Economic impact assessment of the CCPMO: Final report - CIPD

Section 2
Overview of the CCPMO
award more than 50,000 qualifications each year, in addition to extensive nonaccredited
training courses.
Importantly, as well as providing a large volume of education, training and
qualifications, the professional bodies are able to ensure that their courses are
of high quality, providing individuals with highly valued skills that are in
consistent demand across the economy. With more than fifty years experience
in their discipline (and around 100 years for some of the bodies), and
continuous updating of knowledge through research programmes and direct
links with current practitioners, professional bodies are best placed to
develop qualification syllabuses that provide practical and employer-relevant
skills to individuals.
In addition to the provision of these core qualifications, the professional
bodies also contribute to the education and training of their members in
several other ways. Existing members are provided with a range of
continuing professional development and best practice tools to allow them to
develop their skills further; indeed CPD compliance is a membership
requirement in many cases. Non-members (as well as members) have access
to the professional bodies’ labour market and research information, training
courses, seminars and other events. Employers are able to use the
professional bodies’ knowledge to train their employees directly, or to
develop and secure accreditation for in-house training schemes.
2.2 Knowledge and research base
An important role of professional bodies, as part of their public interest remit,
is an ongoing commitment to develop good practice within their fields. This
knowledge base underpins all the areas of activity undertaken, including
development of relevant qualifications, continuing professional development,
providing labour market information and associated advice to members, and
setting industry standards.
In developing this knowledge base, professional bodies are able to draw not
only on their own significant experience in the field, but also the experiences
of their several thousand members. This ensures that knowledge remains upto-date
and is practically orientated to the current needs of the professions.
Professional bodies are also actively engaged in new research to ensure that
their members and the wider workforce are kept up-to-date with the latest
developments emerging from academia and other research bodies.
London Economics
December 2008 4