The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programme comprised of units and development sessions offers an exciting suite of professional development opportunities specifically designed for those supporting the recruitment and admission of applicants into both FE and HE programmes.

Function
The UCAS CPD Programme provides staff with the chance to build on knowledge and expertise in an ever changing professional environment in order to:

• Further the Fair Admissions agenda

• Support professionalism in the sector

• Ensure that current knowledge, expertise and experience can be acknowledged

• Provide a range of professional development opportunities for those that are new to the sector

How it works
Designed to operate in a structured and coherent manner and reflect the needs of the individual, the programme is based around:

• Units - with a focus on developing skills and knowledge to a professional standard within the workplace. Assessed through portfolios that evidence knowledge and expertise. A list of units can be found here. There is a £70 registration fee for all participants wishing to follow the unit based route.

• Professional Development Sessions - complementing the units to enhance knowledge with regard to a number of legislative and operational topics. A list of sessions can be found here. Sessions cost £500 for up to 15 participants and can be delivered locally. Sessions can be tailored to suit your needs. The booking form for the Professional Development sessions is available here as a PDF file for you to download and print out.

• Flexibility - units can be started as desired and completed at an individual's own pace and it is possible to dip in and out of units and sessions as appropriate to their needs. You do NOT have to sign up for the whole programme. Sessions can be delivered locally and hosting can be shared. Sessions can be booked in isolation to the programme.

• Support - support and guidance is provided to participants working towards units throughout the process, including how to build a portfolio. A buddy scheme also helps participants support each other through the portfolio building process.

Qualification
We are currently working towards the development of a qualification that will be accessible to all staff working in student recruitment and admissions. Participants will obtain the qualification through the achievement of a number of mandatory and optional units; more information will be available on the qualification when the programme has been validated in 2007.

For more detailed information on units, Professional Development sessions, costs, and booking procedures, please contact Becky West on 01242 545712 or r.west@ucas.ac.uk.