Cumbria Branch

Welcome to the Cumbria branch web page.

With just over 550 members we cover all of Cumbria, from Barrow in the South to the Scottish border in the North and from Maryport in the West to Appleby in the East (plus all points in between!) We also encourage members from out of county to attend our events and share good practice.

Our ‘vision’ is to engage fully with CIPD members and local businesses in Cumbria, supporting your professional development needs, sharing knowledge and good practice, encouraging continuous learning and development and facilitating networking opportunities across the County.

As part of our new strategy we would like to hear from you on what you expect from the branch. We will be launching our Branch survey in October 2018, that will run until December 2018. The information will be analysed and used to formulate the strategy for 2019/2020 event programme. Keep watching this page the link will be included in October 2018.

Melanie Kinsella
Chair, CIPD Cumbria Branch

About us

Although we are the smallest of the 50 UK Branches with just over 500 members we have big hopes and aspirations for our branch.

We welcome all members - practitioners and consultants - covering all levels of the management and development of people, from HR Directors to students just starting their careers in people management.

Branch activities are designed to enhance members' credibility and strengthen the link between HR and the business. As well as the events there is a regular newsletter and this website to keep members up to date with what's going on in Cumbria Branch.

The Cumbria branch of CIPD is your:

Communication hub

to provide local opportunities for professional networking through events throughout the year
to provide the focus for two-way exchange of information between CIPD HQ and local members on policies and governance of the Institute through the branch committee and newsletter, website and events throughout the year.

Development support centre

for students, through their CIPD programmes
for applicants to membership
for upgrading to higher levels of membership
for Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

providing learning and development opportunities through events and discussion groups, at introductory level, on new issues, for updates and advance debate
facilitating the development of special interest groups by business sector or subject
raising the profile of CIPD locally as a valued source of information for HRD professionals and organisations.

Our Mission

We aim to be a best practice resource supporting the professional needs of branch members and promoting understanding of CIPD through sharing knowledge, encouraging continuous development and facilitating networking.

Our Principles for Operating

We share good practice information openly and when it is needed, having consideration for confidentiality
We align our activities with the national mission and standards
We act in the best interests of our members in accordance with the Code of Professional Conduct

Our Objectives

To deliver quality events linked to the HR Profession Map
To maintain effective communication
To raise the profile of CIPD and the HR profession in Cumbria
To manage the branch to ensure it long term effectiveness

Committee meetings

Have you recently upgraded your membership and need to network with other HR professionals?, changed your job role and need to bounce ideas to gain greater clarity or are you simply looking for a new challenge.

Have you ever considered joining your local CIPD Branch committee here in Cumbria? We are a group of dedicated volunteers from a wide range of HR & L&D roles, who are passionate about supporting the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of our colleagues across Cumbria.

Joining the committee would offer you opportunities to network with other HR and Development professionals, gain a wider insight into the strategy and vision of the CIPD, with the prospect of influencing policies and strategies of the CIPD at Formal Council. Also, active committee members are able to access Local, Regional and National events, with expenses paid for by the Branch.

Expectations from committee members who join are: To attend a minimum of 8 committee meetings throughout the year and to take part in organising events on behalf of the Branch. At this time, due to rotation, we have the roles of Treasurer, Media coordinator and Upgrading Support Officer becoming available. Therefore, if you feel that you have the relevant experience and are able to dedicate your expertise, please contact me - I would love to hear from you. My contact details are: cumbriachair@cipd.co.uk.

The current dates of our meetings are:

Saturday 29 September 2018 (9.30am Penrith Fire Station)
Saturday 27 October 2018 (9.30am The Trout, Cockermouth)
Saturday 1 December 2018 (9.30am Penrith Fire Station)
Saturday 26 January 2019 (9.30am The Trout, Cockermouth)
Saturday 23 February 2019 (9.30am Penrith Fire Station)
Saturday 9 March 2019 (9.30am The Trout, Cockermouth)
Saturday 13 April 2019 (9.30am Penrith Fire Station)

Local branch events

Find out what events are happening in your area

Register today

Northern Area Partnership

We are also a part of a longstanding voluntary partnership of the ten northern England branches covering between them an area from the Scottish border down to Cheshire in the West and South Yorkshire in the East and providing services to around 24,000 members.