This article aims to provide a brief introduction to CPD for politicians. In this article, we have provided an overview of CPD for politicians as well as listed some of the professional bodies that are helping to promote the development of political studies. We also discuss the benefits of CPD as although the industry doesn’t have any requirements to take part in training, it goes without saying that participating in CPD will benefit both you and the industry.
Training to become a Politician - brief overview
In 1882 Robert Louis Stevenson said ‘Politics is perhaps the only profession for which no preparation is deemed necessary’. Today it seems that his comments still apply as despite a wealth of understanding in work psychology about how to train and support people in work roles, minimal efforts have been made to apply this knowledge to political work.
In the UK if you are currently a politician or simply aspiring to be one, you might be aware that Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is not something that is regulated in the industry. Currently there is very little regulation around the training that must be taken by politicians, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be looking to upskill once you have entered the industry. There are currently an abundance of private training courses in the political sector which we believe all professionals working within the industry should be participating in.
The training courses on offer usually cover:
- Political Analysis
- Policy Making
- Ethics
- Campaigning & Campaign Funding
- Debating
- Influencing Skills
- Network-Building
Many people have recognized that there are numerous benefits from keeping up to date with your professional development, which has led to a number of professional bodies being established with the goal of encouraging the industry to keep on top of their CPD.
Professional Bodies in the Politics Sector
As there is no regulation towards training in the political industry as a whole, many private organizations have set up to help establish an industry standard towards CPD for politicians. We have listed a few of the professional bodies below that are promoting CPD for politicians.
Institute for government (here) - is one of the leading think tanks working to make government more effective. They provide research and analysis, topical commentary and public events to explore the key challenges facing government.
The Political Studies Association (here) - was founded in 1950, with the main objective to promote the development of political studies and encourage education and learning improvement in the art and science of government, as well as in other divisions of political sciences.
Political Studies Association of Ireland (here) - was established in 1982 with the purpose of promoting the study of politics in Ireland. It has served a crucial constituency of academics, students, journalists and political practitioners.
European Consortium for Political Research (here) - Founded in 1970, European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) are a leading European academic association with a mission to advance political science. The European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) was established by a group of twelve founding European universities and as the result of a project led by eminent political scientists.
