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<language>en-us</language>
<copyright>Copyright @ 2013 PARN</copyright>
<category>PARN</category> 
<item>
<title>Regulation Event on 26 June: Complaints, Hearings &amp; Tribunals</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Date:&nbsp;&nbsp; 26 June 2013
Time: &nbsp; 11.30am - 15.30pm (includes lunch &amp; refreshments)
Venue: CIPA Hall, Chancery Lane, London

Price:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &pound;40 + VAT


&nbsp;

About this briefing

Our Regulation Special Interest Group (SIG) will be having a briefing event on Complaints, Hearings and Tribunals. 


The briefing will also include the latest benchmarking data providing 
information and best practice from across the sector to support 
professional bodies in providing the fair and open hearings.


We'll be looking at key issues professional bodies face such as...


	What constitutes a complaint?
	How can lay people be best involved in hearings?
	What is the best practice in using mediation?


View the programme for the day.


&nbsp;


Who should attend?


All members of the PARN Regulation SIG and PARN Members interested in 
regulation
are encouraged to attend as well as staff involved in managing your 
professional body's professional standards or regulation activities such
as your:


	Professional Standards Team
	CPD Team
	CEO
	Senior Management Team&nbsp; 


Book your place by phoning us on 0117 929 4515!


&nbsp;


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/regulation-event-on-26-june-complaints-hearings-tribunals.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/regulation-event-on-26-june-complaints-hearings-tribunals.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>AAT seeks Membership Services Manager - �55k</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) is the UK&rsquo;s leading professional body offering skills-based accountancy and finance qualifications.


AAT is recruiting for a Membership Services Manager to join their team in London.


&nbsp;


About the role

Contract: Permanent/Full time
Salary: Up to &pound;55k (depending on experience)&nbsp;

Location: London








Main responsibilities of the role include:



To Identify, implement and manage
projects/research initiatives above and beyond business as usual activity to
assist the organisation in delivering on its business plan
objectives&nbsp;&nbsp;

Establish and implement a strategy for
enhancing the levels of member and non-member engagement&nbsp;

Identify and develop effective online and off
line services and systems to support the achievement of the Membership Services
Team objectives and to ensure the effective delivery of these services to
members and non-members


To continually review the effectiveness of
online and offline benefits and services, identifying areas for change or
improvement on an ongoing basis, capturing customer feedback and using this as
appropriate.


To strategically lead the management team
through a continued time of business change, motivating them and the team to
achieve specific targets and objectives; identify their individual learning and
development needs and ensure that these needs are met effectively.

To ensure that statistical trends are
identified and the insight used to develop an understanding of customers and
their interaction with services, ensuring this intelligence is acted upon
appropriately.&nbsp;

Identify operational areas for review,
negotiating for internal change as and when necessary, in consultation with the
Head of department.&nbsp;


Ensure adequate quality assurance systems are
in place for all areas of the membership services team work.&nbsp;
Prepare a regular breakdown of targets to be
achieved, and to monitor the team's performance against these targets.&nbsp;


Oversee the preparation of an income and
expenditure budget relating to this area of the business, in consultation with
the wider management team, monitoring the team&rsquo;s performance against
budget through monthly management accounts and quarterly reviews.


To
prepare Board papers, within strict deadlines, on matters relating to the
Membership Benefits and Services team, including papers on policy and project
development and the development of any relevant regulations, in consultation
with the senior management team


&nbsp;

How to apply 


For further information on this role and information about how to apply, please email: 


	jobs@aat.org.uk
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/aat-seeks-membership-services-manager-55k.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/aat-seeks-membership-services-manager-55k.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>Spring Conference</title>


<description><![CDATA[ Engaging and retaining members through your professional brand 


We're really excited that our (Re)defining Your Professional Brand conference on 24 April 2013!


Come hear from speakers from leading professional bodies as they share
their experiences and provide practical guidance on how to maximise and manage
the coveted badge of &lsquo;professionalism&rsquo; held by their organisation.


The workshop part of the day will
focus on reviewing and improving your branding, communications and marketing policies and practices.


In addition, PARN will present insightful findings from the most recent triennial Benchmarking Survey  and launch our latest book on the topic of Engaging
&amp; Retaining Members.


This event
is ideal for membership or marketing and communications staff of professional bodies as well as key strategic decision makers such as CEOs, SMT or Council members.&nbsp; 


&nbsp;

Speakers &amp; Topics

Conference
Chair
Jane Wilson, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)









Branding &amp; The Olympics (Special Guest
Speaker)
Rebecca Hopkins - Managing Director of ENS, an award winning sports PR agency 


Promoting
Professionalism (Keynote Speaker)
Steve Jenkins, Director of Insurance
and Financial Services Markets of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII)


Rebranding
Your Professional Body
Catherine Hill, Marketing Director of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing &amp; Supply (CIPS) with Sift Digital


Obtaining
Chartership: Its Impact on Your Brand Globally
Rob Strange, CEO of the Institution of Occupational Safety &amp; Health (IOSH)


Branding in the Digital Age
Barbara
Beebee, Head of Member Communications at the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries with Slam Global


Forming a New Professional Body
Debbie Simpson, Acting CEO of the Institute for Continuous Improvement in the Public Sector (ICiPS)


Identity of the Professional Body Sector
Professor Andy Friedman, CEO of the Professional Associations Research Network (PARN)


Workshop Session: Reviewing Your Marketing Strategies
Led by the Professional Associations Research Network (PARN) 


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/spring-conference.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/spring-conference.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>SfEP recruiting Development Manager - �22k London</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
The&nbsp;Society
for Editors and Proofreaders&nbsp;(SfEP) is a professional organisation based in the UK
for editors and proofreaders &ndash; the people who strive to make text accurate and
readable.


The SfEP is
looking for a Development Manager to join their team based in Putney, 
London. The main aim of this role is to increase SfEP membership and
income, and raise the Society&rsquo;s profile by promoting the organisation 
and
cultivating new and existing areas for development.&nbsp;


&nbsp;

About the role

Location:&nbsp;primarily
SfEP&rsquo;s London office in Putney, SW15
Salary:&nbsp;circa
&pound;22k
Start date:&nbsp;June 2013


&nbsp;

Key responsibilities:

In
conjunction with the relevant SfEP directors:


	Identify and pursue initiatives to increase the recruitment and
	retention of associates and to encourage their upgrading to membership of
	the Society
	Research, negotiate and renew and maintain as necessary a range of
	attractive benefits for associates, members and corporate subscribers
	Identify opportunities to increase the number of corporate
	subscribers and develop their relationship with the Society
	Implement campaigns to promote specific initiatives and events
	Manage and develop the Society&rsquo;s social media presence, including
	maintaining a blog
	Market and sell in-house training services to external bodies
	Ensure the completion of all activities required to ensure the
	successful delivery of in-house training (e.g. negotiate fees, issue
	contracts, liaise with trainer and external body, elicit feedback from
	client) 
	Assist in identifying and pursuing opportunities to promote the
	conference and increase participation by corporates and in-house editorial
	staff
	Assist in developing and implementing a strategy for increasing the
	amount of sponsorship for the conference
	Maintain a database for initiatives and contacts, and results
	achieved, for all tasks undertaken


&nbsp;

Personal qualities:

	Excellent
	telephone/email manner
	Attention to
	detail
	Commitment to excellent
	customer service
	Self-motivated
	Outgoing
	personality


&nbsp;

Skills: 

	Excellent written and verbal
	communication skills
	Ability to deal with external
	bodies at a senior level
	Copywriting skills
	Ability to work both
	independently and as part of a team
	Problem-solving skills
	IT literate (Microsoft Office
	package)
	Database skills (desirable) 
	Familiarity with the use of social media channels
	Ability to prioritise, manage own workload and work to deadlines


&nbsp;

Experience
and qualifications:

	Two to three years&rsquo; relevant
	experience
	Degree in marketing/business or
	related subject, or equivalent experience


&nbsp;


For general
information, see www.sfep.org.uk


If you have
questions about this role, contact chair@sfep.org.uk.


&nbsp;

How to apply

Please send your CV and a covering letter
to chair@sfep.org.uk.
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/sfep-recruiting-development-manager-22k-london.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/sfep-recruiting-development-manager-22k-london.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>Read the Professional Body Sector Review 2013</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Check out the our new annual publication, the&nbsp;Professional Body Sector Review, online to read articles and case studies from a variety of&nbsp;professional bodies.&nbsp;The publication will help define
the sector in its own right, focusing on its distinctiveness, challenges and
trends. 


The publication is
the first of its kind and aims to give an in depth look at the professional
body sector as a whole, report on sector related news, showcase best practice
and share trends in key areas such as CPD, standards and membership.


It delivers unique insight for all those working and volunteering for
professional associations, regulatory bodies and learned societies, whether
they are leading the way in organisational strategy or implementing sector
knowledge at ground level. 


Professional bodies featured in the publication include:&nbsp;


	AAT
	BACP
	BDA
	BIFM
	Chartered Banker Institute
	CIH
	CILIP
	CIPD
	CIPR
	Energy Institute
	GMC
	IET
	IOP
	RICS
	SoR
	SRA
	STEP


&nbsp;


For more information, contact Neko Griffin, Communications Manager at PARN: 


	
	T: 0117 928 1992
	E: nekolina@parnglobal.com 
	


&nbsp;


PARN has partnered with Sterling,
ASI Europe and Redactive Media
Group to produce the
publication.&nbsp; 


&nbsp; &nbsp;  
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/read-the-professional-body-sector-review-2013.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/read-the-professional-body-sector-review-2013.htm</link>

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<title>CIEEM recruiting Registration Officer - �25,130</title>


<description><![CDATA[ CIEEM is the leading professional membership body for ecologists and environmental managers.






About this role

Registration Officer (Winchester)
Full Time 37.5hrs per week 
Salary: &pound;25,130 per annum   


This new post will launch and manage a new professional Register of Chartered Ecologists. Key areas of responsibility include dealing with enquiries and applications, managing the assessment process and promoting the register to practitioners and stakeholders in an enthusiastic and efficient way.


Closing Date: 12 noon, Wednesday 24th April 2013.




How to apply

For further information and to apply please see the job description and application form at www.cieem.net/jobs/137/registration-officer


Also recruiting: Sections Co-ordinator www.cieem.net/jobs/138/sections-coordinator  


E: enquiries@cieem.net 
T: 01962 868626
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/cieem-recruiting-registration-officer-25130.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/cieem-recruiting-registration-officer-25130.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>Sterling recruiting Head of Professions &amp; Membership - �40k</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Sterling Solutions is one of the UK&rsquo;s leading 
providers of multi-channel communication solutions, working with blue 
chip organisations throughout the UK. 


Sterling is looking for a new Head of Professions &amp; Membership to 
join their team. They employ over 200 people across three locations in 
Kettering, London and 
Edinburgh, with a design studio at the heart of each location.


&nbsp;

About the role 




Location: Primarily Sterling&rsquo;s London studio in Clerkenwell, nr Farringdon
Salary: Circa &pound;40k
Start date: Q2
2013


The Head of Professions &amp; Membership will have the following key
responsibilities:


	Draw
	on existing experience within the sector to identify key challenges facing
	organisations in terms of recruitment and retention and the issues and
	opportunities presented by new communications channels
	Manage
	a business development programme to include a range of sales and marketing
	activities designed to develop meetings with key personnel within these
	organisations
	Help
	to position Sterling as a long term strategic partner to existing sector clients
	and prospects through cross/back selling Sterling&rsquo;s complete service offering
	Attend
	initial new business meetings to help identify opportunities and then convert
	these into written proposals and ultimately sales
	Develop
	close links with Sterling's Education team to leverage the links between
	Professional Bodies and Higher and Further Education
	Attend
	relevant networking events&nbsp; e.g. PARN,
	Memcom
	Advise
	clients and prospects on integrated marketing strategy and then deliver this
	across the relevant channels (including digital and social media)
	Help
	clients to audit the effectiveness of existing marketing communications with
	specific&nbsp; focus on measuring and
	improving ROI
	Work
	with Sterling&rsquo;s creative team to define the strategy behind projects and
	provide input on pitches 
	Work
	closely with the Director for Professions and Membership to build the account
	management team 
	Support
	the Director with budget management, setting and forecasting


&nbsp;

A
Sterling person is&hellip;

Part of what makes Sterling as successful as it is, are the
highly motivated people who work here and their enthusiasm for providing
intelligent communication solutions. We recruit individuals whose honesty,
integrity, initiative and creative approach to problem solving shines through.
An inspiration to your colleagues, you are tenacious, driven and a highly
motivated professional with a proven record of success and a strong empathy for
people. Hungry for success and with a committed motivation to getting things
done, you always place the client at the centre of everything you do.


&nbsp;

How to apply

Contact Martin Reid at Sterling for more information and details on how to apply:

T: 0207 785 7285 London Office

E: mreid@sterlingsolutions.co.uk


W: http://www.sterlingsolutions.co.uk
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/sterling-recruiting-head-of-professions-membership-40k.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/sterling-recruiting-head-of-professions-membership-40k.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>CPD for the Maritime Sector</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
The Nautical Institute (NI) has recently been redeveloping
its CPD policies and its member tools for recording and planning CPD online.
The NI is an international representative body for maritime professionals
involved in the control of sea-going ships. 


CPD is still a new concept within the nautical sector.
Although on the job training is widespread, the formal recording and reflecting
on learning has not been widely adopted. Because of this, the Institute&rsquo;s CPD
policy is currently voluntary &ndash; in the hope of persuading members of the value
of CPD rather than forcing them to take part. 


The Nautical Institute has
recently published a formal definition of CPD for the maritime sector for first
time:


&ldquo;The process that enables maritime professionals to take
control of their own learning and development by carrying out activities that
ensure they are competent and successful throughout their career, both at sea
and ashore.&rdquo;


Until recently, the NI was using an off-the-shelf CPD
recording product with ongoing maintenance costs. The system was based around
an inputs approach to CPD that made logging hours or points the centre of the
scheme, even though the Institute holds the formal position that CPD should be
based on outputs and reflections. In addition, the software was felt to be too
difficult to use and the uptake by the membership of the scheme had been too
low to justify the continued use of that platform. 


In order to get more members to use the CPD system and
engage with formal recording of their own learning, it was felt that the CPD
system needed a radical overhaul. To that end, NI has been designing and
creating its own in-house CPD portal that is controlled through the Institute&rsquo;s
existing website. The content and functionality of the system has been created
and the NI is now working on creating the graphical content and branding for
the new site.&nbsp; The new system is firmly based
on outputs and reflection, and much better aligned to the Institute&rsquo;s policies.


The benefit will hopefully be a better engaged membership
that can more easily demonstrate the learning and development that is undoubtedly
going on already. 


&nbsp;


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/cpd-for-the-maritime-sector.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/cpd-for-the-maritime-sector.htm</link>

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<title>Meet the Institute of Hospitality's new CEO</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
The Institute of Hospitality recently appointed Peter Ducker FIH as their new chief executive at the beginning of 2013. 


Peter has given his assessment of the industry&rsquo;s prospects for the year ahead and explained his goals and priorities in his new role as part of a feature article in the March 2013 issue of Hospitality magazine.


Peter Ducker has led a distinguished and varied career within the hospitality and travel industry that has included sales and marketing directorships of public companies, a long period as an entrepreneur and the creation of a scheme for measuring the carbon footprint of hotel stays. 


As the new chief executive of the hospitality industry&rsquo;s professional body, he brings a wealth of commercial experience to the table.


Read the full article online:


	The Institute of Hospitality&rsquo;s new chief executive (PDF)
	


&nbsp;


&nbsp;



Additional Information 


Find out more about the Institute of Hospitality on their website:


	
	www.instituteofhospitality.org
		
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/meet-the-institute-of-hospitalitys-new-ceo.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/meet-the-institute-of-hospitalitys-new-ceo.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>2013-2014 Research Projects</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Based on feedback from our
members and the PARN Steering Group, we are busy planning two research projects for
2013-2014.


Find out about each of the new projects from the links below:


Managing Member Networks

This research project is being supported by:


	Chartered Institute of Building
	Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
	Chartered Institute of Personnel &amp; Development
	Chartered Quality Institute
	Institute of Physics
	Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists


&nbsp;


Best Practice in Complaints and Discipline
This research is being supported by:


	Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
	Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment
	Chartered Insurance Institute
	Institute of Conservation


&nbsp;


There is still an opportunity for additional PARN Members to join the existing group of financial
supporters for these projects before they begin.


For more information about how to get involved, contact Tina Williams, Head of Research at PARN:


E: Christina@parnglobal.com 
T: 0117 928 1998
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/20132014-research-projects.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/20132014-research-projects.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>Last chance to fill in our survey for professional bodies</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Last
year we launched our triennial Benchmarking Survey for Professional Bodies to identify key trends in the sector.


The survey closes on 31 January 2013 - here are two examples of the types of trends we'll be looking for... 


&nbsp;


	Increase towards compulsory CPD
	In 2009, 35% of professional bodies that had
	an official CPD policy in place used a compulsory one. Will
	this continue as more professional bodies respond to legislative
	requirements? Or will we see a decline of the use of sanctions? 


	
	Decline in volunteering in member networks&nbsp; 
	In 2009, 61% of professional bodies said that
	volunteering in their branches and special interest groups had either stayed
	the same or declined. Will this trend continue as
	professionals become more 'time-poor' as a result of recent recessions, or will
	we see a reversal as professionals try to strengthen their CVs and make more of
	networking opportunities? 
	


Learn about key trends on our training 


All our Training Courses will be updated to include this new research data. Book onto one of our upcoming courses to find about key trends!



	
	Understanding Member Value&nbsp; 12 February 2013 
	
	
	Developing &amp; Managing CPD&nbsp; 27 February 2013
	


&nbsp;



Last chance to take part! 

If you haven't already completed our survey, you still have until 31 January 2013 to respond! 


By doing so, you'll get a free copy of a new and improved benchmarking report (RRP &pound;150) which compares your professional body to
all other professional bodies that respond.


Also new for this time around, all organisations that complete the survey will also be entered into a prizedraw for a free
place on any of our ten Training Courses - a value of &pound;295 - &pound;350! We'll be randomly
selecting three organisations as winners.


Contact Natasha at PARN for your survey login details:


	
	T: 0117 928 1994
	E: natasha@parnglobal.com
	


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/last-chance-to-fill-in-our-survey-for-professional-bodies.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/last-chance-to-fill-in-our-survey-for-professional-bodies.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>High level apprenticeships set to fly at Atkins</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Traditional entry routes to the professions have been evolving over the past few years with high level apprenticeship schemes becoming an alternative option to university. 


We were excited to hear how Atkins, a major player in the design and engineering
consultancy field,  is launching higher apprenticeships in its aerospace
division. 


These are the highest level of apprenticeships and are designed for
people who have the necessary excellent standards of maths and physics, but who
don&rsquo;t want to take the university route to becoming aerospace engineers.


&nbsp;


Neil Kirk, managing director
of Atkins&rsquo; aerospace engineering division and an engineer himself, said: 


&ldquo;Being
an aerospace engineer is enormously rewarding because you get to be involved
with solving some of today&rsquo;s major challenges, such as how to make aircraft
more fuel efficient. To become qualified though does take skill, determination
and hard work. Most people do this through a university degree but for some &ndash;
for a variety of reasons &ndash; that isn&rsquo;t right for them, and that&rsquo;s where higher apprenticeships
come in. Atkins focuses on providing
high quality engineering solutions to its clients, so the launch of higher
apprenticeships is all about identifying the best talent and training and
supporting people to reach their full potential.&quot;



The successful &lsquo;level 5&rsquo; apprentices
will be based at Atkins&rsquo; Bristol office alongside over 700 colleagues. They
will join an aerospace team that is currently working on a range of high-profile
projects including the Airbus A320 New Engine Option, Rolls-Royce engine
projects and providing engineering support to the UK&rsquo;s National Composites
Centre, which is also based in Bristol and is driving forward innovative and
widespread use of the latest composite materials. 


The apprentices will focus on
mechanical engineering across aerostructures and aeroengines, as well as
learning an array of transferable skills, and will have the opportunity to gain
a foundation degree in mechanical engineering.


