Introduction to CPD
Consistency is key in any learning journey, and Continuous Professional
Development (CPD) helps professionals keep growing by continuously
improving their skills and knowledge (Vazquez-Calatayd et al., 2021). It is
about remaining current with industry developments, applying new
abilities each year, and investing in long-term personal and professional
growth (CIBSE, n.d.). One of the best ways to meet CPD requirements is
through training courses, which can range from a single day to several
weeks, focusing on industry-specific skills (The CPD Certification Service,
2020). For me, CPD is essential because it helps me develop the skills I
need to grow and succeed in my career.
Identification of Professional Knowledge, Transferable Skills, and
Experience
My career journey has been diverse, giving me a range of skills that are
valuable in construction industry. I began working as a hotel receptionist
and waiter (2013–2015), where I developed strong customer service skills,
time management, and effective communication. Working in such a fast-
paced environment also strengthened my ability to work well within a
team and keep things organized.
After that, I transitioned into the construction industry as a cleaner (2016–
2018), which gave me my first look at construction sites. I learned key
safety protocols, how to maintain a clean and safe workspace, and
became more interested in the construction field as a whole. This
experience pushed me to explore the industry further.
Recently, I've gained hands-on experience with small-scale residential
renovation projects. This has allowed me to work directly with tools,
materials, and equipment, while also improving my problem-solving and
time management skills as I followed project timelines and worked with
different team members.
Through these roles, I’ve honed transferable skills like teamwork,
adaptability, and time management. I’ve also learned how to handle
pressure and tackle unexpected challenges. All these experiences are
shaping my path toward a future in site management.
Reflection of Knowledge, Skills and Experiences
The reflective practice that I intend to choose for my professional
assessment is Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle.
Figure 1: Gibbs reflective cycle (Strydom et al., 2020).
Description: I plan to grow my skills, knowledge, and experience by
taking on a role as a construction manager.
Feelings: Initially, I thought my teamwork skills were enough to manage
a team. But to stay competitive, I need to sharpen my management skills
and maintain a strong professional presence.
Evaluation: I made use of job platforms ([Link], 2025) to gain
information related to management career options. Some of the
interesting career prospects in relation to construction manager,
especially as a site manager role attracted my interest because it catered
to my experience and knowledge. The responsibilities of the site
management were to plan and coordinate with professionals at the site
and manage a comprehensive build programme that would align with the
project's objectives.
Analise: In terms of job-based criterion, skills such as attention to detail,
communication skills, transferable skills, management skills, digital
literacy and integrity were some of the significant factors. I felt that this
was a great opportunity for me to understand my strengths and
weaknesses that will become effective for my learning attributes.
In the assessment of SWOT, I have excellent communication and
teamwork skill that is my biggest strength. However, due to monetary
constraints, I am unable to learn important courses that disrupt my
confidence. I strongly believe that expanding my networking skills through
LinkedIn will allow me to work as an assistant manager. However, barriers
to learning may be a threat due to the absence of time management.
Conclusion: I intend to work excellently on my transferable skills,
especially to ensure that I have established knowledge and experience in
management skills.
Action: Based on what I have reflected on regarding my skills, knowledge,
and career goals, I am now ready to create a detailed plan.
Targets Specific Measurable: Achievable Relevant T
b
Build my I will focus on learning
I will watch three I will dedicate 3–5 hours Improving my Iw
digital skills a digital tool, Microsoft
videos or podcasts each week to watching and knowledge of digital thi
by learning Project, which is a each week using reviewing content on tools will help me we
Microsoft
Project project managementonline resources platforms ensuring I grow as a future site Ma
software. such as LinkedIn absorb the information manager and enhance Ma
(LinkedIn, 2024) and and figure out how to use my skills and efficiency
YouTube (Skills it effectively. in construction.
Factory, 2022) that
cover this tool and
take notes on key
points to apply to my
work.
Improve I will enhance my time I will spend 1 hour I will break my tasks into Improving my time 4w
Time management by each day for 4 manageable chunks, management will help fro
Managemen setting deadlines and weeks, using timers allocate a specific time to me balance work, 1st
t using timers. and tracking my each, and track my study, and skill 28t
progress to see what progress at the end of development,
works. each week to adjust as boosting my efficiency
needed. in future roles.
Expand my I will expand my Focus on my activity CIOB Courses Enhance my 3m
leadership leadership and learning knowledge and skills (M
competenci competencies by dedication as a leader Jun
es attending at least one
leadership course
Engagement with CPD
I am currently engaged in improving my time-management skills. I have
taken help from online videos available on platforms like YouTube to
expand my learning experiences and knowledge. I believe that it is an
interesting learning and novel experience that has the capability of
professionally developing my attributes and knowledge. I believe that
these approaches are going to be effective for gaining some of the
interesting career goals, especially as a manager. Since my career
endeavour is to engage myself as a site manager in the construction
business, my involvement in learning key transferable skills will be
pertinent for my growth and development as a learner.
Therefore, I believe that these attributes have been effective for my
learning experiences and are helping me to learn some of the unique
advantages of time management for personal and professional growth.
This form of skill is significant for my management traits and leadership
endeavours for the future because I will be able to enhance my
contribution as a manager and prioritise every required activity for better
improvement. These approaches will equally help me to foster a
relationship of camaraderie with my team members for substantial
development.
Conclusion
The reflective report helped me to focus on the skills and endeavours
necessary for my professional goals. The CPD activity that I intend to
achieve is the use of time management skills. By projecting a SWOT
analysis, I reflected on my strengths and weaknesses that have allowed
me to expand my understanding of the professional skills required to
boost my contribution in my chosen field. CPD activities such as digital
skills, time management skills and the expansion of my management and
leadership knowledge and skills are pertinent to my career endeavour.
Reference list
Vázquez-Calatayud, M., Errasti-Ibarrondo, B. and Choperena, A. (2021)
Nurses’ continuing professional development: A systematic literature
review. Nurse Education in Practice, 50, p.102963.
[Link]. (n.d.). CIBSE Approved CPD Directory. [online] Available at:
[Link]
The CPD Certification Service (2020). CPD Explained. [online] CPD - The
CPD Certification Service. Available at: [Link]
[Link]. (2025). Construction Manager job vacancies - Updated
Daily. [online] Available at: [Link]
%20Manager?cid=SEA_BG_UK-TJ-DIS6---E%7C%5BA%5D_c_construction
%20manager--%7CJBT06634--_construction%20manager
%20jobs_RL_rsa&loc_interest=&loc_physical=41471&s_kwcid=AL
[Accessed 17 Feb. 2025].
Strydom, S., Herman, N., Hanelie Adendorff, Miné De Klerk and Cattell, K.
(2020). Responding to the necessity for change: Higher Education voices
from the South during the COVID-19 crisis. [online]
Skills Factory (2022). Microsoft Project - Tutorial for Beginners in 14
MINUTES! [ Office 2021 ]. YouTube. Available at:
[Link]
LinkedIn. (2024). learning microsoft project: Online Courses, Training and
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[Link]
%20microsoft%20project [Accessed 18 Feb. 2025].