The CIPD Professional Development Scheme is the most widely recognised professional qualification for HR and development specialists. Complete it successfully and you'll be awarded Graduate membership of the CIPD.
The CIPD Professional Development Scheme is a postgraduate programme, however there are no formal entry requirements, and extra support is available if you're new to study, or returning after a break.
There are four fields of study, each based on the CIPD's professional standards:
Successful completion of any one of the first three areas leads to Licentiate membership of the CIPD. Successful completion of all four areas means you have completed the PDS qualification, giving you graduate membership of the CIPD.
Fields of Study
Leadership and Management
This field is vital for anyone with a general management responsibility, and for those who need to understand their organisation in order to exercise influence.
The subjects cover:
- Managing for Results
- Managing in a Strategic Business Context
- Managing and Leading People
- Managing Information for Competitive Advantage.
People Management and Development
This field covers all the elements that make up personnel and development. It is designed to provide you with greater awareness of how personnel and development can contribute to organisational success. Underlying this subject is the need to gain support and commitment from other managers within the organisation.
The subjects covered are:
- Shaping the People Management and Development Agenda
- Contribution of People Management and Development Expertise
- People Management and Development in Practice
- Integrating the People Management and Development Contribution.
Generalist and Specialist Personnel and Development
To complete this field, you need to take four electives from the total of seven options below:
Generalist Electives
These are well suited to learners at an early stage in their career, as they provide the knowledge and skills required of personnel and development practitioners. They also form the basis for the specialist standards.
The four areas are:
- People Resourcing
- Learning and Development
- Employee Reward
- Employee Relations.
Specialist Electives
The Specialist electives are well suited if your job role is more involved with learning and development issues. You would normally meet the Generalist Elective in Learning and Development before embarking on any three of the following:
- Managing Organisational Learning and Knowledge
- Managing the Training and Development Function
- Management Development.
Applied Personnel and Development
To complete this field and achieve graduate membership of the CIPD you must undertake the following:
A Management Report
This is a 7000 word work based report on aspects of your studies. It assesses your ability to demonstrate professional competence within your role.
A Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Learning Log
You must provide evidence that you can manage your own continuing professional development. This will take the form of a record that demonstrates your ability to reflect on personal learning. This should show a focus on learning outcomes, benefits and applications, highlighting how learning is an integral part of your professional work activities.