The importance of apprenticeships to the UK economy
was recently reinforced by the Government-sponsored Richard review of
apprenticeships. The review highlighted the key role that the Government,
employers, teachers and families all have in informing and guiding young people
so that they have a better understanding of what a high quality apprenticeship
can offer.


The Atkins higher
apprenticeship scheme has been set up in conjunction with City of Bristol
College and Plymouth University. 


Find out more about Atkins' new aerospace apprenticeship scheme:


	 www.atkinsglobal.com/aerospace


&nbsp;

Our research into 'new' entry routes 


In 2011 we completed a large research project about how professional bodies percieve and interact with apprenticeship schemes as well as HE and FE qualifications. 


The findings are published in our book Becoming A Professional: New Ways of Entering the Professions (RRP &pound;40/&pound;80). 


This book pulls together our specialist knowledge on entry
to the professions, focusing particularly on these &lsquo;new&rsquo; ways of 
qualifying. 


In addition, the appendix includes detailed case studies on the following five leading 
professional bodies and one Sector Skills Council (SSC) who have introduced 'new' entry routes:


	Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT)
	Association of Project Managers (APM)
	Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) 
	British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM)
	Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
	Skills for Health


&nbsp;

Training to help you manage entry standards

If your professional body is considering reviewing its entry standards 
and professional qualifications, we have a new Training Course on Managing Entry Standards  to support those tasked with 
the strategic consideration of recruitment and training of professionals
into the future.&nbsp;&nbsp; 


This course provides an overview on how professional bodies are maintaining quality
while opening access to professional careers, this course will look at 
the strategic thinking behind how professional bodies engage with 
qualifications, and what employers want from professional 
qualifications.&nbsp;


Book onto this course - taking place on 23 May 2013: 


	Managing Entry Standards NEW!


&nbsp;


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/high-level-apprenticeships-set-to-fly-at-atkins.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/high-level-apprenticeships-set-to-fly-at-atkins.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>Challenges and Opportunities of Dispute Resolution</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Our Regulation Special Interest Group will be holding a briefing event on 22 January 2013 at the ICSA.


The content for the sessions at this briefing are focused on key issues relating to challenges of dispute resolution.


&nbsp;This event offers the opportunity for professional 
bodies with an interest in 
regulatory issues to hear expertise and advice from others within the 
sector.


&nbsp;



Date:&nbsp; &nbsp; 22 January 2013





Time:&nbsp;&nbsp; 11:30am to 3.00pm with lunch included



Venue: Institute Chartered of Secretaries and Administrators
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 16 Park Crescent
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; London
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; W1B 1AH



Price:&nbsp;&nbsp; &pound;95 + VAT for Active* SIG Members 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &pound;150 + VAT for PARN Members 


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

Speakers &amp; Chair

Chair for the Regulation Event


Philip Yelland
Director of Regulation 
Law Society of Scotland&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


Alternative Mechanisms to Resolve Cases in Regulatory Proceedings


Eve Seall (left)

Head of Case Management 
Health and Care Professions Council


Anna van der Gaag (right)
HCPC Chair
Health and Care Professions Council


&nbsp;


From Conflict to Consensus: 
The role and benefits of
mediation within the modern professional association


David Liddle
Founding President
Professional Mediators Association 


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


Ways of Encouraging Early Reports of Misconduct and Enhanced Co-operation 


Jenny Johnson
Head of Legal &amp; Enforcement
Solicitors Regulation Authority&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

Book online 


Find out more and book online:


	http://www.parnglobal.com/regulation-sig-meeting.htm&nbsp; 
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/challenges-and-opportunities-of-dispute-resolution.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/challenges-and-opportunities-of-dispute-resolution.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>New Year - New Members!</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Well we've kickstarted 2013 with a fresh lot of new members! We are so excited to announce four more professional bodies have now joined. 


Learn about each organisation from the links below...


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


Chartered Institution of Highways &amp; Transportation (CIHT)


CIHT 
is a learned society concerned specifically with the planning, design, 
construction, maintenance and operation of land-based transport systems 
and infrastructure. With over 12,000 members, CIHT is dedicated to&nbsp;providing routes to qualifications, as well as support and networking opportunities to&nbsp;members.


&nbsp;


Institute of Financial Planning (IFP)


IFP is the UK professional body 
for those committed to the development of the multi-disciplinary 
profession of Financial Planning  and has over 2000 members around the UK. IFP is also an Accredited Body as 
appointed by the FSA, able to issue statements of professional standing 
(SPS) to its members who meet the requirements. &nbsp; 


&nbsp;




Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) 



ICF is the Royal Chartered body for foresters and arboriculturists in the UK. It regulates the standards of entry to forestry and arboriculture 
and offers professional qualifications. It has around 1,300 members who practice in the private sector, central and local government,
research councils and universities and colleges. 



Office of the Professional Standards Councils (OPSC)


In Australia, there is a Professional Standards Council in each state/territory which promotes consumer 
protection and excellence in professional standards by encouraging the 
self-regulation of occupational groups. The OPSC provides 
operational support, strategic advice and undertakes research and 
analysis for all the Councils. It acts on Council decisions and provides
customer service.  
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/new-year-new-members.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/new-year-new-members.htm</link>

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<title>Account Manager for Professions &amp; Membership at Sterling</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Sterling is one of the UK's leading providers of multi-channel communications solutions. They are currently looking an Account Manager in their Professions and Membership division.&nbsp; 


&nbsp;

About the role 
As an Account Manager, you will be responsible for managing membership and marketing lead projects across multiple accounts, acting as the main point of contact and information/data conduit for clients throughout the lifecycle of project(s).

&nbsp;


You will be a self-starter with a positive, 'can do' attitude. You will be level headed, dependable and calm under pressure. You will be capable of winning the respect and trust of client side marketing and technical teams as well as the internal resource of Sterling. 


&nbsp;


The attributes or abilities necessary for this position are: 



	Excellent planning/time management 
	Relationship management 
	Communications skills 
	Ability to work flexibly and to travel when required



&nbsp;


In particular, Sterling are looking for a Degree level and/or min five years of experience in relevant business e.g. a membership organisation such as a professional body. 


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


How to apply 



For more information and full job description, contact: 


Martin Reid
Head of Professions and Membership
Sterling Solutions

T:&nbsp; 07841 065 813
E:&nbsp; mreid@sterlingsolutions.co.uk
W: http://www.sterlingsolutions.co.uk/

 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/account-manager-for-professions-membership-at-sterling.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/account-manager-for-professions-membership-at-sterling.htm</link>

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<title>How are professional qualifications changing?</title>


<description><![CDATA[ Thanks to our triennial&nbsp;International
Benchmarking Survey&nbsp;in
2009, we were able to identify that around one third of professional bodies were awarding bodies...

	33% awarded qualifications below degree level
	37%
	awarded qualifications above degree level
	28% accredited third parties&rsquo; qualifications below degree level
	30% accredited third parties&rsquo; qualifications above degree level
	


Will our upcoming 2012
Benchmarking Survey for Professional Bodies find that more professional bodies
are opting to award or accredit qualifications? Here's our thinking on 
possible contributing factors... 


&nbsp;

Impact of the Recession &amp; Changes to Higher Eduation 


The
continued impact of the recession is likely to highlight the value of
professional qualifications. With the recent raft of changes to higher
education, more people may opt to study for a professional qualification rather
than for a conventional university degree. 


Education at post-graduate level
may well
prove more important than ever in enhancing employability in an 
extremely
competitive job market. Many professionals undertake post-graduate 
studies part-time while working, often with employer funding. 


There are also growing moves to consolidate and
standardise the recognition of professional learning; we've seen that more professional bodies are mapping their courses to the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF).


&nbsp;

Need for Relevant and Topical Content 


In 2009, 88% of organisations provided initial professional 
qualifications that covered profession-specific requirements; while 65% of courses contained content on ethics. &nbsp; 


Will these remain the key
topics, or will we find that professional qualifications now tend to 
additionally
cover areas such as management skills, IT, client service and team 
working? Which are important for professional development and 
employability?


You can find out
by completing our upcoming 2012 survey this autumn - in return you'll receive a benchmarking report free of charge!


The data you provide will give an
insight into the long term trends in the professional body sector that cannot
be found anywhere else.


&nbsp;

Last chance to take part! 

If you haven't already completed our survey, you still have until 31 January 2013 to respond! 


By doing so, you'll get a free copy of a new and improved benchmarking report (RRP &pound;150) which compares your professional body to
all other professional bodies that respond.


Also new for this time around, all organisations that complete the survey will also be entered into a prizedraw for a free
place on any of our ten Training Courses - a value of &pound;295 - &pound;350! We'll be randomly
selecting three organisations as winners.


In addition, our Training Courses will be updated to include this new research data. 


If you'd like your professional body to take part, contact us for your login details:


	Email Natasha Afitska in our Research Team
	Call us on 0117 929 4515


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/how-are-professional-qualifications-changing.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/how-are-professional-qualifications-changing.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>How does your organisation implement and measure CPD?</title>


<description><![CDATA[ Our
upcoming survey will benchmark trends in the sector

In our
triennial&nbsp;International
Benchmarking Survey&nbsp;in
2009, we identified a growing trend of professional bodies adopting compulsory
CPD, sometimes prompted by the introduction of regulatory legislation but often
as a result of a belief that CPD is an inherent aspect of professionalism. 


Of
all the professional bodies that had an official CPD policy, 35% had a
compulsory CPD policy, whereby CPD is monitored and sanctions are in place for
non-compliance. A further 24% had an obligatory policy, whereby CPD is
required, though there is no monitoring or system of sanctions. Another 15% had
some kind of mixed policy, entailing elements of compulsory, obligatory or voluntary CPD for certain grades
of membership.


Compulsory
CPD requires professional bodies to measure their members&rsquo; activity, but organisations
can do this in different ways. How does your organisation measure CPD and how
does this compare to others?&nbsp; In 2009,
35% of professional bodies used input measures (such as how much time is spent
doing CPD), 21% used output measures (such as evidence of development resulting
from CPD), 25% used a combination of the two, and 19% had no formal measurement
at all. We found that bodies with compulsory CPD policies were more likely to
use input-based measures, probably since these are likely to be simpler to
implement and explain to members as well as more objective and transparent.


Will
these trends continue in 2012, will more professional bodies make the move
towards compulsory CPD? Or will we see a decline of the use of sanctions if
members are failing to comply or opting to leave the body if there is no legal
obligation to be a member? Will the need for measurement increase as professionals
feel a greater onus to objectively prove their professional development in the current
economic climate?

Last chance to take part! 

If you haven't already completed our survey, you still have until 31 January 2013 to respond! 


By doing so, you'll get a free copy of a new and improved benchmarking report (RRP &pound;150) which compares your professional body to
all other professional bodies that respond.


Also new for this time around, all organisations that complete the survey will also be entered into a prizedraw for a free
place on any of our ten Training Courses - a value of &pound;295 - &pound;350! We'll be randomly
selecting three organisations as winners.


In addition, our Training Courses will be updated to include this new research data. 


If you'd like your professional body to take part, contact us for your login details:


	Email Natasha Afitska in our Research Team
	Call us on 0117 929 4515


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/how-does-your-organisation-implement-and-measure-cpd.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/how-does-your-organisation-implement-and-measure-cpd.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>Is volunteering in member networks still in decline?</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
&nbsp;In our triennial International Benchmarking Survey in 2009,
we found that volunteering in member networks was suffering a decline. 61% of
professional bodies said that volunteering in their branches and special
interest groups had either stayed the same or declined. 


Will this trend
continue in 2012 as professionals become more &lsquo;time-poor&rsquo; from the recessions,
or will we see a reversal as professionals try to strengthen their CVs and make
more of networking opportunities? 


The only way to find out is by completing our
upcoming 2012 survey this autumn. Every organisation that responds will receive
a detailed benchmarking report free of charge. 


The data you provide will give
an insight into the long term trends in the professional body sector that
cannot be found anywhere else. 


&nbsp;

Last chance to take part! 

If you haven't already completed our survey, you still have until 31 January 2013 to respond! 


By doing so, you'll get a free copy of a new and improved benchmarking report (RRP &pound;150) which compares your professional body to
all other professional bodies that respond.


Also new for this time around, all organisations that complete the survey will also be entered into a prizedraw for a free
place on any of our ten Training Courses - a value of &pound;295 - &pound;350! We'll be randomly
selecting three organisations as winners.


In addition, our Training Courses will be updated to include this new research data. 


If you'd like your professional body to take part, contact us for your login details:


	Email Natasha Afitska in our Research Team
	Call us on 0117 929 4515


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/is-volunteering-in-member-networks-still-in-decline.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/is-volunteering-in-member-networks-still-in-decline.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>Nautical Institute recruiting Deputy Manager - London</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
The Nautical Institute wishes to recruit a Deputy Manager, Research and Analysis to support their Head of Delegation at the International Maritime Organization.


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

About this role

This full-time role based in London will include a full range of duties, including:


	Providing research and analysis on maritime subjects for inclusion in The Nautical Institute&rsquo;s IMO work programme.


	Providing administrative support to the Head of Delegation in regard to IMO work.


	To deputise for the Head of Delegation when required or as directed by the Chief Executive.


	To be involved in a variety of other professional work within the Institute.


The successful candidate should possess an appropriate degree or diploma
and it is desirable that they should hold a maritime qualification, 
preferably a certificate of competency issued by a &lsquo;white list&rsquo; flag 
state.


This new role will require the ability to research and analyse maritime 
subjects, especially those that have an impact on maritime safety and 
The Nautical Institute membership.


Good computer skills in Microsoft Word and Excel are essential as is literacy and numeracy.


The successful candidate will also be comfortable working on their own 
and in a small professional team as well as with all nationalities and 
have the ability to multi-task.

Salary range depending on qualifications and experience: 
&pound;25,000 to &pound;35,000.

&nbsp;

How to apply 


To apply, please send your CV and cover letter by the end of February 
2013 to the Head of Delegation as below, who may also be contacted for 
further information and a job description:


	Captain John Dickinson FNI
	Head of Delegation @ IMO
	The Nautical Institute
	202 Lambeth Road
	London SE1 7LQ


	
	T: +44 (0)20 7928 1351
	E: jmd@nautinst.org
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/nautical-institute-recruiting-deputy-manager-london.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/nautical-institute-recruiting-deputy-manager-london.htm</link>

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<title>Dental regulator wants patient views</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
The General Dental Council (GDC) is asking patients and members of the public to take part in a questionnaire about how dental professionals keep up to date throughout their careers.

The GDC is proposing to reform its Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements for dental professionals and wants to know what patients and the public think.


	Have you ever been invited to give feedback on your experience as a dental patient to your dental professional, such as through a survey or form?


	Do you think that patient feedback about dental professionals should influence their on-going learning and development?


	What skills, knowledge and behaviours do you think it is important for dental professionals to develop and maintain?


All dentists, dental nurses, dental technicians, clinical dental technicians, dental hygienists, dental therapists and orthodontic therapists have to be registered with the GDC and meet its standards throughout their working lives to work legally in the UK.

Patients and the public have the right to expect that they are keeping their skills and knowledge up to date.

The GDC currently does this by requiring that all members of the dental team maintain their skills and knowledge by undertaking continuing professional development (CPD). CPD is includes activity like attending courses, workplace training, and reading up on new and improved ways of doing things.


&nbsp;

Questionaire for patients

A questionnaire has been issued to enable patients and members of the public to have their say. The GDC wants to know what they expect from their dental professionals and what gives them confidence that they will get good quality care and have a positive experience when visiting a dental professional.

Patients, members of the public, and organisations that represent patient and public interests, are invited to respond online: 


	www.gdc-uk.org/haveyoursay


The short questionnaire is open until the 31 January 2013.



You can also find the full public consultation on the GDC&rsquo;s proposed future requirements for all those it regulates online at www.gdc-uk.org. ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/dental-regulator-wants-patient-views.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/dental-regulator-wants-patient-views.htm</link>

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<title>Association of Volunteer Managers join PARN</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
We're excited to welcome the Association of Volunteer Managers (AVM) as our newest member of PARN!


&nbsp;

About AVM 


The Association of Volunteer Managers (AVM) is an independent body 
that aims to support, represent and champion people who manage 
volunteers in England regardless of field, discipline or sector. It has 
been set up by and for people who manage volunteers.


The AVM aims to:


	facilitate
	and support effective peer-to-peer networking of those involved in 
	volunteer management locally, regionally and nationally 
	campaign and speak out on issues that are key to people who manage volunteers 
	develop information and good practice resources on volunteer management


Find out more about the AVM from their website:


	www.volunteermanagers.org.uk 


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/association-of-volunteer-managers-join-parn.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/association-of-volunteer-managers-join-parn.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>(Re)defining Your Professional Brand: Spring 2013 Conference</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 

Thinking about your professional brand? 

Professional bodies live or die by their reputation. 


How the
organisation is perceived by members, potential members, their members&rsquo;
clients, and the general public is at the very heart of professional body success.


The brand of professionalism is a much sought after prize, with many sectors
seeking to create new professional bodies in order to be seen as professional
and to create the structures and processes that support professionalisation.



Professional bodies are currently operating in a difficult
arena, with members&rsquo; lack of funds and job insecurity often impacting on member
recruitment and retention. Despite this, the professional body sector is
thriving and many organisations report a rise in membership. Professionalism is
still required, still desired, and more important than ever.


&nbsp;

Our Spring 2013 conference is for you

Our upcoming conference (Re)defining Your Professional Brand on 24 April 2013 in London aims to support professional bodies to make
the most of the coveted badge of professionalism that they hold &ndash; how to
strengthen, communicate, and manage a professional identity.


We will be presenting the latest findings from PARN&rsquo;s
International Benchmarking Survey as we consider the unique strengths and
challenges of the professional body sector. 


In addition, a range of speakers
from a selection of professional bodies will offer their experiences of a
variety of approaches to (re)branding and promoting professionalism.


&nbsp;

Find out more and book online 

Visit the conference webpage for more information and to book online - our Early Bird prices will last until 24 January:


	www.parnglobal.com/conference.htm


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/redefining-your-professional-brand-spring-2013-conference.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/redefining-your-professional-brand-spring-2013-conference.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>BAAT rejoins PARN</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
PARN welcomes BAAT back to the network &nbsp; &nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT)

We're very happy to welcome the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) back as a member of PARN! 


The BAAT is
the professional organisation for art therapists in the United Kingdom 
and has its own Code of Ethics of Professional Practice. 


Comprising of 
20 regional groups, a European and an international section, it 
maintains a comprehensive directory of qualified art therapists and 
works to promote art therapy in the UK.


BAAT was formed in 1964 out of a 
group of artists and therapists who realised that in order for Art 
Therapy to develop, and for its value to be more widely appreciated, it 
was necessary to have a central organisation to which the general public
and employing authorities could refer.


BAAT has concentrated its efforts on:


	Negotiating for members on questions of salary and conditions of employment 
	Suggesting criteria for training courses and standards of professional practice
	Acting as a forum for ideas and promoting innovations in Art Therapy
	Organising conferences
	Publishing journals and newsletters and running a book service
	Publishing a bibliography
	Answering questions from the general public, official bodies, the press
	Amassing a growing body of research


Since 1977, the BAAT has been a non-profit making organisation.


	
	Visit the British Association of Art Therapists website...
	




 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/baat-rejoins-parn.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/baat-rejoins-parn.htm</link>

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<title>Financial Benchmarking Report published</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
The third edition of our Financial Benchmarking for Professional Bodies report
is now available. 


This report is  an  important tool for planning,  evaluating and 
directing your organisation's  financial activities now and   in the 
future.&nbsp; 


This 82 page report can help your professional body to identify significant
differences between its  performance and the sector composites - an 
important first step towards  improving performance.


It is based  on three years (2009 - 2011) of financial and  organisational
data from over 270  professional bodies in the UK and is the only report of its kind.


&nbsp;

Find out more and order online 


Preview the contents, acknowledgements and preface:&nbsp;


	Table of Contents, Preface and Introduction (PDF)


Order the report as a PDF or hard copy:


	Financial Benchmarking for Professional Bodies: 2009-2011 Report 
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/financial-benchmarking-report-published.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/financial-benchmarking-report-published.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>IPA�s new approach to CPD reaps big rewards</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) have transformed their CPD approach through partnership with online
distance learning experts WillowDNA. Increased learner numbers, great feedback from their
members and the opportunity to extend their reach are just some of the
benefits of moving accreditation online.


