Beyond the Certificate: What our Trainers Really Think About CPD
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is often associated with courses, certificates and keeping a record of training. But is that really what professional development is about?
At Offshore Marine Academy, we believe CPD is about much more than ticking a box. It is about keeping knowledge current, challenging the way we think, sharing experience and becoming more confident and capable in our roles.
While the benefits of CPD are often discussed from the delegate’s perspective, we wanted to look at it from another angle: what does professional development look like to the people delivering the training?
We asked our course trainers Paul Potter and Paul Hampton and Academy Manager Mat Vickers to share their experiences of training professionals across the offshore and marine industries – and what they believe makes a course genuinely worthwhile.
It’s about engagement, not attendance
For our trainers, one of the clearest signs that a delegate is genuinely there to learn is their level of engagement.
As Mat Vickers explains, you can usually tell quite quickly. It is the delegates who are asking questions, taking notes, contributing to discussions and sharing their own experiences. Importantly, genuine engagement doesn’t necessarily mean being “the loudest person in the room” – curiosity and a willingness to get as much as possible from the session are what really matter.
Paul Hampton agrees, highlighting the importance of questioning. Hearing a delegate ask “why?”, admit they don’t understand something or ask for further explanation is a clear indication that they are buying into the learning process.
Sometimes the best learning comes from the people in the room
One of the strongest themes from all three trainers was the importance of shared experience.
Training should not simply be a trainer speaking to a room full of delegates. As Mat puts it, the aim is to create a “learning community” where both trainers and delegates contribute. Real-life experiences, including what has worked and what hasn’t, can bring a subject to life and often lead to some of the most valuable conversations during a course.
Paul Potter takes a similar view, noting that the industry is continually evolving and that open dialogue allows current information and experiences to be shared. A delegate’s own experience can even help enhance the course for future learners.
Paul Hampton describes this as the power of brainstorming and collective problem-solving. When delegates are encouraged to share their experiences, they can learn from one another while feeling empowered to contribute.
In other words, the classroom itself can become a valuable source of knowledge.
The ‘lightbulb moment’ isn’t always about learning something new.
Ask any trainer about their favourite part of delivering a course and the answer is likely to involve a moment when something suddenly clicks for a delegate.
Mat points out that these “lightbulb moments” aren’t necessarily about learning something completely new. Often, they happen when a delegate connects the training with knowledge or experience they already have and suddenly understands how to apply it differently.
Paul Hampton recalls a recent example involving a high-risk issue relating to a subsea asset. Several delegates immediately began taking notes and asking for more information, recognising a gap in their knowledge that was highly relevant to their own procedures.
These moments demonstrate why effective training needs to connect with the real-world challenges professionals face.
The real test begins when the course ends
A certificate may demonstrate that someone has completed a course, but according to our trainers, the real value of training is what happens afterwards.
Mat believes this is exactly why training is delivered: when someone takes what they have learned, puts it into practice and sees a positive result. Training should not end when someone leaves the classroom or logs off from a virtual session.
Paul Hampton recalls how training gave an onshore worker a greater appreciation and empathy for those working offshore, while Paul Potter highlights the longer-term value of delegates continuing to share and apply current information within their professional networks.
Ultimately, effective CPD should result in something changing – whether that is greater knowledge, improved decision-making, increased confidence or simply a better understanding of another person’s role.
Experience is valuable – but we never stop learning
One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding CPD is that once someone has been doing their job for many years, they no longer need further development.
Our trainers strongly challenge this idea.
As Mat says, “Every day is a school day.” Experience is hugely valuable, but nobody reaches a point where there is nothing left to learn. Industries, technology, best practice and working practices continue to evolve.
Paul Hampton points to the rapid pace of change in areas such as AI and remote systems as examples of why professionals need to remain open to new ways of thinking.
And Paul Potter offers perhaps the most honest perspective:
“I used to think that too! But I have come round to accepting that CPD needs to be accepted in order to display current competencies.”
So, what makes training genuinely valuable?
For Mat, the answer is simple: relevance and application.
A good course should provide knowledge and guidance that delegates can actually use, supported by real-life scenarios that reflect the situations they are likely to encounter. The certificate is useful, but the real value lies in what the delegate can do differently or more confidently afterwards.
Paul Potter similarly emphasises interaction, relevant and interesting subject matter, the opportunity to share experiences, and clear, accurate and current information that delegates can take away and use.
Paul Hampton puts it in terms of advancing skillsets, knowledge and teamwork, alongside the ability to apply what has been learned in day-to-day work.
This is perhaps the biggest takeaway from our trainers: CPD shouldn’t be measured by the certificate you receive at the end, but by the value you take away with you.
CPD is an investment, not a tick-box exercise
If there is one thing our trainers would change about how people perceive CPD, it is the idea that it is simply an obligation to be completed.
Paul Hampton describes it as an investment in the future, while Paul Potter focuses on continually maintaining and expanding professional knowledge as circumstances change.
Mat makes an important distinction: experience and knowledge are not always the same thing. CPD can mean learning something entirely new, but it can equally mean refreshing existing knowledge, challenging established ways of working or hearing a different perspective.
Perhaps the best measure of successful CPD is not how much someone knows when they leave a course, but how they feel about putting that knowledge into practice.
As Mat says, the feedback he values most is when a delegate says they have left with more confidence, not just more knowledge – feeling better equipped to make decisions, deal with difficult situations and perform their role effectively.
Final thought
CPD is not about reaching a point where you know everything. In an industry that continues to evolve, it is about staying curious, remaining open to different perspectives and continually developing the knowledge and confidence needed to meet whatever comes next.
The certificate may mark the end of the course. But the learning shouldn’t end there.