken large strides in the last few years that aim to bridge the gap between education and career opportunities.

Online education has the potential to overcome many obstacles. Thus, ambitious individuals regardless of background finally stand a chance at challenging the socioeconomic disparity.

So, what does the future of professional education entail?

Taking into consideration the aforementioned, there is a lot to be excited about in the realm of the professional education, development, and online learning.

Firstly, although the pandemic has brought times of misfortune, it has also challenged entrepreneurs including untraditional educational services providers to develop innovative educational platforms geared for online learning. Such innovation adds to a more complete educational ecosystem, tailoring for the needs of modern professionals globally.

Secondly, professional education and development conducted online can help both employees and employers. Virtual professional training has the potential to reinvent how individuals performs jobs and how organizations hire, meaning opportunities and talent is now accessible on a global scale. Moreover, organizations can hire and conduct onboarding processes remotely, where new starters can be trained using the latest technological advancements.

Additionally, studies show that 89% of professionals want to learn at their own time and pace. With that said, mobile-friendly learning platforms are a great solution since we can practically do anything and everything from our mobile devices already.

Also, remote working has shown us just how effective and efficient virtual meetings can be. Therefore, implementing virtual live workshop to professional development courses to produce a classroom environment can significantly add educational value.

Lastly, microlearning is definitely worth mentioning; it is the process of acquiring knowledge by consuming short and concise learning activities. Hence, microlearning is an unconventional learning method that has proven to be an effective approach for both workplace professionals and academics. However, this topic deserves a dedicated blog post, and we will be exploring microlearning at a later date.

How can IforPE help with your professional development?

Our mission at the Institute for Professional Excellence is to provide professionals the tools and resources they need to achieve their goals. We believe professionals, or aspiring-to-be professionals, regardless of background or socioeconomic status, have the right to high-quality, accessible education. Thus, our platform has been uniquely designed to provide professionals the experience and exposure necessary to enhance their professional development.

Our motto, professionals for professionals, means our courses are only delivered by practitioners who are industry-leading experts in their fields. You can learn more about us within this blog post here.

Currently, we are proud to partner with SALVUS Funds, a boutique advisory in Europe, to offer The Most Complete^TM CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission) certification preparation courses.

SALVUS Funds specialize in licensing, compliance and internal audit for investment firms, investment funds, Electronic Money Institutions (EMI), and Crypto-Asset Services Providers (CASP). Evdokia Pitsillidou, Risk & Compliance Director at SALVUS Funds, currently instructs and is responsible for overseeing 15+ courses offered by us, the Institute.

Further, Evdokia’s expertise lies within Cypriot, and EU regulatory frameworks imposed by CySEC and ESMA (European Securities and Markets Authority). Pan-European legislation such as MiFID II, Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) are all covered by SALVUS Funds and IforPE’s educational offerings.

Click here to browse our courses.

From all of us at IforPE, the Institute for Professional Excellence,