The IPA has one of the most demanding audiences of
learners you could wish for. Graduates going into the world of advertising have
high expectations of their learning experience. Back in 2009, Patrick
Mills, Director of Professional Development at the IPA commissioned WillowDNA to
develop a new approach to certification. &nbsp;


&nbsp;

Solution &amp; Feedback 


The solution from WillowDNA with used a combination of structured and
social learning that has transformed their CPD offering. The learning
path approach, which includes 5-10 minute e-learning modules, scenarios, online
assignments, discussions, ebooks and videos has been a huge success.&nbsp;


The response from learners was breathtaking,
both in terms of positive feedback &lsquo;the best academic learning experience they
had ever seen&rsquo; and the over 200% increase in learners now enrolling and
completing certification examinations.


As well as being shortlisted for both the Peer Awards
2012 and best online distance learning at the 2012 e-Learning awards, the
programme was adopted by the European Association for Communications and
Advertising (EACA) and subsequently launched in over 30 European countries. &nbsp;


Patrick Mills at IPA said: 

&ldquo;With our overhauled programme 
we are now well placed to be
flexible 
and move with the market, 
even ahead of it at times.&rdquo;

Visit the IPA website to find out more about Professional Development at the Institute and watch a 3 minute video about their programmes.


	Professional Development at the IPA&nbsp; 


&nbsp;

Future Plans


Later this year, the IPA will be
building on this success through their export programme, taking the foundation
certificate to a global audience. Through Willow's Pathway approach and
breaking down complex subjects and using rapid development tools, customising
and contextualising for local audiences is easy. Not only does this mean total
cost of ownership is much lower than conventional e-learning, but it provides
professional bodies with the opportunity to extend their reach at home and
abroad.


&nbsp;

Key Considerations 


When
considering taking accreditation programmes online, there are some key factors
that have made a big difference to the learning experience:


	Simple
	hosted platform and Learning Path design to cope with courses that would go
	over a long period
	Breaking out
	of learning elements away from e-learning alone, helping to give variety and to
	enable delivery within a restricted budget
	Construction
	of a learning scaffold with opportunity to go &ldquo;off-piste&rdquo; individually or with
	others to explore different interest areas
	Reflection
	was built in with carefully inserted discussion opportunities as well as
	assignments and supporting templates to enable deployment of techniques within
	the learner&rsquo;s working environment
	Social
	dialogue was felt to be critical and has led to learning log and group
	assignments in the Advanced Certificates
	Cohort
	presence on screen to overcome the potential isolation of a long course
	Very careful
	use of illustrations and humour to keep the content alive


&nbsp;

Additional Information

For more information about the learning solutions provided to IFA, contact WillowDNA direct:


T:&nbsp; +44 (0)117 370 7735
E:&nbsp; info@willowdna.com
W: www.willowdna.com


 
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/ipas-new-approach-to-cpd-reaps-big-rewards.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/ipas-new-approach-to-cpd-reaps-big-rewards.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>Research into e-learning published in new book</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Our latest book E-learning for Professionals continues a series
of publications on our research into the area of professional 
education and pulls together our knowledge on social networking and 
professionals&rsquo; use of online learning for CPD purposes. 


PARN investigated professional bodies&rsquo; development and usage of 
e-learning, professionals&rsquo; views and experiences of e-learning, future 
trends, and patterns in e-learning. 



&nbsp;


&nbsp;

About the book

The content of this book is intended to support those with 
responsibility for professional education both in initial professional 
qualifications and in continuing professional development, as well as 
strategic decision makers looking to understand what e-learning offers 
to the professional body sector.


The chapters of this 240 page book cover a range of topics listed below:


	How are Professional Bodies Using E-learning?
	Developing E-learning
	Implementing E-learning at a Professional Body
	How Do Professional Bodies Evaluate E-learning?
	Professionals&rsquo; Views on E-learning
	Comparing What Professionals Want with What Professional Bodies Do


In addition, the appendix includes detailed case studies of how the 
following ten leading 
professional bodies have created and implemented systems for e-learning -
giving readers a chance to find out about a variety of good practice 
examples:


	Association of British Columbia Forest Professionals (ABCFP) 
	Australian Computer Society (ACS) 
	British Dental Association (BDA)
	British Psychological Society (BPS) 
	Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) 
	Chartered Management Institute (CMI) 
	Dyslexia Action (DA)
	Institute of Hospitality (IoH) 
	Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA)
	Organisation X (Anonymous) 


&nbsp;


Find out more and buy online

E-learning for Professionals (Paperback - 240 pages)
William Hanson &amp; Christina Williams (2012)

&pound;40 PARN Members
&pound;80 Non-members


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/research-into-elearning-published-in-new-book.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/research-into-elearning-published-in-new-book.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>CPD Futures - Research Project by Kingston Uni &amp; the Tomorrow Project</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
This November marks the launch of the CPD Futures research
project, a joint
collaboration between the CPD Research Project, supported by the Kingston
University Business School, and the Tomorrow Project. 


CPD Futures will build on the first
phase of the CPD Research Project and draw on the Tomorrow Project's expertise
in analysing emerging social trends.


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

About the CPD Futures Research Project


The main aim of the project is to explore new and better
ways of undertaking CPD, and will ask the questions:&nbsp; 


	How might
	CPD be used as a lever for innovation, such as 'problem solving' everyday work
	challenges and issues? 
	How can CPD
	operate as an alternative form of career advancement (e.g. through a&nbsp;&nbsp; career ladder or career spider)? 
	What might
	the future of CPD, and general professional development, look like?


To explore these, and other questions, the researchers
will be undertaking a variety of 'CPD conversations' with the five main
stakeholders in the CPD environment:&nbsp;&nbsp;


	Individual Professionals
	Employers
	Professional Bodies
	Training
	Providers
	Universities

The
conversations will include focus groups, consultations and online pilots.&nbsp;&nbsp; The research is due to run throughout 2013,
and will produce a variety of online and offline outputs from the
findings.&nbsp; 

&nbsp;


&nbsp;

About the research leaders

Amanda Rosewarne
Amanda is a Visiting Fellow at Kingston University Business School, who has led the CPD Research Project, based at Kingston University since 2010. In addition to her academic work, she has advised over 100 organisations in providing CPD activities and schemes.
&nbsp;

Dr. Michael Moynagh
Dr Moynagh is a founder and director of the Tomorrow Project, Michael is based within Oxford University and has vast expertise in analysing social and workplace trends.



&nbsp;


Get involved 


If you or your organisation would like to participate in the research, please contact Amanda via email or visit the CPD Futures website: 


	E:&nbsp; a.rosewarne@kingston.ac.uk
	W: www.cpdresearch.com


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/cpd-futures-research-project-by-kingston-uni-the-tomorrow-project.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/cpd-futures-research-project-by-kingston-uni-the-tomorrow-project.htm</link>

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<title>Conference on Combating Financial Crime</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
The International Compliance Association (ICA) is hosting a conference on combating financial crime on the 28 November 2012 in London. 


Delegates will learn about the latest developments in financial crime and 
how these will affect your business and the way you do your job in the future.


&nbsp;


 


The UK financial services sector is currently under an unprecedented 
degree of scrutiny - by regulators (both domestic and, of course, US), 
the national press and from within. 


The recent well-documented 
details of LIBOR-fixing and violations of money laundering regulations 
have turned an enormous spotlight on to the area of compliance.


Topics for the conference 

	Developments in the policing of fraud
	UK financial services regulation: the shape of things to come &ndash; Panel session
	Cybercrime and the modern firm
	Why ethics matters in business
	The Bribery Act: how&rsquo;s it working? Practical implementation issues
	US extraterritoriality: the reality!
	Financial Crime mapping: the results of the Ernst &amp; Young/ICA survey
	It wasn't me - it was Bennett Arron


&nbsp;

How to book

This event will take place on 28 November 2012 in London - tickets are &pound;300. For further information, follow the links below: 


	Visit the conference webpage on the ICA website
	View the conference brochure
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/conference-on-combating-financial-crime.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/conference-on-combating-financial-crime.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>PARN wishes Ashridge well in continuing the work of TotalProfessions.com</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Since its inception in 2010, PARN and Ashridge
Communications have worked together on the TotalProfessions.com website to
develop what is now a well established and increasingly popular website, bringing all professional bodies together on one
platform.


More recently, PARN has been developing a suite of training
courses for the professional body sector, along with a qualification in
Professional Body Management, which has lead to a review of how PARN uses its
resources. 


PARN has therefore made the decision to withdraw from the
TotalProfessions.com initiative in order to focus more of its attention on its
new service provision.


However, PARN will continue to support the good work of the website
in some communications and will from time to time publish articles on the website.


Ashridge Communications, through Professional Careers Ltd
will assume PARN&rsquo;s shareholding in the website and will be making announcements
in September/October regarding new developments being worked on to take the
website to the next level.


In the meantime:


	All professional
	bodies will continue to have a free live link in the Profession Finder and PARN encourages members to support the site where
	budgets permit
	
	
	The website will
	continue to promote the professions from the professional body perspective,
	providing editorial links to professional bodies through the Sector
	Summaries
	
	
	Fair
	Access to the professions will continue to be a
	key driver for the site
	
	
	PARN will continue to
	provide criteria by which professional bodies can be listed on the Profession Finder directory


PARN and Ashridge Communications continue to have a good
relationship and wish each other well in all future endeavours. 
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/parn-wishes-ashridge-well-in-continuing-the-work-of-totalprofessionscom.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/parn-wishes-ashridge-well-in-continuing-the-work-of-totalprofessionscom.htm</link>

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<title>NAS seeks professional bodies' views on Higher Apprenticeships</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
To ensure Higher Apprenticeships best meet the needs of
employers and individuals, and to support their continued development and
expansion, the National Apprenticeship Service is consulting on how the current
Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England (SASE) can be improved
for Higher Apprenticeships.


&nbsp;


In particular, the consultation focuses on:


	Whether and how the SASE could be revised for Higher Apprenticeships
	at Levels 4 and 5
	How the SASE should best incorporate Higher Apprenticeships at Level 6
	&nbsp;and above
	Consideration of the naming of Higher Apprenticeships at Level 4 and
	&nbsp;above.
	


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

Share your views 


Professional bodies are well
placed to advise on the development of Higher Apprenticeship Standards,
particularly those at Level 6 and above where there is alignment with or
progression to professional qualifications.


The consultation is
taking place between 3 September and 5 October 2012. 


	View the Higher Apprenticeships consultation document and questions
	


&nbsp;


Consultation events


The National Apprenticeship Service are also planning to hold two
consultation events in October to outline and review the responses and
recommendations. Further details of these events will be published on the NAS
website.


	www.apprenticeships.gov.uk
	
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/nas-seeks-professional-bodies-views-on-higher-apprenticeships.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/nas-seeks-professional-bodies-views-on-higher-apprenticeships.htm</link>

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<title>Accrediting Employer Training</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
We are currently conducting some research into how
professional bodies are accrediting employer training and what this means for
CPD. 


We are aware of a number of bodies with such schemes but it would appear
that they are in the minority. A recent Member Enquiry on the topic of
accreditation of organisational or corporate members found that only a fifth of
respondents ran a scheme like this.


One of the main objectives of accrediting employer training
is as a way to engage with the employers themselves. Our research has found
that relationships between professional bodies and employers can be viewed in
four ways:


	
	Direct
	Where the employer is directly engaged
	in the work of the professional body, perhaps through representation on
	committees, industry boards or advisory groups.
	
	
	Indirect
	Through employees of the organisation
	being members of the professional body.
	
	
	As members
	This might be through a corporate
	membership or affiliate scheme or where senior members of the professional body
	where they might act in a volunteer capacity.
	
	
	Regulatory&nbsp;
	Where the employer organisation
	and/or their employees are regulated by the professional body. This might be a
	compulsory of voluntary relationship.
	


(Raising the Value of
Professional Body Membership, PARN 2011)


It is the regulatory type of relationship that accreditation of
employer training can be categorised as. 


Where employer training is accredited, it is usually to
approve it as valid training for professional body requirements &ndash; usually CPD
or to achieve a qualification or professional registration. Accredited
employers can promote the accreditation to potential employees to recruit the
best candidates by showing that they will be supported in their professional
development and career progression. 


In addition, professional body
accreditation processes may make recommendations for improvement which will
benefit the employer. Recognition of the national or international standard of
companies&rsquo; training provides them with credibility and a competitive edge when
marketing themselves to potential customers as well as for recruitment of
staff. 


Professional bodies benefit from the acknowledgment of their
role as a validator or legitimator of standards, along with a wider recognition
within the sector. Accreditation schemes can be a source of revenue, and will
enhance contact with important employers.


Members benefit by knowing that the training provided by
their employer is of the appropriate standard and in some cases the
accreditation means that their CPD evidence is taken care of, freeing them up
from providing CPD logs.

Share your thoughts 


	
	Does your organisation run an accreditation scheme for
	employer training? 
	How does it benefit your organisation? 
	And how does it
	benefit the employer?
	


For further discussion, visit PARNPeople.com and comment on this topic in the forum.


If you'd like to be interviewed for our
research, please contact Tina Williams, Head of Research at PARN: 


T:&nbsp; 0117 928
1998
E:&nbsp; christina@parnglobal.com
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/accrediting-employer-training.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/accrediting-employer-training.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>New Member - British Parking Association</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Welcome to the newest member in the network &nbsp; &nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

British Parking Association (BPA)

The British Parking Association represents over 700 organisational 
members from the entire&nbsp;parking and traffic management sector, 
including&nbsp;local authorities, manufacturers, car park operators, health 
authorities, universities, airports, railways, shopping 
centres,&nbsp;bailiffs, construction companies, learning providers&nbsp;and 
consultants.


The BPA also manages the Approved Operator Scheme for parking on private
land, the Safer Parking Scheme and the Institute for Parking 
Professionals. 


	
	Visit the British Parking Association website...
	
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/new-member-british-parking-association.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/new-member-british-parking-association.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>New Members - EI and IAM</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Welcome to the newest members in the network &nbsp; &nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

Energy Institute (EI)

&nbsp;



The EI is the professional body for the energy industry, delivering good practice and professionalism across the depth and breadth of the sector.


A Royal Chartered membership organisation, the EI supports around 15,000 individuals and 250 companies across 100 countries, serving society with independence, professionalism and a wealth of expertise in energy matters. 


The
EI is licensed by the Engineering Council (UK) to offer Chartered, 
Incorporated and Engineering Technician status to engineers, the Science
Council to award Chartered Scientist status, and also licensed by the 
Society for the Environment to award Chartered Environmentalist status.


The EI was set up in 2003 as a result&nbsp;of&nbsp;a merger between the Institute of Petroleum&nbsp;(IP) and the Institute of Energy (InstE).&nbsp; Both
Institutes had a proud and distinguished heritage developed over many 
years supporting their particular energy sectors. 


Increasingly these 
sectors have converged, creating an integrated global energy market 
which has been mirrored by the development of the Energy Institute - 
established to address both the depth and breadth of the subject. 


	
	Visit the Energy Institute (EI) website...
	


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

Institute of Administrative Management (IAM)&nbsp;


The
IAM is the oldest professional  body for management professionals in 
the  UK. They focus on developing  administrative managers, professional
administrators and business leaders, and  also offer a  range of 
rewarding, specialised qualifications.&nbsp; 


The IAM currently supports around 17,000  people studying for IAM 
qualifications around the world, as well as professional  members from 
58 countries. 


IAM professional qualifications and  membership programmes prepare 
administrative managers, professional  administrators and business 
leaders to fulfil their potential, develop skills  and build successful 
careers.


Our members include business leaders, administrative  
managers, professional administrators and aspiring business managers. 
Students  and recent graduates can also enjoy the benefits of 
membership. 


	Visit the Institute of Administrative Management (IAM) website...
	


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/new-members-ei-and-iam.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/new-members-ei-and-iam.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>Research into Internationalisation</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Our newest research project on internationalisation will
investigate a variety of ways that that professional bodies can develop their
presence and their membership in countries other than their home nation. 



This project is being supported by two of our PARN Members:


	The Institute of Physics
	The Institute for
	Learning


&nbsp;


Using
a combination of survey and case study interviews, the research will tackle:


	The different ways that internationalisation can
	be pursued
	The circumstances in which certain approaches
	work best
	Dealing with national competitors
	Partnerships and joint ventures
	The effects of new technologies and social media
	Internal systems and resources needed for
	success
	Risks involved in pursuing internationalisation


&nbsp;

Additional Information 


If you would like to join the supporters of this project in
shaping the research questions to your needs, please contact Christina Williams, Head of Research at PARN: 


E:&nbsp; Christina@parnglobal.com 
T:&nbsp; 0117 928 1998
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/research-into-internationalisation.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/research-into-internationalisation.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>Bespoke In-house Training from PARN</title>


<description><![CDATA[ In addition to our regular courses, we can offer bespoke in-house 
training for group bookings at discounted rates, enabling your staff to 
learn in the convenience of your own office.

&nbsp;

About our bespoke training

Are you looking training that is tailored to the needs of your 
organisation? We can deliver bespoke in-house training by using elements
from our existing range of ten unique courses and/or
designing something completely new for you.


Previous bespoke courses themes have included:


	 Improving a team&rsquo;s understanding of the
	professional body sector 
	 Increasing awareness of the importance of
	members and good member relations
	Understanding the organisation&rsquo;s membership and
	member engagement
	Understanding the governance of professional
	bodies for employees and volunteers


&nbsp;

Pricing for bespoke training 


Prices for delivering bespoke training start at as little as &pound;1500
+ VAT for PARN members. Our normal training courses are &pound;295 per person for members, so if have over 5 staff you want to go on training - a bespoke course might be right for you and save you money. 


Please contact the training team on training@parnglobal.com or 0117 928 1997 if you have a
specific training requirement that you would like to discuss!


&nbsp;

Testimonials from our members 


Don&rsquo;t just listen to us, here&rsquo;s what some of our members
have said about bespoke PARN training:


&nbsp;


&ldquo;General
comments around the Institute were great, with staff feeding back how
interesting they found the training.&nbsp; The
length and content were appropriate.&nbsp;
Feedback about Sarah was also great, she really put herself in our shoes
and joined in with our culture. Overall, a great session and thoroughly apt to
the business and enjoyed by our staff.&rdquo;


&ndash;
Helen Lodge, HR &amp; Office Manager, BIFM 


&nbsp;


&ldquo;A very
useful and well-run day.&nbsp; To get some
internal discussion going needed an external facilitator and that was what
Sarah achieved.&rdquo;


&ndash;
Bernard Gudgin, Board Advisor, Socitm


&nbsp;

Additional information...



Find out more about our Training Courses below:


	Course List - 2012
	
	Why choose PARN Training?
	Pricing &amp; Discounts
	About Our Training


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/bespoke-inhouse-training-from-parn.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/bespoke-inhouse-training-from-parn.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>Lee Davies to chair upcoming PARN Conference</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Update on our 'E-learning, M-learning &amp; Beyond' event


&nbsp;


We're pleased to announce
that Lee
Davies, CEO at Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys will be
the chair for our next conference on E-learning, M-learning &amp; Beyond on 8 November in London.&nbsp;


&nbsp;


We have also confirmed our
keynote speaker will be Steve Wheeler, Associate Professor of Learning
Technologies at Plymouth University. Stephen MacDonald, Head of Education,
British Dental Association and Katherine Benzine, Head of Education and
Training at Dyslexia Action will also be speaking. &nbsp;


&nbsp;


If your organisation is
thinking of providing e-learning for your members, or if you are looking to
develop your provision, this conference is for you!&nbsp;


&nbsp;


 Early Bird discount
ends 15 September - book now!&nbsp;


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/lee-davies-to-chair-upcoming-parn-conference.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/lee-davies-to-chair-upcoming-parn-conference.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>Research on New Approaches to Member Relations</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Just a quick update on our New Approaches to Member Relations&nbsp; research project which we started in 2011...


