What is Continuing Professional Development?
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the ongoing process in any professional’s career of building on initial training by continually up-skilling and learning, to stay up-to-date. Seeking out these activities and documenting them encourages professionals to manage their own skills development, knowledge acquirement and personal growth in their chosen field of work. It is a personal, individual development process based on self-assessment, reflection and review.
The SGD runs many CPD events throughout the year: these are available to members and non-members alike.
We have both in-person and Zoom-based events on a variety of subjects - from how to create planting plans in print or digital format, to selecting the right plants for a sustainable garden, all the way to how to photograph your designs and find the right clients for you.
For members, CPD events that you book through the SGD website are now automatically logged towards your annual required 25 hours of CPD.
Not a member but still interested in hearing about CPD events? Please click below to register your interest in receiving CPD-related emails from us.
Not a member? Sign up for CPD emails
Continuing Professional Development for Members
Why do Members of the SGD need CPD?
For many professions, it is a mandatory requirement to show evidence of CPD each year in order to renew professional-body Membership or Chartership. For us, it is a sign that a Member of the SGD takes their on-going training seriously and has refreshed their knowledge to keep pace in our changing industry.
We are asking all Members to keep a record of their CPD activities via the website so they can evidence 25 hours of CPD a year when they renew their Membership. We feel CPD is just as relevant and valuable to those starting in garden design as Pre-Registered Members as it will to those who are fully experienced Registered Members and Fellows.
Student Members will already be engaging in CPD activities within the course they are attending, but they are most welcome to also engage in extra activities and make use of the Society’s CPD documentation to record this - it may be useful for future job applications and applying for Pre-Registered Membership.
What counts as CPD?
Garden designers come from diverse backgrounds, so we are aware that no two CPD pathways will ever be the same, and the activities that count as CPD are broad and inclusive, from conferences to SGD CPD days to online courses in art or IT. Not all CPD incurs a cost either – it also includes attending your local SGD Cluster Group meetings, research and reading books and journals, and visiting gardens, nurseries and suppliers as well as garden shows.
Useful workshops, training days and events for Members to consider attending are listed in the Events calendar.
To find out more about the process, how to record your development and the sorts of activities that are considered CPD, you can download our handy guide for Members.
You can enter your CPD details here.