Get involved

We want you to gain maximum benefit from your CIPD membership and share ideas with other people professionals. Being outcomes driven, we know we are not fulfilling our roles unless we spread good practice and test new ideas. Our 40+ branch volunteers talk with members about their skills and knowledge gaps when planning branches activities, so we can help. We deliver over 30 high quality CPD sessions annually to create, share and embed learning.

Branch committee members bring the ideas together from our groups: Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, Learning Matters, Membership Engagement and Mentoring. Branch and group committee members create the branch business plan, making the best use of the funding granted to us from your subscriptions.

Branch committee members run two branch-level sessions annually where we invite CIPD staff to present the latest thinking and evidence-based research impacting the world of work. Branch committee members run two branch-level sessions annually where we invite CIPD staff to present the latest thinking and evidence-based research impacting the world of work. We run the SME Heads of HR Forum workshops, which facilitate forward-thinking discussions on strategic imperatives for organisations. Membership of the Heads of HR Forum ensures wider sharing of learning with meaningful debates. When face-to-face, these workshops are hosted by a large employer from our branch area. Workshops are continuing to be run virtually to reduce commuting time.

We can strengthen our HR community by sharing interesting experiences and opportunities to learn, and welcome contributions from our members to our newsletter. Do you have an idea, HR solution or a success story to share? Please do send us your ideas to bedford@cipdbranch.co.uk, so we can help support each other and grow together. Our HR community is only meaningful if we are partners together.

The CIPD runs two Council meetings a year which are attended by either our chair or vice chair. These events, and other informal interactions with CIPD head office, facilitate dialogue and feedback. 

Our branch annual meeting each summer is held virtually, to ensure that every member in can participate, view the annual reports from our groups and vote if eligible. We clarify who will be on the branch committee for the coming year.

We're keen to hear from you so let us know what is important to you. If you have a suggestion or development need which would make a good CPD session, please let the branch chair or a committee member know so we can consider it at our next committee meeting. The branch is looking for more volunteers to help with the delivery of CPD sessions in support of the CIPD strategy. If you are interested in joining one of the geographical groups, special interest groups or the branch committee, please email us.

Networking and learning

With workshops, round tables, panel discussions and expert speakers, our thought-provoking events cover everything our community needs. Network, learn and stay up to date. 

Volunteering

Keen to get involved, give back or raise your profile? Whatever your skills and interests, learn more about branch volunteering. 

Student support

The branch Student Engagement Lead and professional advisers work closely with Bedford College, Milton Keynes College and with the University of Bedfordshire and welcome new student members to our branch, encourage them to attend our events, to join the mentoring scheme and contribute ideas.

At the university, our professional advisers attend course committee meetings and have contributed to course validations and accreditations. They have put together a programme of support for CIPD students including a used text book marketplace, student awards’ ceremonies with guest speakers, and follow up discussions around next steps for post graduates which include how CIPD membership can benefit their careers.

Member-to-member mentoring

We connect members who want to develop new skills and progress their careers with members who have expertise in coaching and mentoring. 

Join one of our special interest groups

We bring together people professionals with a common interest to network, share ideas and learn from one another. Please email us if you’d like to join one of our special interest groups.

Learning matters group 

The group committee members run up to six evening sessions each year for all members of the CIPD Brabcg in Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes but aimed at L&D professionals. Sessions provide networking and learning opportunities with inputs from specialists within the field. Group committee members have experimented with formats, including facilitating an practical action learning set addressing L&D issues being experienced in the attendees’ organisations.

Membership Engagement group 

The group committee members run up to four evening sessions each year for all members of the CIPD Branch in Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes interested in their own professional development. We want our members to benefit from CIPD membership and tell us what we can do better to keep you engaged as people professionals. Consultation with early attendees suggested 45 topics of interest. Sessions provide networking and learning opportunities with knowledgeable input from people professionals.

SME Heads of HR Forum 

The branch is continuing to build a network of Heads of HR which allows high-level discussions of topical HR areas of interest to those professionals who are formulating strategy while working cross-functionally with other directors in their organisations. If you are a Head of HR, this is your opportunity to participate in this network and contribute to progressing strategic HR thinking across our branch as well as influencing CIPD’s perspective on regional policies and positions, especially in relation to SMEs. The hosts are Dr Janice Johnson, Branch Membership Engagement Lead and guiding the development of professional management qualifications for post-graduate students at Coventry University and Sinead Trudgill, HR Director, National HR team at Network Rail. They introduce facilitators at each workshop who start the discussions around key strategic improvements.

Email the branch to find out more.

Milton Keynes group

In a half-day CPD session, CIPD members from Milton Keynes and portions of Buckinghamshire learn from expert speakers delivering topical events. This aims to raise the profile of the CIPD’s work and influence locally in line with the overall aim of improving working lives. 

Bedfordshire group

The group committee members organise two half-day CPD sessions and seven evening sessions each year for CIPD members in Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton.  Feedback from past attenders suggests topics of interest.  The programme includes two sessions for CIPD students and a Mock Employment Tribunal anonymised from a real case. Networking before these sessions ensures that new members are introduced to long standing branch members and occasionally are reacquainted with former colleagues.

Get in touch to find out more. And let us know your ideas for other special interest groups.