&nbsp;


The research is now complete and the final report was submitted to the six professional bodies who supported it. Thank you to our PARN Members for supporting this work:


	Engineers Australia&nbsp;
	Society and College of Radiographers&nbsp;
	The Law Society of Scotland&nbsp;
	Institute of Physics&nbsp;
	Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists&nbsp;
	The Institution of Engineering and Technology&nbsp;





The research findings have been integrated into our new training course content forEngaging &amp; Retaining Members, the first course will be on November 13th 2012.



&nbsp;


In addition, the research findings will be launched at our upcoming conference in Spring 2013. &nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

Additional resources

If you found this research interesting, you may also be interested in...


	Why join?
	
	Social Networking
	Branches &amp; Groups
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/research-on-new-approaches-to-member-relations.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/research-on-new-approaches-to-member-relations.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>Collaboration with haysmacintyre on upcoming financial benchmarking report</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Building on the success of the 1st
and 2nd editions of our Financial &amp; Operating Ratios for
Professional Bodies Report, the Professional Associations Research Network (PARN) is proud to announce haysmacintyre as this
year&rsquo;s report sponsor. 


PARN will be working in partnership with haysmacintyre
to improve the quality of the report and for the first year we will be able to
provide the full report as a PDF to all PARN Members for FREE, instead of the
usual cost of &pound;100! 


To launch this year&rsquo;s report, an event for PARN Members will
be held at the offices of haysmacintyre in Holborn, Central London, on 15
November 2012. All attendees will receive a free hard copy of the report on the
day (&pound;20 value). 


Jeremy Beard, Partner and Head of
Membership and Professional Associations at haysmacintyre said: 


&ldquo;We are
looking forward to working with PARN to help them enhance the financial
benchmarking report they offer to members.&nbsp; We believe that with our
guidance and expertise the benefit to members will be great.&rdquo;



&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


About haysmactintyre


haysmacintyre is a leading firm
of Chartered Accountants and business advisers with 26 partners and 150 staff
in Holborn. 


Whilst the haysmacintyre office is based in Central London, their
clients are spread across the UK and they can provide international expertise
via membership of MSI Global Alliance. 


haysmacintyre has a dedicated NFP
unit looking after over 550 organisations including many membership
organisations. Clients include national governing bodies, professional
institutes, trade associations and membership organisations. The inclusion of a
multi-disciplinary specialist team in one unit and in one location ensures an
integrated and comprehensive approach to client requirements.


The NFP sector represents over
30% of the firm&rsquo;s business. This enables the team to be committed to the sector
and produce regular briefings and fact sheets on topical matters as well as
holding seminars throughout the year.


For more information, visit the haysmacintyre
website:


	www.haysmacintyre.com
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/collaboration-with-haysmacintyre-on-upcoming-financial-benchmarking-report.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/collaboration-with-haysmacintyre-on-upcoming-financial-benchmarking-report.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>Three Exciting New Courses for Autumn 2012</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Our Training Courses
have been going from strength to strength and we've been continuing to 
develop new content based on our research and specialist knowledge about
the professional body sector. 


Our new courses are aimed at senior and strategic staff responsible for 
shaping and directing core activities in their professional body. 


&nbsp;

About our new courses 


Engaging &amp; Retaining Members&nbsp; 13 November 2012
This course explore ways of engaging and retaining members based on our 
research and knowledge of the professional body sector and compliments 
our Understanding Member Value course.


In particular, we will be evaluating member surveys, and discussing professional
body perceptions and interesting practice around levels of engagement and loss
rates, along with segmentation of members for targeted communications.


&nbsp;


Developing Strategy &amp; Business
Planning 22 November 2012 
This training course aims to provide senior managers and members of the 
governing body with an understanding of strategic management as applied 
to professional bodies.&nbsp;


&nbsp;


Strategic Finance for
Professional Bodies 27 November 2012 
This course provides senior finance, general managers and policy staff 
with an understanding of the particular financial circumstances of 
professional bodies. 


Find out how professional bodies differ from the requirements of finance
in for-profit or other third sector organisations and the specific 
challenges of providing useful financial information to support decision
making in professional bodies.


&nbsp;



&nbsp;


Many thanks to AAGBI and CIHT for hosting our Training Courses! &nbsp;





&nbsp;





&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;



&nbsp;

Testimonials

Here's what some of the participants on our recent Training Courses thought:


&nbsp;


&quot; I go on training
courses and only 10% is relevant to me, but this course has been completely
relevant to my role and organisation.&quot;&nbsp;


- Marion Young, Governance Secretary of The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries


&nbsp;


&quot; I learnt a lot
of commonalities between my organisation and other professional bodies &ndash; very
useful and reassuring to compare. &quot;
- Kirstin Lambert, Communities Manager at The Actuarial Professional


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

Additional information...

Find out more about our Training Courses below:


	Course List - 2012
	Pricing &amp; Discounts
	About Our Training
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/three-exciting-new-courses-for-autumn-2012.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/three-exciting-new-courses-for-autumn-2012.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>Would our CPD course be good for you?</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 




Our CPD training course Developing and Managing CPD has now been running for over a year, and we have
delivered it four times in different locations including Edinburgh. 


Developing and Managing CPD is
relevant to a wide variety of sectors and a range of job positions within
professional bodies. 


It encourages strategic thinking on CPD, particularly
focusing on how CPD is organised in the professional body sector and how it
impacts on members and other stakeholders. 


Along with the nine other training
courses PARN is offering, this course contributes to raising the standard of
management in the professional body sector as a whole.


&nbsp;

Who's been on our CPD course so far?&nbsp; 




A total of 43 delegates have
attended the course from 33 different professional bodies. These professional
bodies are from a wide range of sectors, the most common being Law, Finance,
Medical/Health, Business/Management, Arts/Creative and Science.




Some organisations have sent
their entire CPD team along to the course! Most commonly, delegates on this
course are:




	
	Managers (16)
	
	
	Directors (4)
	
	
	Officers (4)
	
	
	Heads (6)
	
	
	Coordinators (3)
	
	
	CEOs (2)
	
	
	Chairs (2)
	
	Assistants (2)




Other job titles included
Executive, Administrator, Specialist and Solicitor.



&nbsp;

Find out more


	Developing and Managing CPD course
	
	PARN Training Course List - 2012
	Pricing &amp; Discounts
	About Our Training
	Testimonial from BPS


 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/would-our-cpd-course-be-good-for-you.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/would-our-cpd-course-be-good-for-you.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>The British Dental Association (BDA): E-learning for dentists</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 


The BDA represents over 23,000 dentists working in a
wide range of settings. As the regulator for the sector, the General Dental
Council (GDC) sets requirements for CPD. One of the ways the BDA helps its
members to complete the required CPD is by providing e-learning. The BDA first
introduced E-learning in 2006.




E-learning resources
are mainly intended for the benefit of practising BDA members, as students are
often well provided for in terms of e-learning while studying at universities.
There are direct 
e-learning services that members can participate in and get professional
development hours for doing so. The BDA also provides e-learning for
non-members and non-dentists who work in related roles within dental practices:
dental nurses, hygienists, and receptionists, which has a benefit for its
members as well.




For the BDA, the
move towards e-learning came as a natural part of developing modern
qualifications for dental care professionals. Initially a limited amount of
e-learning was created as an &lsquo;experiment&rsquo; and after it was judged successful it
was included in more and more areas of the organisation&rsquo;s work. One advantage
of by providing courses via e-learning was gaining more control over the
delivery of learning &ndash; rather than providing learning through approved learning
providers it allowed a direct relationship with the learners. 




&nbsp;&ldquo;We went for Adobe Connect as an off the shelf
solution based on Flash. I was looking for a solution where we didn&rsquo;t have to
worry about the IT, where we could concentrate on developing the content and
management systems.&rdquo; 




One advantage
of using an &lsquo;off the shelf&rsquo; product such as Adobe Connect was the support
provided. Being backed by a major technology firm meant the product would be
well tested and would continue to be improved as aspects were debugged and
updated. &nbsp;The difficulty in using a
generic platform (as opposed to a bespoke one) is that it requires the
organisation to be flexible about the implementation. There will always be
limits to the functionality of a system that is not customised to your exact
specification.




The BDA&rsquo;s Education
Services Team are the focal point for producing e-learning content based on
expertise which comes from a variety of places within the organisation. There
are also external experts who may be commissioned to write a particular piece
of learning. 




We asked our
interviewee what advice they would give to another professional body that was
looking at starting or expanding an e-learning system. One important point that
came up was that e-learning shouldn&rsquo;t just be seen as something separate from
the rest of the organisation:




&ldquo;More
important would be to work hard to integrate e-learning into other services the
association provides. I think we are nearly there as we use e-learning to
support our advice, our publications, and our face to face events as well. I
would have brought that into the mix much much sooner.&rdquo; 




This Member Spotlight is a summarised version of one of the case
studies for PARN&rsquo;s current research project &lsquo;E-learning for Professionals&rsquo;,
which was developed with and approved by the interviewee.


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<title>Is e-learning more popular in a recession?</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 


E-learning has been the
coming thing for the last two decades, but have the recent recessions been the
catalyst that has brought it into the mainstream? 


By 2015 the global market for
e-learning provision is projected to be just less than $50 billion (USD). Early
uptake of e-learning was generally from large corporations. However, more
recently uptake has shifted towards education institutions, both HEIs and FECs.
Are professional bodies following suit?&nbsp;


Research carried out by
Cegos has shown that in the private sector the proportion of companies planning
to use e-learning for their internal training needs jumped from 55% to 75% during
the so-called &lsquo;great recession&rsquo; of 2008-2009. Can the same be said of professional
bodies? 


&nbsp;


PARN research has shown that out of 57 professional bodies responding
to our recent survey on e-learning 38 were already using e-learning, with 12 of
the remaining 19 planning to implement it soon.&nbsp;


&nbsp;


With a growing appetite for
&lsquo;bitesize&rsquo; learning as the recession causes increased time pressure, especially
on small businesses and sole practitioners, e-learning seems to have become a
priority.&nbsp;


&nbsp;


E-learning might just be the killer app for professional bodies during a
recession; it is a cost-effective and flexible training solution with a
potentially global reach. But it is not cost free; e-learning requires an initial
investment and ongoing maintenance, either in staff time or purchasing from an
external supplier.&nbsp;


In setting up e-learning
provision for its members, professional bodies are trying to hit a moving
target. Changing technology, pedagogy, and user expectations make it difficult
to stay ahead of the curve. What can be done? 


PARN&rsquo;s research on e-learning
included a survey of professionals in a variety of sectors. Our analysis looks
at what professionals want from e-learning and how they want to see e-learning
provision develop in their profession. 


The research shows that about 15% of the
1829 professionals surveyed do e-learning via mobile devices (often called
m-learning). The most popular devices professionals use are smart phones, laptops
and tablet computers. Surprisingly smart phones are even more popular than laptops.
This might be because, due to the recession, professionals are squeezing
learning in to their commute, rather than taking time out of their working day.&nbsp;


Is e-learning on the
increase at your organisation?
Is the recession helping or hindering uptake?


Let us know on our forums on PARNPeople: 


	www.parnpeople.com 




&nbsp;

Upcoming Conference on E-learning, M-Learning &amp; Beyond 


You can learn more about
PARN&rsquo;s research at our upcoming conference!

E-learning, M-learning &amp; Beyond: New
Technologies for Professionals 

8 November 2012&nbsp;&nbsp; 
9.30am - 4pm 
Woburn House - London&nbsp;&nbsp; 

 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/is-elearning-more-popular-in-a-recession.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/is-elearning-more-popular-in-a-recession.htm</link>

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<title>Happy VQ Day!</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
The Professional Associations Research Network (PARN) would like to wish all 120 of our professional body members a very happy VQ Day! 


VQ Day is a national celebration of vocational qualifications (VQs)
for students, teachers and employers. It shines a light on and
recognises the millions of talented and skilled people throughout
the UK who are awarded VQs. 


Examples of VQs include BTECs, City &amp; Guilds, NVQ/SVQ, OCR
Nationals, Apprenticeships, HNC/HNDs, degrees with a largely
vocational content and professional qualifications awarded through
a recognised professional body.


&nbsp;


Visit the VQ Day website for more information:


	www.vqday.org.uk 


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

About our research into vocational qualifications 


We recently conducted research into vocational qualifications, exploring how professional bodies are supporting a variety of 
entry routes and opening up new opportunities for career progression. 


This research was commissioned by the National Apprenticeship Service 
(NAS) and now defunct Foundation Degree Forward 
(fdf), who asked us to investigate the views and perceptions of Foundation Degrees and Apprenticeships among professional bodies. 


The findings and analysis are available in our latest book (Press copies are available upon request): 


	Becoming A Professional: New Ways of Entering the Professions
	


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


More information about vocational qualifications... 


We launched our research findings at our conference in London in April 2012 - 'Fit for Purpose Professionals' - which included a live debate and workshop session, plus case studies from leading professional bodies, education providers and policy makers on their experiences with vocational qualifications. 


	Summary &amp; presentations from the conference 
	
	Live debate summary: Do professionals need a degree? (PDF)
	&nbsp; With RCN, SRA, Engineerign Council and CIMA
	Workshop Feedback Summary: Future issues (PDF)
	&nbsp; Looking at what issues are likely to impact on routes to entry in your profession in the next 5 years


&nbsp;


For more information or comment from our director, Professor Andy Friedman, please contact us:


	T: 0117 928 1992 
	E: info@parnglobal.com 




 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/happy-vq-day.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/happy-vq-day.htm</link>

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<title>Facilitation of SoR Board &amp; Council Meeting</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Our CEO Andy Friedman recently facilitated a Board and Council Meeting for our PARN Member, the Society and College of
Radiographers.&nbsp; 


As part of the day, Andy presented information about the legal
responsibilities of directors and trustees and also led a discussion
of competencies as they are applied to the Board and Council.


If you'd feel using an external faciliator would be of benefit to your professional body, contact us for more information:


	
	T: 0117 929 4515
	E: info@parnglobal.com
	


&nbsp;


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/facilitation-of-sor-board-council-meeting.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/facilitation-of-sor-board-council-meeting.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>Professional bodies support social mobility</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Alan Milburn, who chaired the&nbsp;Panel&nbsp;that inspired&nbsp;TotalProfessions.com, is today releasing a report on&nbsp;social mobility. Milburn acts as an independent reviewer of social mobility for government.


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

What does social mobility have to do with the professions?

Some professions, for example the medical profession&nbsp;as cited by Alan Milburn&nbsp;in interviews this morning, are more difficult for people from all socio-economic backgrounds (classes) to enter. In other words, professions such as these do not make it easy for poorer students to train, because they or their families cannot afford the training, or because they have not been to the high performing schools and gained the grades that the universities are looking for.&nbsp;Milburn said to the Guardian&nbsp;today,


'In a perfect world where all schools are equal you'd simply select on the basis of academic attainment &hellip; We won't get a more mobile society unless we create more of a level playing field of opportunity. I wouldn't view it as positive discrimination &hellip; I view it as widening the pool of talent from which medicine recruits.'


Milburn&rsquo;s report shows that just 7% of new medical students came from the bottom three socio-economic groups in 2010-11. This figure remains the same as it was ten years ago.


&nbsp;

What are professional bodies doing to help?

Some&nbsp;professional bodies&nbsp;are actively promoting&nbsp;fair access&nbsp;to the professions, and working hard on initiatives to welcome people from all backgrounds into professional careers.&nbsp;


The Professional Associations Research Network (PARN) set up TotalProfessions.com as a portal site to recognise the achievements of professional bodies and build on fair access initiatives in the professions.


The site provides a wealth of information to help aspiring professionals looking for a future career or a change, as well as those currently studying, or already working in their chosen field. 


What many people don't realise is that they can contact the professional body in their sector (using our&nbsp;Profession Finder) to ask them what opportunities are available, and what they are doing to promote fair access and allow a wider representation of society to enter the professions.


&nbsp;

Which sectors are changing? 


&nbsp;


Here are just a few
examples of ways that professional bodies are working hard to improve access to
their fields: 


	 Engineering &amp; The IET
	
	 Finance - Employers &amp; Professional Bodies
	
	Law - Employers, Apprenticeships &amp; Professional Bodies 
	TEFL &amp; The British Council
	Medicine &amp; The BMA


&nbsp;

Find out more...

	Download the new Milburn report 'Fair Access to Professional Careers'
	
	Listen to BBC Radio interview with Alan Milburn about the report
	Visit the TotalProfessions website 


&nbsp;





Written by Amy Hannington - Editor of&nbsp;TotalProfessions.com&nbsp;and Research Assistant at PARN.


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/professional-bodies-support-social-mobility.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/professional-bodies-support-social-mobility.htm</link>

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<title>Our latest book explores 'New Ways of Entering the Professions'</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Our latest book Becoming A Professional: New Ways of Entering the Professions is out now!


The book was launched in London at our Fit for Purpose Professionals conference on 25 April 2012 and author Will Hanson gave an overview of the findings presented in the book.&nbsp;


The book pulls together PARN knowledge on entry to the professions, focussing in particular on &lsquo;new&rsquo; ways of qualifying. It is intended to support those concerned with entry standards and 
professional qualifications, as well as those tasked with the strategic 
consideration of recruitment and training of professionals into the 
future.


The content is based on findings from two research projects conducted in 2010 and 2011. 


The first was commissioned by the now defunct Foundation Degree Forward 
(fdf) and investigated professional body views of Foundation Degrees. 


The second was commissioned by the National Apprenticeship Service 
(NAS) which looked at the perception of Apprenticeships among 
professional bodies.


Additionally, this book builds upon research conducted previously by PARN about entry to the professions, following on from our books:


	Routes &amp; Requirements for Becoming Professional Qualified (2008)
	Membership Structures of UK Professional Associations (2002) 


&nbsp;

Additional Information 


The book is &pound;40 for PARN Members and &pound;80 for Non-Members.
To find out more and buy online, visit the publications section of our site:


	&nbsp;Becoming A Professional: New Ways of Entering the Professions


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/our-latest-book-explores-new-ways-of-entering-the-professions.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/our-latest-book-explores-new-ways-of-entering-the-professions.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>Who's weathering the recession well?</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Report shows larger professional bodies faring better

According to our report Financial &amp; Operating Ratios
for Professional Bodies 2009/2010, there is a fairly consistent and positive
relation between the size of professional bodies and income per member. For instance:


	Less than &pound;1M turnover:&nbsp;&pound;231 income per member on average &nbsp;
	&pound;1-10M turnover: &pound;430 income per member on average&nbsp;
	Above &pound;10M turnover: &pound;929 income per member on average


This either indicates a higher fee subscription rate or
more alternative sources of income for larger professional bodies &ndash; such as
education/training/CPD provision, investment/interest, events and publications.
The chart below shows how the alternative income sources explanation is
particularly pertinent for the largest professional bodies.


Income from member subscriptions as % of
total income


 


Success of larger professional bodies in dealing with the
recession is also reflected in their profitability with the above three groups
achieving profit to income of respectively: -1%; 1% and 4% on average.


However this relationship has not always held. It
reflects the recession in that the reserves to expenditure ratio shows middle
sized professional bodies to be healthier if reserves standardised on
expenditure levels is considered. The middle level professional bodies have
reserves equal to 12.5 months of expenditure on average, compared with the largest
professional bodies at 7.6 months and the smallest ones at 7.9 months.


&nbsp;

Additional Information... 


Find out how your organisation compares with other
professional bodies: 


	Financial &amp; Operating Ratios
	for Professional Bodies 2009/2010


&nbsp;



&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/whos-weathering-the-recession-well.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/whos-weathering-the-recession-well.htm</link>

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<title>Designing Competency Frameworks for CPD</title>


<description><![CDATA[ PARN
has noted that more and more professional bodies are developing sets of
competencies which frame different aspects of professional skills, knowledge
and practice. Professional bodies put competency frameworks to a variety of
uses including defining qualifications, accrediting courses and &nbsp;assessing applications for membership (Williams, Hanson &amp; Friedman,
2012: 59). &nbsp;

PARN&rsquo;s
current research project, Analysing
Competency Frameworks, has shown that, while accreditation of courses
and/or individuals is the most common reason professional bodies develop
competency frameworks, many are used to guide professionals CPD activities. One
way of achieving this is to develop a tool that allows professionals to self
assess their learning needs against pre-defined competencies for a given job
role. The job role might be a current role or a desired future role, and career
development is another key function that competency frameworks can play. 


