Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Glossary Definition

Continuing Professional Development is ongoing professional Learning that helps workers maintain competence, update knowledge, and improve performance across a career.

CPD may include courses, certifications, mentoring, practice, conferences, reading, and reflective documentation tied to career or regulatory expectations.

CPD often involves evidence of learning, credentials, reflective practice, portfolios, or professional standards, so it can overlap with competency and credential governance. In U.S. contexts, compare the term with local adult education, workforce, and credential language before treating it as identical.