Why Continuous Development? Few organisations can afford the volume of off-the-job training which would be needed to keep all their staff completely up to date on all aspects of their current and potential work activities. Much more is involved than just updated a body of knowledge. The development of personal competence and skills 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. Besides, a large proportion of effective learning takes place within the work environment. We all learn by doing, by our successes and mistakes. Development should be continuous in the sense that the professional should always be actively seeking improved performance. Traditional training tended to treat the trainee as the passive recipient of material delivered by the trainer. The concept is now being reversed by encouraging people to take responsibility for their own learning and development. The trainer or rather, the learning facilitator, now provides support to the active learner with development being owned and managed by the individual learner. Learning objectives should be clear and wherever possible should serve organisational needs as well as individual goals. “Training does not necessarily equal learning. Training is something that can be done unto others but learning is something individuals have to choose for themselves.” (Chapman, 1992, p.18) The growing awareness of the potential of continuous development is to some extent, prompted by companies committing themselves to ideas such as empowerment. There is also growing interest in the entire idea of management competencies - the skills which managers will require to manage in the future, particularly flexibility and adaptability. When they are actually given the time, resources and support to look at their own development, managers can quickly become excited, realising that there are opportunities rather than obstacles. For many it is an entirely new experience. Continuous development is an active process involving the individual in decisions about growth and change. It is concerned with attainable realities - the difference between what the individual currently does and how and what he or she can realistically achieve. It focuses on an attainable and viable role in which the job offers increased challenge, demands and ultimate satisfaction and rewards. Continuous development opportunities arise from formal structured learning, such as courses and conferences, but they can also arise from informal unplanned opportunities, self directed learning and other professional activities as for example, networking, project management, and work groups. Regular investment of time in learning should be seen as an essential part of professional life, not as an optional extra. More importantly, whilst these experiences can be very valuable, they need to be recognised by individuals and organisations, if learning outcomes are to serve for further development opportunities and organisational action plans. In this manner, simultaneous improvement in the performance of employees and organisations can be achieved effectively. | 