We
created a number of definitions for analysing the features of competency
frameworks. What we call &lsquo;domains&rsquo; are the top level categories used to structure
competency frameworks. These domains&nbsp;
might contain one or more sub-categories which are used to organise what
we term &lsquo;competency statements&rsquo; which define the specific competencies expected
of a professional. Our research has revealed that some features of competency
frameworks are closely related to their purposes.


Of
the frameworks we analysed that were created to give guidance, the majority
were focused on helping individuals define their skills and aspirations in
terms of career development, professional learning and CPD.


We
found that CPD orientated frameworks had on average a relatively low number of
domains compared with those created for other purposes. When it comes to the number
of competency statements, CPD orientated frameworks contained a far lower number
on average than those intended for setting practice guidelines.


We
also found that those domains, the top level categories in a framework, were often
generic rather than profession-specific. There were ten common generic domain
categories of which CPD was one. The choice of whether to include CPD as a
domain category will depend on the purpose of the framework and the importance
attached to it within the profession which the framework sits within. 


Before
beginning development of a framework designed to support professionals through
CPD, a decision needs to be made about who will be using the framework. If it
is to be for guiding professionals of a range of skill levels, the framework
can be designed in a way which suits people at various career progression
levels. One approach is to define core competencies that all professionals
should develop leaving other aspects up to the individual, while other
approaches can include setting a range of possible &lsquo;levels of attainment&rsquo; for
each competency.


Aside
from guiding individuals, introducing a competency framework for CPD can be
very useful for an organisation, as the process of its development can inform
the development of e-portfolios and can spur on discussion and decisions about
the kinds of outputs that are relevant for professionals in the sector.


Competency
based assessment is becoming common for organisations providing accreditation
but also for CPD purposes. If you&rsquo;re looking to develop a competency framework
for similar reasons, PARN can help you. Look out for upcoming PARN publications
on the topic, or contact us to discuss bespoke consultancy.


&nbsp;

Additional Information...


To
find out more about our current and upcoming research:


	Learn about our Potential Research for 2012-2013 
	Email Christina
	Williams - Head of Research at PARN 
	Call us on 0117 929 4515
	
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/designing-competency-frameworks-for-cpd.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/designing-competency-frameworks-for-cpd.htm</link>

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<title>Great turnout at our Fit for Purpose Professionals Conference</title>


<description><![CDATA[ Fit for Purpose Professionals:
Exploring new entry routes to the professions

Toni Fazaeli, Chief Executive of the Institute for Learning, chaired our recent conference which explored new entry routes to the professions. 


We welcomed speakers from organisations at the frontier of
professional learning to provide case studies, advice and fresh and interesting
approaches to assessing competence.


You can download all the speaker's presentations, workshop notes and debate summary on our networking site PARNPeople.com:


	Conference Summary &amp; Downloads 




&nbsp;
Research into Vocational Learning
Will Hanson, Research Team at PARN



Getting Ofqual Accreditation&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Linda Hausmanis, Head of Awarding Organisation at BIFM

Flexible Routes to Professional Qualification &nbsp;&nbsp; 
David Lloyd Roach, Director of Membership at ICE

ACCA/Oxford Brookes Partnership
Alan Hatfield, Director - Learning at ACCA

Academic Perspective on Work-Based Learning &nbsp;&nbsp; 
Dr Darryll Bravenboer, Associate Dean Academic Development at Middlesex University

Debate on 'Do professionals need a degree?'
Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive &amp; General Secretary at RCN
Jon Prichard, Chief Executive at The Engineering Council
Robin Vaughn, Executive Director at CIMA
Tom Macdonald, Quality &amp; Standards Manager at SRA


Education and Employers Taskforce&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Dr Anthony Mann, Director of Policy and Research at E&amp;E


&nbsp;


Sponsors for the conference include:


	
		
			 
			
			&nbsp;
			
			
			
			
			&nbsp;
			
			
		
		
			
			
			&nbsp;
			
			
			 
			
			&nbsp;
			
			
			
			
			
		
		
			
			
			&nbsp;
			
			
			
			
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<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/great-turnout-at-our-fit-for-purpose-professionals-conference.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/great-turnout-at-our-fit-for-purpose-professionals-conference.htm</link>

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<title>ILEX Reviews CPD Scheme</title>


<description><![CDATA[ The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (ILEX) has embarked on a
comprehensive review of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
arrangements for their members.

A Working Group within ILEX Professional Standards (IPS) has been established and over the course of a year, the Group will be looking to improve and build on the existing CPD
scheme, to make certain that it is as robust and effective as it can be in
ensuring on-going competence and the professional development of members.


&nbsp;

Background to the current review

CPD was introduced at the Chartered Institute of Legal
Executives in 1999 and it has been reviewed periodically since that time. The
current scheme requires that members in the Associate, Graduate and Fellow
grades should undertake a number of hours CPD commensurate with those grades
and that in addition half of these hours should be in the member&rsquo;s area of
specialist practice. 


The types of CPD that qualify are varied and include
attendance at courses, law updates provided by ILEX Tutorial College, journal
reading and in-house training provided by employers.


Last year, IPS made changes to the CPD scheme which means
that members who have not submitted an online declaration to the Chartered
Institute of Legal Executives for 2011 confirming their compliance with the CPD
requirements have had their practising certificates suspended until they bring
their records up to date. 


It is clear from literature coming from PARN and other
organisations that one of the purposes of CPD is to maintain and develop
competence as a professional, and in pursuit of this goal, innovative methods
of measuring the effectiveness of CPD to the individual are emerging. IPS is
now beginning a further period of review, building on the solid CPD scheme
which already exists. 


Initial research indicates that many Chartered Institute of
Legal Executives members of all grades carry out a range of CPD activities
throughout the year.


&nbsp;

Going forward

Next steps for the Working Group include considering the
possibility of a move towards an outputs-measured scheme, looking at the
benefits that members have gained from the activity rather than simply &lsquo;ticking
the hours box&rsquo;. 


IPS will be undertaking a period of research into CPD
schemes which exist both nationally and internationally, covering a selection
of professions including the legal profession. 


Using this information, together with the valuable research
carried out by PARN, IPS will then be looking at how this information can be
used to make CPD at the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives work for the
members, enabling them to demonstrate maintenance and development of knowledge
and skills and fostering an ethos of lifelong learning.


&nbsp;


This article appeared in PARN's CPD Spotlight newsletter in the Feb/March 2012 edition. 


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/ilex-reviews-cpd-scheme.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/ilex-reviews-cpd-scheme.htm</link>

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<title>PARN Lay Member case study: Janette Gulleford shares her motivations and rewards</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Janette Gulleford, Managing Director of Professional Solutions, has a long history of service in the professional body sector. 


She has worked for the Royal College of Midwives, as technical director in the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, and currently sits on the Board of the Institute of Association Management. 


For Janette, serving as a lay member is an opportunity to give back to the sector and add valuable experience to her own professional career. &ldquo;I wanted to use my skills and experience for the benefit of other organisations.&nbsp; When you have been working in your organisation for a long time you need another experience to lift you up a gear.&rdquo; Through PARN&rsquo;s lay member service, Janette has met new people and different situations and used her experience in a new environment. 


The rewards of being a lay member have been varied for Janette. &ldquo;There are so many benefits, personal development, bringing a different perspective to other organisations problems, everyone is so grateful to you.&nbsp; I have undertaken two lay member positions, one was unpaid and the other is a long term assignment which I am really enjoying.&rdquo; 


Through PARN&rsquo;s Lay Member Register, Janette has undertaken positions at the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) and the Institute for Learning (IfL). At AAT Janette contributed to a working party on reviewing and revising disciplinary regulations; while at IfL she has served as a member of the disciplinary committee. Janette feels her experience with PARN as a lay member has been &ldquo;very professional and caring for people who sign up, I was asked about my experience and offered help if needed it.&rdquo; 


Interested in joining Janette on PARN&rsquo;s Lay Member Register? 
PARN advertises lay member opportunities for member organisations on a regular basis! 


For more information or contact PARN&rsquo;s HR Officer, Sarah Ward:


	E:&nbsp; sarahw@parnglobal.com 
	
	T:&nbsp; 0117 928 1995 


&nbsp;


For those considering taking on the role of a lay member, Janette offers these words of advice: 


&ldquo;If you want to enjoy sharing and developing your skills and meeting new people then it is for you&rdquo;. 

 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/parn-lay-member-case-study-janette-gulleford-shares-her-motivations-and-rewards.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/parn-lay-member-case-study-janette-gulleford-shares-her-motivations-and-rewards.htm</link>

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<title>Workshop Summary Available: Challenges for Professional Bodies</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 

Workshop Summary Available: Challenges
for Professional Bodies


At
our recent conference about Future-proofing
Your Professional Body on 10 November, delegates participated in a
workshop asking them to think about the future challenges for their own
organisations and its members, and then discuss the issues and their ideas in
groups.&nbsp;


&nbsp;


The responses were collated
and grouped into themes for analysis by our research team and a summary is now
available for all PARN Members from the Members'
Area of our website. &nbsp; &nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


As a taster of the summary -
here's what delegates thought the top three challenges for professional bodies
would be in the next five years:&nbsp;


	Maintaining
	and growing their membership 
	Engaging
	with both current and potential members &nbsp;
	Introducing
	new technology&nbsp; &nbsp;


Forgotten your log-in details
for the Members' Area?
Contact Sally@parnglobal.com.&nbsp;
&nbsp;


&nbsp;

Login
to the Members' Area to read the full workshop summary... 
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/workshop-summary-available-challenges-for-professional-bodies.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/workshop-summary-available-challenges-for-professional-bodies.htm</link>

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<title>Survey YOUR Members about E-Learning</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 

In addition our survey of
professional bodies, we are running a survey for YOUR MEMBERS to find out their views on and
experiences of e-learning. &nbsp;


&nbsp;


If you would like to find out
how YOUR MEMBERS
feel about e-learning and how they might be different to other professionals,
then consider participating in this project!&nbsp; &nbsp;


&nbsp;

Find
out more about this survey for your members...&nbsp; ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/survey-your-members-about-elearning.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/survey-your-members-about-elearning.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>Answer Our Survey: E-Learning for Professional Bodies</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 

Answer Our Survey:
E-Learning for Professional Bodies


PARN's most recent survey
forms part of a research project that we are conducting on e-learning for
professionals, investigating how professional bodies are providing e-learning
to their members. The project is supported by ACCA
and Engineers
Australia.

Please take 10-20 minutes to complete this survey. In return, you will receive
a copy of the analysis which will help you benchmark your organisation against
others to support your learning strategy!

Your
responses are extremely valuable and we greatly appreciate your participation.
If your organisation does not provide e-learning, we would still like to know
this - you will only have to answer a few questions. 


Note:
Analysis of the survey data will be presented in aggregate form and no
individual organisation will be identified.


&nbsp;

Complete the survey online now! ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/answer-our-survey-elearning-for-professional-bodies.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/answer-our-survey-elearning-for-professional-bodies.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>2011 Member Enquiries - Wrap up!</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 

As
2011 comes to an end, we are looking back at the Member Enquiries that our
members circulated via the PARN network. Topics varied from membership, CPD and
discipline to governance and external relations. &nbsp;


&nbsp;


35 member enquiries were
posted during the year, and 70% of our member organisations responded to them.


&nbsp;


Here's a few examples of
Member Enquiry topics from 2011...


	Membership
	applications - processes and procedures involved
	Fellowship and
	Chartered status&nbsp; &nbsp;
	Pay structure
	for members of governing body
	Dealing with
	vexatious complaints


Don't forget, you can you can
access summaries of over 250 past enquiries organised by category via the Members'
Area of our website!


&nbsp;


SUBMIT AN ENQUIRY FOR 2012!
&nbsp;


If you're updating your
policies in 2012, or are on the verge of instituting a new procedure, why not
find out how your peers have tackled similar issues? &nbsp;


&nbsp;


We have 10 slots open from
Februay to June 2012 - so get in touch if there's an enquiry you would like to
put forward early next year!&nbsp;Don't forget - we're happy to help formulate
your questions if you get stuck!


&nbsp;


NEW ADDITIONAL SERVICES&nbsp;


Our Research Team is also
able to offer new additional services, should you wish to get more out of the
respondents to your free enquiry including:


	Follow-on
	Questionaires
	Asking enquiry respondents some additional qualifying questions after
	you've read the summary of your Member Enquiry. 
	In-depth
	Interviews
	Conducting follow up telephone interviews/case studies with select number
	of respondants to elicit more in-depth detail about the answers they
	provided.


Contact Natasha at Natasha@parnglobal.com&nbsp; for more
information or a quote!


&nbsp;

&nbsp;Login to the Members' Area for the 2011 Member Enquiries
Wrap-up...&nbsp; ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/2011-member-enquiries-wrap-up.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/2011-member-enquiries-wrap-up.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>What's your approach to reserves?</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 



For
this article, we're sharing some of the findings about reserves
from the 2nd edition of our Financial
&amp; Operating Ratios for Professional Bodies
report.


&nbsp;


On average, professional
bodies saw reserves increase from &pound;5.1M in 2009 to &pound;5.3M in 2010.&nbsp; 


&nbsp;


We
found that organisations in the engineering and other sectors and those with
smaller membership bases increased their reserves, while organisations in the
business and health sectors and those with larger membership bases, saw them
decrease.&nbsp;


&nbsp;


The engineering and other
sectors seem to have been accumulating their reserves as security for the
future, however those in the health sector appear to have used their reserves
to support their survival.


&nbsp;


Having increased their profit
in 2010, organisations in the business sector appear to have used their
reserves to expand their business. All other sectors saw their profit decrease
in 2010. &nbsp;


&nbsp; &nbsp;


Another trend shows that
organisations with a smaller membership base appear to have been sitting on
their reserves, while those with a larger membership appear to have used their reserves
to support their organisational activities.


&nbsp;


What approach has your
organisation adopted? Have you been accumulating your reserves as security for
the future or been using them to invest in business development, or have you
had to tap into them to support your survival?


&nbsp;


USING THE REPORT


Benchmark your organisation
against others using this 123-page report. Based on two years of financial and
organisational data from over 260 professional bodies in the UK and is an
important tool for planning, evaluating and directing your organisation's
financial activities now and in the future.&nbsp; &nbsp;


&nbsp;&nbsp;


Find out more about the
report by downloading the PDFs below:


	 &nbsp;
	


Report prices start at &pound;100 for PARN Members and &pound;150 for
Non-Members. Customised reports are also available. Contact Natasha -
Quantitative Researcher at PARN: 


E:&nbsp; natasha@parnglobal.com


T:&nbsp; 0117 928 1994&nbsp;


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

Order
the Financial &amp; Operating Ratios report online...&nbsp; 
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/whats-your-approach-to-reserves.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/whats-your-approach-to-reserves.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>Students polled about professional bodies</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 

PUSH, an
online guide to UK universities,&nbsp; recently ran a poll to see if young
people and students visiting their site knew what a professional body was...
&nbsp;


	40% recognised
	it as a way to get into a career
	22% said they
	didn't know
	21% said they
	are only for people already in a job &nbsp;
	17% chose 'a
	well-paid limb'


So it seems there is still
more work for the professional bodies to do in getting recognised for their
hard work!


&nbsp;


TotalProfessions.com was
set up to link students, careers advisors and those considering a career change
to the professions - telling them about what each sector is like via links to
professional bodies' websites.


&nbsp;


We are getting more and more
careers advisers on board via our new bulletin (See the first issue here),
which will focus on a different sector each issue. TotalProfessions.com
is an extremely useful tool for careers advisers - showing students how useful
the professional bodies can be as they start out on their career paths.


&nbsp;


It's great to hear about
projects such as Inspiring the Future, a free
service which will be linking professionals from all sectors to young people in
state schools and colleges. More initiatives like this will increase young
peoples' understanding of what professional bodies do.


&nbsp;


At TotalProfessions we have
been busy setting up new links too, with both PUSH
and Real World Magazine
becoming our new media partners!


&nbsp;

If you're interested in getting involved, want
to know more, or would like to suggest your sector for a future issue of our
careers advisers bulletin, email
editor@parnglobal.com. ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/students-polled-about-professional-bodies.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/students-polled-about-professional-bodies.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>'Future-proofing' conference wrap-up</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
On Thursday, 10 November,
PARN held a fantastic conference in London to examine what professional bodies
need to do to support the changing nature of professionals and the demands on
them in the future. 


&nbsp;


Neil Hunt, Chief Executive of RCGP chaired the event where
we heard from those at the frontier of professional body development, who
shared their experiences with the aim to help prepare delegates for their own
challenges.


&nbsp;


We also launched Andy
Friedman's latest book CPD: Lifelong Learning of Millions,
which outlines the importance of CPD on the 'New Professional' and all
delegates received a copy of the book! All PARN Members who were unable to
attend will get their copy by post in the next few weeks.


&nbsp;


If you missed it, but are
interested in the presentations given, visit the 'PARN Conference' forum on PARNPeople
to access them online as PDF's.&nbsp;


	 with John
	Chudley - NAS&nbsp;
	 with Mark
	Taylor - CILIP&nbsp;
	Implementing
	&amp; developing new technologies with Simon Culhane
	- CISI
	The European
	Professional Card with Philip Sydenham - IMI &amp;
	BIS
	CPD - Lifelong
	Learning of Millions with Andy Friedman
	- PARN
	Putting
	professionals at the heart of their standards &amp; CPD with My
	Professional ID

Download
the presentations from PARNPeople...&nbsp; 
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/futureproofing-conference-wrapup.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/futureproofing-conference-wrapup.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>Digital Exposure: Member Spotlight on ACCA's Helen Perkins</title>


<description><![CDATA[ ACCA&rsquo;s Helen
Perkins explains how technology will change how accountants are made...

It is clear
that society is being transformed by technological developments &ndash; perhaps
nowhere more so than through an increasingly rich and pervasive online world &ndash;
which is becoming as prevalent as the physical one we inhabit. 


Within the
last decade, we have begun to see the true power of the internet. Not only does
it transmit knowledge and information, but it can also bring people with common
interests together across geographical boundaries, through social networking
sites. The rapid engagement with these sites has been one of the major
transformational trends of recent years. 


It&rsquo;s an
oft-cited statistic that if Facebook &ndash; launched in 2004 &ndash; were a country, its
750 million inhabitants would make it the third most populous in the world,
behind only China and India. In the corporate space, LinkedIn &ndash; the professional
networking site created in 2003 &ndash; now has 120 million registered professionals
and more than two million companies have LinkedIn company pages. 


These are not
just places to &lsquo;meet&rsquo; and exchange ideas &ndash; they are also effecting major change
in the physical world, not least in shaping the sociopolitical landscape. In
February 2011, an Egyptian baby was named Facebook to commemorate the role
social media played in the Arab Spring uprisings. There is also now widespread
use of immersive technologies. 


The rise of gaming devices (the Nintendo Wii had
sold 87.5 million units worldwide as at the end of June 2011), and virtual
environments like Second Life, mean that increasing numbers of people are used
to interacting through digital representations of themselves. Gartner predicts
that by 2013, the majority of under-18s entering tertiary education will have
an avatar. 

Digital workforce

As a result,
we are seeing a new global generation of technology-enabled workers. In its
recent report The Rise of Generation C: Implications for the World of 2020,
global management consulting firm Booz &amp; Company states that, by 2020, an
entire generation will have grown up in a primarily digital world. The first to
be born into and brought up in this digital age, they see computers, the
internet, mobile phones, PDAs, texting, tweeting and social networking as part
and parcel of their daily lives. In many economies, a technology-enabled world
is the only one they have ever experienced. Booz terms this Generation C &ndash;
&lsquo;connected, communicating, content-centric, computerised, community-oriented, always
clicking&rsquo;.


What
influence will this generation have on how becoming and remaining a
professional will be viewed in the future?


First,
employers are responding by seeking to reflect the preferences of current and
future hires in order to remain relevant and attractive. 


