We have developed a template that helps you think about your CPD, articulate it, record it and highlight priorities. It asks you to think about:
- Where you would like to see your career take you, your career aspirations and the steps to get there
- What skills, knowledge and experience you need to develop
- How you are going to develop the skills, knowledge and experience
Where?
To make the most of your AMA you need to look to the future. Where would you like to be at the end of your AMA? Where would you like to be in five years’ time?
There is no right or wrong answer. It could be about having a particular job or having gained certain expertise. It could be about working for a particular organisation or in a specific location.
Here are some questions to guide you:
- Is there a discipline you want to excel in? Is there an organisation, or organisation type, you would like to work in?
- Do you have aspirations to be a paid member of staff?
- Do you have aspirations to become a freelancer?
- Do you want to have a particular job title or grade?
- Do you want to deliver a particular public benefit?
- Do you want to work in a particular location, region or nation?
These are your overarching career aspirations. We then ask you to reflect on the steps you’ll take to get there to create professional development goals to achieve by the end of your AMA.
One goal is standard for everyone doing the AMA, and that is to achieve the AMA award – becoming a well-rounded museum professional by developing experience to meet the established level of competency.
What?
Identifying what you need to develop to achieve your CPD goals and your AMA is the foundation of your CPD plan. This may involve developing knowledge (what you know) or skills (what you can do), or gathering experiences (what you have done). Knowledge, skills and experiences create expertise, which is what will be assessed at your professional review.
How?
You now need to reflect on how you are going to develop the skills, knowledge or experience to meet the established level of competence.
We all have preferred ways of learning, and these can make our learning more effective and efficient. However, certain topics are best developed in specific ways, so be sure to think about variety.
If an activity enables you to think or act differently then this is a relevant development activity. You can develop by:
- Reading Museums Journal, blogs, set texts and policy documents
- Observing experts in their field and role models
- Reflecting on what you have done and what you might do differently
- Watching films or TED talks
- Listening to experts in their field, podcasts or interviews
- Participating in networks, social media campaigns and workshops
- Visiting other museums and useful websites
- Doing activities in the area you want to develop
Submitting your plan
Once you and your mentor are happy with your CPD plan and you have ensured that all the requirements have been met, you can submit your plan to the Museums Association. The plan is then sent to an external verifier to review. This usually takes four weeks, during which time you can continue to log CPD activities.
The formal start date of your AMA is the date you submit your plan for approval.
Occasionally CPD plans are not approved. These are the common reasons:
- The goals do not contribute to the career aim
- The goals are too big and need to be separated out
- The development activities do not deliver the development needs
- The CPD plan is too ambitious in the extent to which it is achievable
- There are no completion dates or frequency of development activities given
Summary
Your CPD plan:
- Helps you identify your aspirations and direction
- Helps you articulate your goals and reflect on them to develop a clear plan of action for professional development
- Is about you and your aspirations, so needn’t always be grounded in your current role or organisation
- Is just a plan – this means that it may change over time. It is dynamic and you can be responsive to changes