Professionals have long recognised that traditional professional training cannot fully meet the needs of individuals or organisations in a rapidly changing world. Studying for the award of a professional qualification at the beginning of a career does provide a valuable base to start with, but cannot do more than ensure the acquisition of expertise which is relevant at the time the qualification is obtained. Whilst gaining these sorts of qualifications is still relevant, they should be viewed as part of a wider learning and development process. Much more is involved than just updating a body of knowledge. The development of personal competence is of equal importance.
People differ significantly in the ways in which they learn best.
It is difficult for formal training, which handles people in groups, to address these individual differences in learning styles. Traditional training tends to treat the trainee as the passive recipient of material delivered by the proactive trainer. This concept is now being reversed by encouraging people to take responsibility for their own learning and development. The trainer now provides support to the proactive learner. Employability, rather than secure employment with an employer, is today s career target, and this is largely dependent on self-directed development.