&lsquo;The generation of
recruits joining us now are digital natives &ndash; they&rsquo;ve been brought up with the
latest technology,&rsquo; Richard Pollard, global development leader at PwC, told
ACCA&rsquo;s Research and Insights Conference 2011 recently. &lsquo;They have multiple
mobile devices on joining the firm and use many different applications and
technologies. For people coming into our business now, it wouldn&rsquo;t be credible
to say, &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t use that technology.&rdquo; We have to adapt and anticipate what they
will be using.&rsquo; 



Similarly,
learning providers are also changing how they work to respond to these evolving
needs. &lsquo;One driver for us using e-learning now is a demand from customers that
we put as much online as possible,&rsquo; explained Martin Taylor, CEO of BPP
Business School, also speaking at the conference.


For both
employers and educators, there is also an imperative to help connect an international
network of aspiring and existing professionals. As the globalisation of
business continues, more companies are made up of highly dispersed workforces,
including growing numbers of remote workers. The ability to connect these
groups of learners through virtual classrooms and enable them to collaborate is
highly valuable, due to the rich exchange of ideas and experiences. 


Technology
allows organisations to cater for and connect this raft of talent in a consistent
way &ndash; while also affording many more opportunities for moulding learning to individual
needs.


One of the
past criticisms of online learning has been that is does not provide a
sufficiently tailored experience for the learner. But now, technological
advances are arguably providing opportunities for much greater personalisation than
other means of learning. 


The range of
data that can be analysed via the internet enables learning providers to build a
detailed picture of a learner&rsquo;s strengths and weaknesses, their knowledge gaps and
learning styles, allowing them to build bespoke learning plans and outcomes. 


&lsquo;As a result,
we could start to put together people with similar learning needs and at similar
points in their learning journeys together as a group. That would mean you can get
much more focus,&rsquo; explained Taylor. 

Evolution of learning

Within the
professions &ndash; where acquiring high-level skills and knowledge is an integral part
of development &ndash; what technological developments mean for how education and training
can be merged is also being exploited. The type of training traditionally
experienced by professionals effectively compartmentalises assessment (normally
by means of a written examination), learning (face-to-face course) and
practical experience (work) into discrete areas. 


But, with the
increasing use of virtual learning environments (VLEs), the worlds of learning
and assessment can be brought closer together. The obvious benefit of this is that
what and how people learn can be more closely replicated in an assessment
situation. What is particularly powerful for professional bodies is the
opportunity technology provides to blur the artificial divide between learning,
assessment and the practical application of the skills and knowledge gained in the
workplace.


Online
methods offer the capacity to &lsquo;blend&rsquo; forms of learning and assessment in a way
that is much more efficient and effective. This can provide an experience so
close to that of the real world that it is effectively moving beyond simulation
to what is termed &lsquo;emulation&rsquo; &ndash; an experience which mimics the real-world
challenges that professionals face. It is this synthesis that many professions
are already embracing. Simulations have long been used in education and
training, through role plays and interviews.


The first
computer-aided flight simulators were developed in the 1960s and are a well-established
means of training both military and commercial pilots. With developments in VLEs,
simulations/emulations are now coming of age in a range of professions. 


For example,
computer-based simulations are used as part of the US Medical Licensing Examination,
designed to test trainee doctors&rsquo; ability to treat patients in a practical
setting. Candidates are presented with authentic problems and treat a simulated
patient on screen. They receive information, conduct examinations, order tests
and treatments, to which the electronic patient will respond. A candidate&rsquo;s
performance is assessed against model responses using a regression-based, automatic
scoring procedure. 

Healthy options

The School of
Pharmacy at Keele University uses a similar methodology for its students. Traditionally,
pharmacy students were assessed on their diagnostic and prescription skills by
role plays with tutors and actors, posing as patients. Today, pharmacy students
are presented with a series of scenarios on screen and they interact with a
number of virtual patients through free text questions, interrogating the
patient to reach a diagnosis and suggest treatment. The virtual patients can be
accessed on laptops and mobile devices, so learning can be done anywhere. 


But is
technology-enabled learning and assessment a concept that can really take off
globally, and be replicated in a variety of environments, given the current
inequalities in IT infrastructures that exist around the world? Many point to
the adoption of mobile technologies &ndash; leapfrogging fixed line means of connection
&ndash; as a likely solution. A recent McKinsey report, Can India Lead the Mobile-Internet Revolution?,
suggests that India could become the first mobile digital society. 


The report
points out that, although just 7% of the population has access to the web,
users in India consume an average of 4.5 hours of digital content, offline per
day. If the demand for this content could be harnessed through the mobile
internet, McKinsey forecasts that the number of consumers could reach 450
million by 2015 and lead the way for widespread mobile internet adoption by developing
markets. Looking globally, Cisco predicts that &ndash; by 2015 &ndash; the majority of
those accessing the internet will do so through mobile devices. 

Digital
consumers

The online world has given
people a new way of consuming information and accessing services &ndash; one which is
immediate, constantly available and increasingly personalised and immersive. It
is building an expectation that we can get everything &ndash; including the skills we
need to compete in the employment market &ndash; when and how we want. There will be
an inevitable shift towards more sophisticated and customised learning and
development interventions to meet these demands. 


From the point of view of
professional bodies, the growing sophistication in assessment methodology has
significant quality advantages. Technology has the capability to provide more roundly
and robustly assessed professionals, with the real-world skills employers
value. 


At the same time,
entrepreneurship is being fuelled by digital advances, with barriers to entry
in the business world fast disappearing. There is no longer a need for physical
infrastructure to start a business &ndash; practically any good product or service
idea can be rapidly taken to market, through a web of online partners and
suppliers. 


All this poses a real
challenge to the concept of what it means to become and remain a professional
in the digital age. It&rsquo;s a challenge to which the accountancy profession needs
to rise to &ndash; if it is to keep pace with developments in other professions and
appeal to the coming generation of worker. For its part, ACCA will be moving
into a new technological space to meet the needs of employers for work-ready professional
accountants, while maintaining the high reputation of the ACCA brand.

About Helen Perkins

Helen Perkins has over 20 years&rsquo; experience
in the accountancy education and training sector having worked for Coopers
&amp; Lybrand, Accountancy Tutors and in various roles for ACCA in the UK and
North America. She is now leading ACCA&rsquo;s new stream of research and insights
work on the e-professional.
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/digital-exposure-member-spotlight-on-accas-helen-perkins.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/digital-exposure-member-spotlight-on-accas-helen-perkins.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>New Financial &amp; Operating Ratios report out now!</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Our second edition of Financial &amp; Operating Ratios for
Professional Bodies&nbsp; report is out now!


This unique report has been designed to help professional bodies
evaluate their own performance relative to that of similar organisations in
order to identify improvement opportunities. 


Based on two years of financial and organisational data from over 260 professional bodies in the 
UK, this 123 page report is 
an important tool for planning, evaluating and directing the present and
future of your organisation&rsquo;s financial activities. 


&nbsp;

Overview of the report findings

This report takes an in-depth look at performance in the professional body sector in 2010 compared to 2009.


In general, professional bodies had a much better year in 2010 than in 2009, as may be expected given the change in global economic conditions; 2009 being arguably the low point in the current recession.


Our research shows that profit before gains and losses rose by 11% in 2010. More spectacularly, net profit changed from a substantial loss of over &pound;0.5m per professional body, on average, to a reasonable profit of about a quarter of a million pounds per professional body.


The improvement was particularly evident in a recovery of income from advertising and sponsorship (11.6% increase on average) and good growth in income from member subscriptions and fees (9.1% increase on average). However, income earned in investment/interest was almost halved, and income from commercial activities and member services both declined by around 6%.


Part of the rise in income from member subscriptions and fees came from raising fees rather than getting more members, as membership rose by 1.3% on average compared to the 9% average rise in membership fees.


On the costs side, interestingly, professional bodies responded to the difficult economic climate by reducing their governance costs (by 4.2% on average). However, staff costs have risen, presumably to service the rise that there was in members; though some of those costs may include redundancy provisions.


In spite of the rise in income, the ratio of income to employees has fallen slightly. This is largely due to professional bodies employing two more FTEs on average.


As a further sign of the sector returning to health, the ratio of current assets to current liabilities more than doubled, from 3.6 to 8.4. Net profit as a percentage of total income switched from - 6% to 2% on average.


&nbsp;

Find out more 


For more information, visit this page on our website to view the Table of Contents and Introduction:


	Financial &amp; Operating Ratios for Professional Bodies: 2009/2010&nbsp; Report&nbsp; 


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/new-financial-operating-ratios-report-out-now.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/new-financial-operating-ratios-report-out-now.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>e-Portfolios &amp; professional associations</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Application to professional body
membership and the renewal process demonstrating Personal Development Planning
(PDP) can often be a time-consuming, paper-based and paper chasing exercise.


The result is a box file (or even several) of documents accompanying a
completed form that cannot readily show the individual&rsquo;s learning and
development. There may be so much paper to sift through that selections may be
made that do not do justice to the individual.


Moving from this paper-based system to
the electronic system of an e-portfolio can save time for all involved. More
importantly, an e-portfolio can support reflection and planning, remain a
secure permanent record of a person&rsquo;s lifelong learning journey and therefore
provide a rich view of the individual&rsquo;s personal learning journey and plans.


This article provides an introduction
to e-portfolios and how professional bodies can use them and support the
professional as a lifelong learner. 

&nbsp;
What is an e-Portfolio? 


An e-Portfolio is a collection of digital artefacts articulating
learning (both formal and informal), experiences, achievements and plans that are created by an individual. These artefacts can be digitally
stored images, transcripts from education and training, documents, videos, mind
maps, emails, and copies of online discussions. In fact anything electronic! &nbsp;


e-Portfolios
can provide scaffolding, a supporting framework, to assist lifelong learners by
guiding learning and professional development over time through reflection on
their ongoing learning, achievements and experiences, and on their goals and
opportunities.


Also an e-portfolio may
be used to collect assessment evidence and record achievement for National
Vocational Qualifications.&nbsp; This article
concentrates on the former type of e-portfolio.


&nbsp;

e-Portfolios to Support the Professional 

A
professional can use an e-portfolio for a variety of purposes; for example,
application for professional body membership, Continuing Professional
Development (CPD), or application to study. 


As an e-portfolio is a personal
reflection and contains items created by, or owned by, an individual, then the
e-portfolio as a whole should be &lsquo;owned&rsquo; by the individual, not the a
professional body or employer, and as such be under the individual&rsquo;s control &ndash;
what is stored, personal reflections and who can access what.


But this need not mean more work for a
busy professional. A report by PARN in 2009 found that 84% of
professionals use the Internet for research and learning to support their work
- so what could be easier than recording activity and reflections at the same
time? 


&nbsp;

Find out more 


Keep reading more about e-portfolios here:


	http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/e-portfolios/parn


&nbsp;


If you would
like to talk to JISC Advance about e-portfolios, please contact Kim Ansell:


	
	E:&nbsp;&nbsp; kimansell@ntlworld.com
	W:&nbsp; www.jiscadvance.ac.uk 
	
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/eportfolios-professional-associations.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/eportfolios-professional-associations.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>Institute of Biomedical Science launches new CPD ePortfolio</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Our new PARN member the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS), have a new ePortfolio resource as part of their CPD scheme. 


The Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) is the professional body for 20,000 members in the UK and abroad working across the biomedical science sector represented primarily by the NHS, university teaching and research, pharmaceutical companies and the armed forces. 


&nbsp;A key function of the IBMS is to support the education and training of its members and it has an established CPD scheme that encourages biomedical scientists to maintain, improve and extend their knowledge, skills and practice. &nbsp;


The Institute&rsquo;s CPD scheme offers members the chance to participate in a variety of structured activities and formally record their learning by the accumulation of CPD credits leading to the award of a CPD Diploma. Institute members are automatically registered with the CPD scheme when they apply for membership, unless they choose to opt out. 

The scheme provides a service to members by facilitating annual monitoring of activities and providing a framework for a reflective approach to critically analyse the learning experience and consequential benefits to one&rsquo;s own professional practice and sphere of influence. &nbsp;

Although it provides incentives and rewards (CPD credits and CPD Diploma) there is now a strong focus on achieving the output of the learning experience through reflective practice.&nbsp; It is therefore recommended that IBMS CPD credits should only be claimed when learning outcomes can be identified that have a perceived benefit to your own practice or that of the service user.&nbsp; Activities formally approved by the Institute have already had their intended learning outcomes identified. Alternatively, learning outcomes can be demonstrated using the Institute&rsquo;s &lsquo;reflective learning statement&rsquo; form. 

Structured CPD activities offered by the IBMS include journal-based learning and structured reading as a specific aid to maintain knowledge at the forefront of professional practice. This is in addition to regional and local Institute branch meetings, IBMS Congress and other meetings or training sessions organised under the umbrella of the Institute, or endorsed by the Institute, as credited CPD activities. 

The Institute, through its region and branch committee structure, has a network of CPD Officers, their deputies, and hospital representatives who oversee the local implementation of the scheme. They are responsible for providing supervision and support to CPD participants and work closely with the Institute, playing a key role in monitoring and developing the scheme.

The CPD ePortfolio is now available to all IBMS members who are registered on the CPD scheme. Launched on 1st September 2010, the CPD ePortfolio has been developed to enable CPD members to record their activities electronically via the IBMS website. 


It is hoped that the CPD ePortfolio will prove to be a valuable resource which encourages members to keep an accurate, up-to-date record of their activities, in addition to becoming the primary method of recording CPD. 


&nbsp;


For more information

Feel free to contact IBMS regarding their credited CPD activities:


	CPD Department
	Institute of Biomedical Science
	12 Coldbath Square
	London EC1R 5 HL
	
	Email: CPD@ibms.org


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/institute-of-biomedical-science-launches-new-cpd-eportfolio.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/institute-of-biomedical-science-launches-new-cpd-eportfolio.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>CPD: Lifelong Learning of Millions</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
PARN Director Prof Andy Friedman&rsquo;s new book titled Continuing Professional Development: Lifelong Learning of Millions offers the first comprehensive study on the subject of CPD.


A
fundamental change in the nature of professionalism is taking place; a 
change in what it is to be a professional and to be recognised as one. 
In the past, to be a professional was to have a qualification. After 
years of study, and often an apprentice-like period of training, an 
individual would gain a certificate and a few letters after their name. 
Once achieved, the qualification was in effect good for life. The doctor
or accountant or engineer was &lsquo;qualified&rsquo; to practice until retirement.


This is changing. In today&rsquo;s world, professionals are 
increasingly required to demonstrate a perpetual commitment to 
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in order to be allowed to 
practice. CPD is the means by which professionals ensure that their 
knowledge and skills remain up to date and relevant to changing needs 
and environments. 


The Professional Associations Research Network 
(PARN) found that 81% of professional bodies have a formal CPD policy. 
Compliance rates by individuals relate closely to the types of policies 
used by their professional bodies. For instance, 99% professionals under
a compulsory policy meet their CPD requirements; 60% of professionals 
under an obligatory policy comply; and 38% under a voluntary policy meet
their requirements. See chart below:


&nbsp;


CPD has been significantly
developing and shaping professionals over the past few decades, but the
subject of CPD has yet to be noticed by mainstream media and the 
general public. Even though CPD is being carried out by 3.4 million 
professionals in the UK (26% of all professionals in the UK), it is 
rarely the subject of government policy and only a very minor subject of
academic inquiry. 


&ldquo;I predict that in the coming decades, CPD 
will become more visible to the general public and more important for 
how professionals are viewed and scrutinised by potential clients and 
patients,&rdquo; Prof Andy Friedman commented. 


CPD is likely to attract
more public policy attention as it comes to be regarded as an essential
part of lifelong learning and is seen to add value to individual 
learners as well as to the reputation and effectiveness of the 
professions. 


&nbsp;

About the book


Starting with a 
discussion on what CPD is, this book analyzes how professional bodies 
govern CPD, what support they provide to individual professionals and 
how they measure or evaluate what individuals do under the provenance of
CPD. 


This book explains why up to now, CPD has been a relatively
neglected subject, in spite of it being carried out by millions. It 
argues whether a variety of perspectives or visions of CPD has held back
wider public appreciation of it and if greater co-ordination by 
professional bodies, or the introduction of new players to the field, 
will change this in the future. 


This innovative book will be 
required reading for CPD professionals and researchers and is a 
fascinating read for all professionals, especially those involved with 
HR, management or leadership development. 


&nbsp;

Reviews 


'CPD is now a key element of ongoing trust in the professions - 
and it is here to stay. This book is an invaluable reference tool in 
relation to the history of CPD and ways in which it might evolve in the 
future.'   


Helen Brand, Chief Executive
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)


&nbsp;


'CPD
performs a pivotal role in ensuring that professionals maintain and 
develop their skills and knowledge throughout their careers and so 
maintain public confidence in the services that they provide. This book 
provides an invaluable analysis of the origins of, and rationale behind,
the development of CPD together with an insightful look at the ways in 
which it may develop in the future.'


Desmond Hudson, Chief Executive
The Law Society


&nbsp;

How to order 


The 280 page hardback book is available for purchase from the PARN website &ndash; published by Routledge. 


Order today! 



	 &pound;80 for non-members 
	&pound;60 for PARN Members
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/cpd-lifelong-learning-of-millions.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/cpd-lifelong-learning-of-millions.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>Exciting news from TotalProfessions.com</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
It&rsquo;s almost a year since TotalProfessions.com was launched with the support of many professional bodies, to provide advice,
guidance and information for aspiring professionals.


To celebrate, we wanted to look back at the achievements of
the past 12 months, and also to make you aware of some of the exciting plans we
have for the coming year.

Since last September, TotalProfessions has:

	Had over 80,000 site users&nbsp;
	Had more than 10,000 people using the career video facility 
	Developed
	links with many careers advisers
	Increased its links from other websites such
	as universities, schools, Government and organisations concerned with fair
	access and social mobility
	Welcomed many
	contributions, feedback and content from a large number of professional
	bodies 
	Provided news and articles on diverse
	topics including:
	- Internships
	- Apprenticeships
	- Mentoring
	- Social mobility
	and fair access
	- Funding for training
	- Routes into professions 
	- Government and professional body projects 




For the coming year, we are...

	Pleased to announce our exciting new media
	partnership with Cherry Publishing!
	
	
	As a major provider of websites and
	related services for school and university students, linking with Cherry Publishing will provide
	TotalProfessions with fantastic promotion through their Real World magazine reaching
	more than 100,000 careers professional, students and graduates, and also
	through their website PUSH.co.uk, attracting an
	average of 50,000 visitors per month and a database of 25,000 school
	leavers. Read the media partner news story online for further information.
	
	
	Looking to increase our activity with careers advisers:
	
	Building on the
	contacts we have, as well as those we will gain through our partnership
	with Cherry Publishing, we will develop a regular newsletter for our
	careers adviser including the latest news in the careers world as well as
	a focus on a particular sector and professional bodies within each edition.
	
	
	Exhibiting at
	the AGCAS conference in September:
	
	
	We will be able to engage with 600
	career professionals from universities across the UK.
	
	
	Continuing to promote the site:
	
	
	Through Google ads, search engine optimisation and
	through our links to universities - we're building our web presence.
	
	
	Developing new content:
	
	
	We will
	continue to develop our content to include up to date research, news and
	information from our professional body supporters.
	


&nbsp;

For more information


To renew your entry on TotalProfessions.com or to book a new
entry, please contact richard@ashridgecommunications.com.
Prices start at as little as &pound;28 per month for a standard entry.


For further detailed information on our plans and
achievements, please view our media
information.


We hope you will join us in looking forward to the coming 12
months and some exciting developments with TotalProfessions.com.
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/exciting-news-from-totalprofessionscom.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/exciting-news-from-totalprofessionscom.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>Total Professions announces exciting new media partnership</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
www.TotalProfessions.com, the career portal for aspiring professionals, set up with support and impetus from many professional bodies, has agreed a 12 month media partnership arrangement with Cherry Publishing the major provider of web sites and related services for school and university students.


The partnership will guarantee www.TotalProfessions.com regular promotion in Real World and through Push.



&quot;12 months on from the launch of Total Professions this partnership guarantees significantly increased traffic which will enable many more students and career professionals to have access to the one centralised careers resource bringing together all UK professional bodies,&quot; commented Duncan Grant, Director, Total Professions.




	Real World is a leading on-campus and online magazine for graduate recruitment, packed full of news, features and trusted independent advice. 25,000 print copies are distributed, by request only, to careers offices, societies, department heads and faculties at 150 universities across the UK. Digital editions are distributed to a mailing list of over 100,000 named students and recent graduates. 
	
	




	The PUSH.co.uk website attracts an average of 50,000 visitors per month,&nbsp; and has a rolling database of 25,000 school leavers . They also run school tours &ndash; visiting 200 schools each year.





Real World Director, Darius Norell stated, &quot;We are delighted with this important affiliation which links our readers and site users with all UK professional bodies. We believe that the careers information delivered through Total Professions on behalf of professional bodies is a perfect complement to the careers resources we provide.&quot;


As well as print, e-bulletins and web banners across the year,&nbsp; Total Professions will be running a number of surveys with Push and Real World to provide feedback to&nbsp; professional bodies looking to improve their communications with these key audiences.

The partnership will be promoted at the AGCAS annual conference in September where Total Professions will be exhibiting and engaging with the 600 careers delegates from universities of all types and sizes from all regions of the UK.


&nbsp;


ABOUT THE TOTAL PROFESSIONS WEBSITE
TotalProfessions.com was set up by PARN and Ashridge Communications, with the aim of bringing professional bodies together to encourage and inspire the career aspirations of all people, whatever their background. 


It was the first major collective professional body initiative to respond to the lack of awareness of the work of over 300 professional bodies which, in the UK, have over 4 million members. &nbsp;


Professional Bodies contribute through editorial input and via entries in the &lsquo;Profession Finder&rsquo; search tool on the site. All UK professional bodies are provided with a free live link entry which many chose to expand through a financial contribution which also supports the overall aims of the site.


&nbsp;


FIND OUT MORE
For further information, contact Sarah Ward, HR &amp; Business Consultant at PARN: 
E: Sarah Ward, sarahw@parnglobal.com
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/total-professions-announces-exciting-new-media-partnership.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/total-professions-announces-exciting-new-media-partnership.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>CPD and Revalidation</title>


<description><![CDATA[ CPD Spotlight - June/July 2011
Think Piece by William Hanson

There&rsquo;s a way of describing
revalidation that sounds almost exactly like CPD. 


It&rsquo;s a regular check that
professionals are keeping up to date and remain competent after qualification.
Most professions already do that, don&rsquo;t they? 


Revalidation is a little more
complex than this and there are a few key distinctions that need to be made.


Firstly, there is more than one kind of revalidation; different styles of
revalidation have been divided between relicensing
and recertification. 


&nbsp;

Relicensing 


Relicensing is the kind of
revalidation that you are most likely to have heard of. It&rsquo;s the type being
introduced for UK
doctors in 2012. Relicensing revalidation refers to regulating professionals
through issuing time-limited licenses to practise and re-issuing new ones after
some sort of assessment. 


For UK doctors, the GMC has proposed an annual
appraisal of doctors&rsquo; performance as assessed by a &lsquo;responsible officer&rsquo; to be
named by the organisation the doctor works in. The core of the assessment will
be a portfolio of evidence collected by the doctors themselves. GMC also plans
for colleague and patient feedback to make up part of revalidation assessments
(copies of their proposed surveys for gathering this feedback can be found here). 


By tying
revalidation into existing systems of management and including patient and
colleague feedback, the GMC has subtly moved the focus away from competence per se and towards an assessment of
performance. One key distinction then is that revalidation places more emphasis
on actual performance, whereas CPD measurement, either inputs based or outputs
based, tends to focus on competence. 


&nbsp;

Recertification&nbsp; 


Recertification revalidation
refers to the practice of rewarding professional excellence above the statutory
minimum with a certification, renewed on a regular basis, to indicate this.
Many professional bodies already engage in this kind of activity through CPD
requirements and membership grades; for example a Chartered body that only
allows members entry to Chartered status on completion of CPD. 


Recertification
is much closer to CPD in terms of content and processes. Whether CPD is thought
of as part of recertification revalidation or recertification as part of CPD is
more a matter of semantics. 


Again, the key distinction is the
kind of evidence looked at for revalidation. While CPD systems tend to
emphasise learning, knowledge and competence, revalidation tends to focus on
performance. 


This is not always the case - many revalidation systems, popular
in the US and North America, require an examination (or re-examination)
rather than on-the-job, portfolio-based, continuous assessment. In this sense, it is competence rather
than performance that is being tested. 


&nbsp;

Share your thoughts... 


	Is revalidation appropriate for
	your profession? 
	Which kind of assessment (continuous or re-assessment) do you think would be most appropriate for you profession? 


Let
us know your thoughts in our forum topic on PARNPeople:


	www.parnpeople.com/forums


(Note: You must be a member or join in order to participate) 


&nbsp;

Revalidation Workshop: 7 September 


If you are interested in learning more about revalidation, book to attend PARN&rsquo;s Reflective
Workshop on the topic this autumn:


	Reflective
	Workshop: Revalidation 
	
	
	
	Date:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Wednesday, 7 September  2011 
	Time:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 12pm &ndash; 5pm includes networking lunch
	Location:&nbsp;&nbsp; Open University offices in Camden, London
	
	
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/cpd-and-revalidation.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/cpd-and-revalidation.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>Member Spotlight BPS</title>


<description><![CDATA[ CPD Spotlight: June/July 2011


Our Member Spotlight this month is on the British Psychological Society (BPS) as they have set up an online CPD
portal called The Learning Centre to enhance the provision of CPD opportunities
available for their members.

&nbsp; 

About The BPS Learning
Centre

The BPS Learning Centre provides information and guidance on
professional development, is home to an online CPD system for recording
professional development and offers CPD opportunities to Psychologists and
those working in related fields. 


In addition to the psychology-related courses on offer, the
Learning Centre also provides a wide range of opportunities to develop
transferable skills in areas such as leadership and coaching, project
management, and managing teams.


Also, they provide an online system called myCPD,
which provides a structured framework for the planning and recording of CPD.


&nbsp;

Interview with Ian Jeal 


We caught up with Ian Jeal, Learning Centre and CPD
Officer, to find out more...


&nbsp;


How long has The Learning Centre been up and running? What prompted its creation?
The BPS Learning Centre was created as part of the Society&rsquo;s response to statutory regulation for the psychology profession and in recognition of our need to expand our support for the development of our members and the profession.
&nbsp;

In 2009, the Health Professions Council became the regulator for the profession. Responsibility for monitoring CPD transferred to the HPC allowing our focus&nbsp; to&nbsp; shift away from monitoring our members to helping them meet the new CPD requirements and future challenges facing the profession; through providing opportunities (workshops, conferences, networking events, e-Learning) and support (the online CPD system and CPD guidelines).&nbsp;



&nbsp;&nbsp;

How would you say BPS conceives of CPD? 
CPD is both a professional obligation an individual responsibility.&nbsp; It is the professional, work-related aspect of lifelong learning. By developing and updating their skills, knowledge and understanding an individual is better placed to successfully adapt to the changing demands of their profession.
&nbsp;



Why did you decide on an online system for recording?
We asked our members how best they would like to record and maintain their CPD activities. From their answers we created a word template, which was the first step in designing and building our online CPD system. Members can plan CPD activities, record what they&rsquo;ve done against a competency framework, and generate reports for an employer or regulator. As a voluntary system it&rsquo;s very popular, we have over 16,000 registered users.



&nbsp;&nbsp;

Tell us about the CPD opportunities that are offered &ndash; are they BPS courses or other providers? Do these link into the recording system in any way?

One of the main things we hear from our members is that accessibility to CPD can be a problem. Therefore we&rsquo;ve tried to include as many different types of CPD in our portfolio as possible.

We run a CPD workshop programme that reflects the dominant areas in which our members practise; clinical, counselling, educational &amp; child, forensic, health, occupational, and sport &amp; exercise psychology. These areas also reflect our member network structure. The types of events that we offer varies according to the need of the target audience from half-day or two-day workshops, evening networking events, conferences, and e-Learning.&nbsp; The e-Learning courses on offer are mainly generic skills-based courses, but we&rsquo;ve also been working to develop a course to raise awareness of adult autism. We&rsquo;ve recently launched the first module, which is free and available to anyone who wants to learn more about this condition and how it affects people.
&nbsp;

We also run a CPD Approval Scheme for external organisations to have their CPD provision assessed against our standards. Those that meet our standards are able to use the BPS-approved logo. We add these to our CPD database which helps to increase the amount of relevant CPD opportunities available to our members, with the comfort that anything they find on our database meets our CPD standards.
&nbsp;

Although there is a feed which displays all the upcoming events we are working to make this much more intuitive. Events do link to our BPS Shop, where members (and non-members) can buy an e-Learning course, register for a workshop or conference, or download a publication.



&nbsp;


How well is the Learning Centre working? Is it a success? How do you measure that success? What feedback have you had from users?
The Centre has been a real success for the Society and demonstrates our commitment to CPD. By bringing together all our CPD activities into one central hub we&rsquo;ve made it easier for members to find relevant CPD, and to maintain a record of their development using our online system.

Feedback from delegates is a critical measure of our success. We also gather information on all aspects of the CPD programme from the quality of facilitators to value for money and venue suitability. In 2010 86% of respondents thought they would deliver better quality work in the future as a result of attending a BPS Learning Centre CPD workshop.




Lessons learnt?
Engaging members and getting close to their concerns has been key to the development of the Learning Centre. Our members are the knowledge experts and we work with our member networks to shape the CPD programmes. This is an important lesson in providing services that are relevant and timely to our members.


&nbsp;


Future plans?
We are enhancing myCPD by linking it with our CPD events. This will automatically update a member&rsquo;s record when they attend an event, prompting them to add their reflections. We are also developing the Society&rsquo;s leadership development programme to enhance leadership and management skills within the profession.
&nbsp;

There are also some exciting developments through the use of social media, utilising smartphone technology to provide access to the Learning Centre for all of the Society&rsquo;s psychology learning, training, and professional development.&nbsp;&nbsp; 


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

For more information

Visit the BPS Learning Centre website:


	http://bps-learning-centre.bps.org.uk


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/member-spotlight-bps.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/member-spotlight-bps.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>m-Learning</title>


<description><![CDATA[ CPD Spotlight: July/July 2011
Special Feature by Amy Hannington

We wanted to take a look at m-learning, otherwise known
as mobile learning. Just got your
head around e-learning? 


Well m-learning is part of it, not something wholly
new; it simply refers to providing learning suitable for mobile devices.


Maybe you&rsquo;re reading this on a mobile device, maybe you&rsquo;ve never even
picked one up; but more and more people are using smartphones (iPhones,
Androids etc) and tablets (iPads and other handheld computers). So it makes
sense for learning providers to take advantage of this technology. 


&nbsp;


&nbsp;


How do you define m-learning and
what are the benefits?

So we&rsquo;re talking about learning that is done through mobile devices. The
best definition I&rsquo;ve found accepts that it works best when added to something; it&rsquo;s about extending the reach of teaching
and learning. 


This short video gives a great introduction to how m-learning
works and can benefit learners. It explains that m-learning is appropriate for
something like a short, interactive test that complements other learning.&nbsp; 


If people can access the information at any time and any place, they are
more likely to be able to fit it in when it is appropriate for them. This means
the learner is active and at the centre of the activity. 


&nbsp;


How does this relate to CPD?

Maybe you&rsquo;ve recently set up an online CPD programme for your members,
or you&rsquo;re working on how to improve this service. By providing some additional
content that is suitable for members&rsquo; mobile devices, they become able to
enhance their learning while, say, on the train or waiting for a meeting. This
might take the form of a short test of what they have been learning elsewhere,
as described above, or perhaps just being able to access the right information
when someone asks.


Perhaps you&rsquo;re a member of a professional body and are having trouble
fitting your learning in with everyday life. We&rsquo;re not saying that playing
games on your iPhone is the answer to fulfilling all of your CPD requirements,
but m-learning by your trainer or professional body could help you reflect on
and recall what you&rsquo;ve learnt at work. This might be through specific
applications created or recommended by your trainer or professional body, or
something you&rsquo;ve found yourself.


Are you a mentor or mentee? An application could be created to make that
mentoring relationship easier, providing you with the resources you need and a
platform for discussion and feedback.


&nbsp;


How can you start providing
m-learning?

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), The Chartered Institute of
Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) and the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors
(IIA) have all taken m-learning on board, to name a few.


Something you&rsquo;ll need to realise at the outset is that there is a lack
of standardisation between the different device platforms. This means you&rsquo;ll
need to decide which devices you are providing learning applications for - iPhones,
Androids, iPads&hellip; It depends on what your learners use.


	Ask yourself these five basic questions - then decide your next
	steps...


	Consider
	employing an expert on the subject for a short time to set this up or longer
	term to maintain the programme. This could be a professional or a
	student/recent graduate.
	Do your research and try to envisage what sort of applications
	you want to provide. There&rsquo;s tons of info about m-learning available online
	(the Wikipedia page is a pretty good start), have a browse
	and see what others are doing. If you&rsquo;re a Twitter user try a search using the hashtag
	#m-learning.
	Check out
	this free e-book: Mobile Learning: Transforming the
	Delivery of Education and Training. As well as covering advances in m-learning, it discusses research into
	its use in both nursing and teacher training as well as other sectors.
	Talk with
	others in the professional body sector about m-learning and the benefits it can
	bring for CPD in the Forums on PARN People:&nbsp;
	


&nbsp;


About the author 


Amy
Hannington is a Research Assistant at PARN. She recently co-authored Raising the Value of Professional Body Membership, edits for TotalProfessions.com and supports PARN&rsquo;s research.
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/mlearning.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/mlearning.htm</link>

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<item>
<title>New Training Courses: Autumn 2011</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
	
		
			
			
				
					
						
						
						Training
						Courses 
						
						
						
						
						
						
						
						
						
						Intro
						- Membership - CPD - Standards&nbsp; &nbsp;
						
						
						....unique one-day
						courses for staff &amp; volunteers 
						in the professional body sector!
						
						
					
				
			
			
		
		
			
			
				
					
						
						
							
								
									
									
										
											
												
												
												PARN is
												offering a selection of new Training Courses in Autumn 2011!
												
												
												These one-day training courses include presentations,
												workshops, group work and case studies with an aim to help you to
												better understand key areas of the sector. &nbsp;
												
												
											
										
									
									
								
								
									
									
										
											
												
												
												&nbsp;
												
												
												Understanding
												Member Values
												
												
												27 September 2011
												
												
												This course is ideal for
												membership staff and volunteers looking to refresh their knowledge about the sector. A range of member services and benefits will be
												covered, alongside recent research on what members value most.
												
												
												&nbsp;
												
												
												Developing
												&amp; Managing CPD
												
												
												28 September 2011
												
												
												This course will give
												participants a comprehensive understanding of what CPD is and the range of issues that arise when managing CPD policies and programmes for a professional body. Ideal for anyone working in the area of CPD.
												
												
												&nbsp;
												
												
												&nbsp;
												
												
												Introduction
												to Working for a Professional Body
												
												
												18 October 2011
												
												
												This is a fantastic opportunity
												to help your new staff learn about what makes working for a professional body
												diff erent from working for private, public or other third sector
												organisations.
												
												
												&nbsp;
												
												
												Professional
												Standards &amp; Regulation
												
												
												19 October 2011
												
												
												This training is a great way to
												enable your staff to gain insight into the range of issues facing professional
												bodies when managing, maintaining
												
												
												and measuring the effectiveness
												of professional standards.
												
												
											
										
									
									
										
											
												
												
												About the courses
												
												
												
												
												
												
												
												
												Our Training Courses will be held
												at the stunning 16 Park Crescent
												
												
												
												in London, a
												classic Regency terrace at the foot of Regents Park 
												managed by our partner and PARN Member, the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.
												
												
												&nbsp;
												
												
												Training
												Courses run from 9.30am to 5.00pm and include 
												lunch and refreshments.&nbsp;
												
												
												&nbsp; &nbsp;
												
												
												Course prices:
												
												
												&pound;295 for PARN members
												&pound;350 for non-members
												(Max 20 attendees
												per course) 
												
												
												&nbsp;
												
												
												All PARN
												Members can use their one free annual place for either a Training Course
												or for
												a PARN Conference. Contact Sally to see if your free place is
												available!&nbsp;
												
												
											
										
									
									
										
											
												
												
												Find out more!
												
												
												
												
												
												
												
												
												Download our leaflet on Training Courses
												or get in touch to find out more!
												
												
												Contact Sally Reay - Membership &amp; Events Manager at
												PARN:
												
												
												E: &nbsp; sally@parnglobal.com
												T:&nbsp;&nbsp; 0117 928 1997
												
												
											
										
									
									
								
								
									&nbsp;
								
								
									
									
										
											
												
												
												&nbsp; 
												
												
											
										
									
									
								
							
						
						
						&nbsp;
					
				
			
			
		
	
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/new-training-courses-autumn-2011.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/new-training-courses-autumn-2011.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>Pay structure for governing body members</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 

&nbsp;Pay structure for governing body members


	
		
			
			
			
			
			
			
			Ever wondered what other professional bodies pay their President, Vice President, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer or Chairman?&nbsp; &nbsp;
			
			Find out in our Member Enquiry that investigated...
			
				Type and amount of payments &nbsp;
				Mechanisms for payments &nbsp;
				Typical yearly commitment
				Non-financial rewards and recognition 
			
			
			
			&nbsp;Login to our Members' Area to read the summary...
			
			
		
	


	
		
			&nbsp;
		
	



	
		
			&nbsp;
		
	
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/pay-structure-for-governing-body-members.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/pay-structure-for-governing-body-members.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>Fellowship &amp; Chartered status</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 

	
		
			
			
			
			Fellowship &amp; Chartered status
			
			
			You
			can find out how other professional bodies deal with these grades of 
			membership in our recent Member Enquiry. We looked at...
			
			
				Entry      requirements for applying
				Accepted      academic and qualification levels
				Proportion      of members holding each status
			
			
			Login to our Members' Area to read the summary...
			
			
			&nbsp;
			
			
			
		
	


	
		
			&nbsp;
		
	



	
		
			&nbsp;
		
	
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/fellowship-chartered-status.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/fellowship-chartered-status.htm</link>

</item>
<item>
<title>Access over 200 Members Enquiries online</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Our Members Only section of our website provides PARN members with access to over 200 past enquiry summaries on topics from membership subscriptions to examinations to governing body evaluations. 


We have categorised all of our past enquiries to enable you to find information on topics of interest quickly and easily. PARN members can access enquiries in all of the categories below by clicking here. 


You can also access our new enquiry summaries: Payment to Lay Members, Electronic Membership Cards and Reserves Policy. 


1. Organisation Functions 



&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Royal Charter 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Regulation: Activities 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Regulation: Motivation 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Regulation: Terms of Reference 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Charity 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Articles of association/bylaws 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Regulation 


2. Governance 



&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Governance Structure 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Committees 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Governing Body 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lay Members 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Volunteers 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Remuneration 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Governance Policies 


3. Operations 



&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Accounting/Finance 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Staff (and volunteers) 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Internal Processes, Tools and Policies 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Technology 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Publications 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Database 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Meeting Legislation/Acts 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Volunteers 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Administration 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Organisation Events 


4. Membership 



&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Overseas Members 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Member Networks 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Member Services 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Member Communications 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Membership Administration 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lay Members 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Member Recognition 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Organisational Members 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Member Relations 


5. Education and Continuing Professional Development 



&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Initial Professional Qualifications 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Examinations/Assessment 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Professional Qualifications 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Accreditation of degrees 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; CPD/CE 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Professional Standards 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Education/training 


6. Ethics and Discipline 



&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ethical Code 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Promotion of Ethical Awareness 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Disciplinary Procedures 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Code of Conduct 


7. External Relations 



&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Influence on Legislation 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; External Views on Performance 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; PR 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Marketing 


&middot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Relations with other organisations 


8. PARN Events and Services 



&nbsp;


Can&rsquo;t find what you&rsquo;re looking for? Email natasha@parnglobal.com to discuss setting up a new enquiry. 
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/access-over-200-members-enquiries-online.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/access-over-200-members-enquiries-online.htm</link>

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<title>Subscribe to CPD Spotlight for �10 per year (6 issues)</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
The first edition of CPD Spotlight this year has just landed in subscriber's inboxes. 


To kick off 2011, PARN took a fresh look at our e-newsletter design and have brightened it up. 


This month, our Member Spotlight is on the Irish Auctioneers &amp; Valuers Institute and its online CPD system. 


February also brings you a Think Piece about the challenges of delivering CPD globally with a case study on RICS about their practices. 


Plus in Special Features we have two new reports for you to download for free. 


&nbsp;

SUBSCRIBE TODAY - JUST &pound;10!


Are you missing out on our CPD Spotlight e-newsletter? PARN is offering an exclusive &pound;10 subscription to non-members for our 2011 issues.


Simply follow this link: 


	Subscribe online


&nbsp;


All PARN members get our CPD Spotlight for free.


&nbsp;


Recent article titles from CPD Spotlight&hellip;


December 2010
Member Spotlight:

Mission Impossible? IoF's move from no CPD to compulsory CPD






Think Peice: 
e-Learning - What's new?





November 2010
CPD Professionals in Profile: 
Paul Marvell on professionalising fundraising


Special Features: 
Keeping an eye on members and maintaining professionalism
Liz Lay from IPP shares findings on employer measurement of L&amp;D







October 2010
Special Features: 
Why should your members record their CPD? A look into one man's lifetime of learning

Building professional confidence through mentoring: The Associateship of the Museums Association (AMA)


Think Piece: 
Bringing youth work and CPD together








 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/subscribe-to-cpd-spotlight-for-10-per-year-6-issues.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/subscribe-to-cpd-spotlight-for-10-per-year-6-issues.htm</link>

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<title>Advertise your vacancy with PARN</title>


<description><![CDATA[ PARN&rsquo;s vacancy service is a great opportunity to promote your vacancy to a targeted audience of sector professionals. By advertising on PARN&rsquo;s website your ad is guaranteed to reach the right candidates, including individuals interested in a range of professional issues from CPD and ethics and standards to member relations and services and governance and regulation. Professional bodies that have recently used PARN&rsquo;s Vacancies Service include the Architects Registration Board (ARB), the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) and the Institution of Engineering &amp; Technology (IET).

&ldquo;Advertising online and targeting your vacancy to a relevant audience is a cost-effective way to attract the most qualified professionals to your organisation. By featuring on PARN&rsquo;s website your vacancy will not only reach a much larger audience but it will also be visible to those with a real interest in professional issues.&rdquo;

Sarah Ward, HR and Business Consultant at PARN

PARN members are entitled to one FREE ad per membership year, and discounted rates on all other vacancies. The service is also available to non-members &ndash; see our competitive rates below. For each vacancy ad you purchase (or when you claim your free ad) you will receive: 


	A summary description of the job and your organisation&rsquo;s logo on our Vacancies page
	A sub-page detailing the full advert, linked from the summary page
	Inclusion in our monthly News Update newsletter (if submitted prior to the deadline and depending on the closing date for application &ndash; contact us for confirmation)
	Inclusion in our bi-monthly CPD spotlight newsletter (if the vacancy is relevant to CPD professionals) 

Advertising rates:

PARN members: &pound;100 (+VAT)
Non-members: &pound;200 (+VAT)

Your advertisement will remain on our website until the closing date for applications has passed, with no weekly or monthly charges. 

It you would like to advertise a vacancy, or for further information on how PARN can help with your recruitment, please contact sarahw@parnglobal.com.&nbsp; &nbsp; ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/advertise-your-vacancy-with-parn.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/advertise-your-vacancy-with-parn.htm</link>

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<title>What's new on PARNPeople - Latest blogs, discussions and resources</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
From mentoring strategy to developments in e-learning, PARNPeople has got people talking and sharing. 


Have a look at the recent conversations and let others know what you think by logging on at www.parnpeople.com! 

Blogs: Commentary to get you thinking


Thoughts from the Sector&nbsp;


&bull;Prospects for self-regulation (Is the move in the UK towards self-regulation and autonomy apparent in other countries?) 
&bull;E-learning - What's new? (Are the basic principles of e-learning still the same?) 
&bull;A good read - a gap 'twixt ethics theory and practice (Does the theory of ethics fit with what we see in practice?) 
&bull;Are employers turning their back on professional bodies' membership? (Is now the time for professional bodies to forge stronger relationships with employers?) 
&nbsp;

 
Discussions: Questions that have people talking&hellip;



Membership - What are the essential functionalities of a membership Database?&nbsp; What metrics do you use to measure membership performance? 


Resources&nbsp;


&bull;Mentoring - Is there a strategic fit? 

&nbsp;

Follow us on Twitter to get all the latest activity on PARNPeople as it happens! http://twitter.com/PARNglobal

 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/whats-new-on-parnpeople-latest-blogs-discussions-and-resources.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/whats-new-on-parnpeople-latest-blogs-discussions-and-resources.htm</link>

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<title>E-learning and Member Services come out on top for PARN's 2011 research ideas</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
We recently asked PARN members to give us their thoughts and views on a number of potential new research projects. We received 73 replies so many thanks for participating in the survey!


Click here for full descriptions of the proposed research projects. 


The project which received most support was on E-Learning with 65% of respondents saying that this project would be of interest to their organisation. Four respondents (5%) felt that their organisation would be willing to financially support this research and to help guide the project as a member of the steering group with 38% (28) of organisations saying this might be a possibility. 



In second place was Member Services with 41 bodies (56%) interested in this research, 3 (4%) offering financial support and a further 27 (37%) saying that support might be possible.



Competency Frameworks, Why Volunteer, and Revalidation are the next most popular research topics with between 21 and 37 respondents interested in the research and 3 (4%) offering financial support for each project.



Accreditation is another popular project with 49% (43) of respondents interested in the research but only 2 (3%) offering to support the work in a practical way. Employer Engagement was also of interest to 40 respondents (55%) but only one indicated a willingness to support the project.



PARN will be holding meetings* to discuss all of these projects on Tuesday 22nd February at The Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, W1B 1NT. Those people who have responded to the survey and indicated an interest in any of these projects will receive an email invitation to the meetings shortly. 


*If you are interested in funding one of these projects, and would like to attend the&nbsp;meetings,&nbsp;please contact Tina Williams, Head of Research, at christina@parnglobal.com or call 0117 928 1998.

 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/elearning-and-member-services-come-out-on-top-for-parns-2011-research-ideas.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/elearning-and-member-services-come-out-on-top-for-parns-2011-research-ideas.htm</link>

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<title>Further resource &amp; case studies give insight into experiences of volunteers</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
A &quot;Volunteer Skills and Career Paths&quot; resource and three case studies have been added to the PARN Volunteer Resource Area. This is a go to resource if you're interested in supporting (or simply understanding) your volunteers a bit better!



Follow the link below to access the resource in the Members Area of the PARN website. If you have forgotten your log-in details, please email dyon@parnglobal.com. 


PARN members - login to access the Volunteer Resource Area! 

 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/further-resource-case-studies-give-insight-into-experiences-of-volunteers.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/further-resource-case-studies-give-insight-into-experiences-of-volunteers.htm</link>

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<title>PARN report on professional bodies engagement with foundation degrees published</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
PARN was commissioned by FDF (Foundation Degree Forward) to carry out research to identify how Foundation Degrees fit in with routes to qualification in the professions and to discern opportunities for facilitating partnerships between professional bodies and providers of Foundation Degrees as well as any barriers preventing such collaboration. 


The report is available from:


http://www.fdf.ac.uk/downloads/293/20101104104929Foundation%20degrees%20-%20Barriers%20and%20Opportunities.pdf


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/parn-report-on-professional-bodies-engagement-with-foundation-degrees-published.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/parn-report-on-professional-bodies-engagement-with-foundation-degrees-published.htm</link>

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<title>PARN publishes Professional Standards Regulation</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
PARN has today&nbsp;released the newest addition to our publications family - Professional Standards Regulation. Co-authored by PARN Director Andy Friedman and Research Assistant William Hanson, this book is intended to raise awareness of what is involved in professional standards regulation, taking in the reasons why professional standards regulation is needed and the broad principles that guide it. 


The book will be launched at tomorrow's conference, The Three Pillars of Professional Standards. Conference delegates will receive a free copy of the book, and PARN members will receive their free copy shortly.


The book can be purchased online at http://www.parnglobal.com/professional-standards-regulation.htm.


For further information on PARN's work on professional standards, see http://www.parnglobal.com/regulation-professional-standards.htm&nbsp;or contact info@parnglobal.com for specific queries. 
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/parn-publishes-professional-standards-regulation.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/parn-publishes-professional-standards-regulation.htm</link>

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<title>Snapshots now available to PARN members on PARNPeople Reviews</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
PARN's Snapshot series are now available for members to download in the&nbsp;Reviews section of PARNPeople. Through Reviews, you can also make comments and ask questions on the individual Snapshots.


PARN's past Snapshots include:


Extent of CPD: The lifelong learning of millions


Responses to the Recession


Equality and Diversity


Governance


&nbsp;
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/snapshots-now-available-to-parn-members-on-parnpeople-reviews.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/snapshots-now-available-to-parn-members-on-parnpeople-reviews.htm</link>

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<title>A Lasting Impact: A case study of PARN�s influence on governance</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
Bringing the Board up to speed
&ldquo;When Board members have a two year term, there is a risk that they might not be able to contribute early enough or in all respects&rdquo; says Stephen Bennett, Strategy Director at the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM). &ldquo;While Board members have a responsibility to contribute, so does the BIFM in enabling this to happen.&rdquo; 



In order to get their Board members up to speed and making a positive contribution as quickly as possible, BIFM provides an annual Board Induction/Refresher. For the last two years, PARN Director Andy Friedman has led these sessions, which reinforce to both new and existing members of the Board the various duties and competencies required of them. 



&ldquo;At first we thought one induction for new members would be sufficient, but soon realised this message would not reinforce itself, and that established Board members needed a yearly refresher,&rdquo; says Bennett.&nbsp; &ldquo;With an annual session, it is easier for Board members to keep their duties at the forefront of their mind, as opposed to being a one-off session that is then filed away and forgotten.&rdquo; 



BIFM views their annual Inductions/Refreshers as part of the &ldquo;professionalisation&rdquo; of the Institute itself, a way to ensure that the Board is as proficient and professional as possible, and provides real input to the strategic direction of the Institute.&nbsp; Stephen Bennett realises though that getting the Board members to think of themselves in this central role is not always easy. 


&ldquo;As some Board members are elected by Council, they face the challenge of keeping the interests of the entire organisation in mind and not approaching their role sectorally, nor as &lsquo;representatives&rsquo;,&rdquo; says Bennett. &ldquo;Within the Board, whether we are staff appointed as Executive Directors or volunteer Non-Executive Directors, it is good to be reminded that we all have a duty to be aware of everything that is going on, and that we can&rsquo;t simply hope that someone else will deal with the issues.&rdquo; 



To further evaluate if their Board members are fully meeting their competency requirements, BIFM will be using PARN&rsquo;s Board&nbsp;Review service to identify Board members&rsquo; strengths and areas for development. &ldquo;Board members do not always realise that they must have these competencies to do their job properly,&rdquo; says Bennett. 



&ldquo;It is good to have an outsider like PARN presenting good practice from the professional body sector. It gives a legitimacy that just wouldn&rsquo;t happen if we were discussing it internally.&rdquo; 



Moving the conversation forward
In addition to Board Inductions/Refreshers, Andy has also facilitated three away days for BIFM&rsquo;s Board members, tackling issues from building a mid-term strategy to addressing specific, tricky issues. 



&ldquo;Having Andy as a facilitator over an extended period of time has been useful as he&rsquo;s been able to see BIFM mature. It has been a running conversation, and not just a one-off approach,&rdquo; says Bennett. &ldquo;We have moved on in our own capabilities now, and can ask more difficult questions of Andy.&rdquo; 



Bennett noted that bringing together a group of opinionated people without a facilitator can often result in one item (usually the first item on the agenda!) being hashed out for the entirety of the meeting.&nbsp; &ldquo;Having a facilitator who is also an &lsquo;expert&rsquo; enables mistakes to be avoided and gives a base of expertise on which to move the conversation forward,&rdquo; says Bennett. &ldquo;The facilitation role is subtle, but very valuable. Andy can use his authority to close a discussion or move it forward, and ensure that we are making the best use of the Board&rsquo;s time.&rdquo; 



The idea of an &ldquo;expert&rdquo; facilitator is one which BIFM has arrived at through trial and error. &ldquo;We have had other facilitators at previous meetings, but it simply didn&rsquo;t work. They didn&rsquo;t have the background on the issues and weren&rsquo;t able to prompt the Board in the right direction,&rdquo; states Bennett. &ldquo;Facilitation at this level is difficult if you are unaware of professional body issues.&rdquo; 



&ldquo;In real time, Andy can bring to bear past experiences of other professional bodies and put in questions which have a solid research background to push the conversation in a different direction.&rdquo; 



Developing a mid-term strategy
Up until January 2008, BIFM operated on a one year plan and budget, and were struggling with how they could become the kind of association they wanted to become when they were working in a relatively short timeframe. BIFM felt in danger of &ldquo;being blown in different directions&rdquo;, and so decided to focus on the bit between their long-term and short-term aspirations &ndash; a &ldquo;mid-term strategy&rdquo; &ndash; creating a rolling approach over a 3-5 year period. 



Andy facilitated an initial session with BIFM&rsquo;s Board and Members Council which looked at the various broad directions BIFM could take. &ldquo;With Andy&rsquo;s help, we were able to look at the overall typology of existing professional bodies and pitch where we wanted to be,&rdquo; says Bennett. 



The session generated a prioritised list of strategic directions, with learning and education coming out on top, followed by research/external relations and professional standards. To reach this outcome, Andy provided an overview of the professional body sector, and the various &ldquo;types&rdquo; within it, enabling BIFM to &ldquo;answer important but difficult questions, such as: What sort of association are we? How would we characterise our future direction?&rdquo; 



BIFM&rsquo;s overall mission of advancing the Facilities Management (FM) profession, is being realised through the mid-term strategy, keeping the organisation focused when 2009 threw up financial hurdles. &ldquo;Having a MTS [mid-term strategy] put us in a better position to face the tough decisions we had to make in 2009,&rdquo; Bennett remarks. &ldquo;With a one year strategy as we had before, it would have been easy to go back into our shell, but it was easier to keep going with mid-term goals to reach.&rdquo; 



Bennett also noted that the mid-term strategy has changed the way the Board thinks of the Institute and themselves. One of the &ldquo;Deadly Sins&rdquo; for Board members that Andy discusses in Board Inductions is thinking sectorally; with a mid-term strategy, BIFM had &ldquo;a mechanism for a more focused and directed Board,&rdquo; states Bennett. &ldquo;We were able to raise the Board&rsquo;s horizons beyond the operational level, and find more realistic ways to deliver broad, long-term goals.&rdquo; 



&ldquo;Andy was able to input his broad knowledge of the sector and put what we were thinking into a broader context.&rdquo; 



Engaging senior volunteers
In a presentation Andy gave to BIFM staff and volunteers on good governance, it was stated that organisations do not want Committees as &ldquo;the apex of an administration iceberg&rdquo;. BIFM realised immediately that this was exactly what they had created with their Committee structure. 



The idea of a more considered approach to volunteers, what BIFM refers to as Senior Volunteer Engagement (SVE), was further emphasised through issues arising with Committee Chairs. Questions such as: &ldquo;Should all Chairs have the same Terms of Reference? Do we actually need each of these Committees? Should we move on from the Committee set-up? Are we working in the right way?&rdquo; were going unaddressed in BIFM&rsquo;s current volunteer procedures. 



Andy acted as an advisor for the SVE project, and also facilitated small group meetings. A direct output of this project was the dissolution of BIFM&rsquo;s existing committees and the creation of two overarching committees &ndash; Audit and Governance. The SVE also gave the Board the power to create working groups (such as the mid-term strategy group), which &ldquo;helped to forge stronger links between our volunteers and staff,&rdquo; says Bennett. &ldquo;Within these groups some of the most successful work has emerged.&rdquo; 



BIFM is also changing its recruitment process for some senior volunteer positions to a process that uses applications and interviews against criteria by a panel comprising staff, volunteer and external input. They felt that the best way to recruit two of their Committee Chairs was through their members as a whole; they had a large response and once the Chairs were appointed, they recruited fellow Committee members from the remaining candidate pool. &ldquo;We have found that having Committees that are selected rather than elected has been better &ndash; they have better capabilities, and are higher profile people with specific expertise,&rdquo; states Bennett. 


-- 


For more information on PARN's governance services, visit http://www.parnglobal.com/consultancy.htm 
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/a-lasting-impact-a-case-study-of-parns-influence-on-governance.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/a-lasting-impact-a-case-study-of-parns-influence-on-governance.htm</link>

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<title>PARN Manifesto Update: Acknowledgement from Government</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
In May this year PARN developed a Manifesto for the new government, calling upon it to create a single point of contact for the professions to recognise and support the crucial role the professions play in society and ensure the expertise and advice they offer does not go unused. We sent the draft manifesto to the whole of our database of professional bodies in the UK and after some modifications in response to suggestions received, we issued the Manifesto in June to all MPs of the current government. The Manifesto carries the logos of 41 professional bodies who have agreed to support it in this public manner.


Mindful of the deficit crisis we emphasised that such a contact point would help prevent wasteful duplication between government agencies and would avoid government initiatives which ignore expertise and structures already established by professional bodies, contributing to policies such as widening access to the professions and supporting volunteer effort by professionals. It would encourage research to evaluate effectiveness of professional standards regulation by investigating client/patient outcomes and encouraging the spread of best practice.&nbsp; Overall it would nurture an environment that encourages a thriving professional sector.


During the summer months we have had acknowledgements of the Manifesto from
&bull;&nbsp;The Office of the Prime Minister
&bull;&nbsp;The Deputy Prime Minister
&bull;&nbsp;Minister of State for Business and Enterprise (BIS)
&bull;&nbsp;Minister for Housing and Planning
&bull;&nbsp;Parliamentary Undersecretary of State, Department of Health
&bull;&nbsp;Parliamentary Undersecretary of State, Department for Transport
&bull;&nbsp;The Direct Communications Unit of the Home Office 
&bull;&nbsp;A number of MPs in the government from both parties to the Coalition.


Currently our Manifesto is being considered by Francis Maude in the Cabinet Office. 


In addition we have had 
&bull;&nbsp;an invitation to contact the Big Society Programme Team in the Department for Communities and Local Government
&bull;&nbsp;an appointment to meet with BIS in September
&bull;&nbsp;an offer from Patrick Mercer, MP to table a Parliamentary Question concerning the Manifesto soon into the Autumn session of Parliament


We are encouraged by the interest so far shown in the Manifesto in government circles. If these contacts lead to an indication of a positive response from the government, we will call a meeting of those professional bodies that have indicated their support for the Manifesto to discuss in detail possible remits for such a single point of contact for the professions. 


If you have any questions or comments on the development of the Manifesto, please feel free to contact PARN Director Andy Friedman by email andy@parnglobal.com or telephone 0117 928 1933.&nbsp; 
 ]]></description>
<guid>http://www.parnglobal.com/parn-manifesto-update-acknowledgement-from-government.htm</guid>
<link>http://www.parnglobal.com/parn-manifesto-update-acknowledgement-from-government.htm</link>

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<title>Equally Professional publishes report &quot;Like minds on different journeys&quot;</title>


<description><![CDATA[ 
A report was released today&nbsp;- &quot;Like minds on different journeys&quot; - on the work of&nbsp;Equally Professional, a network of 20 professional bodies committed to providing equality and diversity in and through their memberships, and thereby widening access to the professions. 


The report looks at what these professional bodies are doing to broaden their appeal and improve their diversity practice. It also invites all professional bodies to join PARN's Diversity Special Interest Group (SIG), an opportunity to learn from other professional bodies and share your own experiences. For further information on the PARN Diversity SIG, email dyon@parnglobal.com. 


To download the report and find out more about Equally Professional, visit http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-and-guidance/professional-bodies/
 ]]></description>
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