Professional Development Committee

Dear Members,

As you may know, the Professional Development Committee is now under the chairmanship of the redoubtable David Cresswell. At a recent committee meeting, the matter of educational events was discussed and we decided to gather some membership opinion as to the type of events we should be offering in the short and medium term.

The quarterly seminars provide a great opportunity for short presentations on new and developing issues and for networking with other members, but the PDC felt that we should also be offering the type of detailed educational workshops that are so often provided in the USA.

So, to cut a long story short, what do YOU think?

I despair of putting some sort of technically clever feedback mechanism together (too old, too tired…) so I would be very grateful for your feedback, in your own words, on the following:

• Should 208 be locally sourcing and delivering technical PD events for its membership?
• How would you like such events to be delivered (e.g. face-to-face, webcast, downloaded material etc.)
• How many such events would you be personally willing to attend (if the price was right!) in a year?
• What would you be prepared to pay for such events (say, a half-day face-to-face workshop)?

And now the really tricky one…

• What subjects would you like to see covered by such workshops, either as one-offs or regular events? (Come on – a bit of blue-sky thinking required here…)

Obviously, if you don’t reply to this note, we will assume that you think the whole thing is a poor idea – but if that’s the case, please just reply telling us so (or the opposite), so that we have a good feel for membership opinion.

This is your chance to influence what the PDC does over the next couple of years – and we will certainly be doing something, so please help us to do the things that will help you. Then just watch out for announcements – particularly one about a free CCTV workshop
coming up shortly. (Yes, I said FREE!)

Best regards and thanks in advance for your help.

Alan Farley
Deputy Chair, ASIS Chapter 208 PDC
Replies to: asis@awdry.demon.co.uk

David and Alan and others on the PDC committee and the General Management Committee give much of their own time to help run the Chapter for the benefit of ALL their colleagues and our Profession as a whole.

Now I know that we get hit with numerous surveys, but this one is VITALLY important to the CHAPTER, for us to actually see what you as a member want for being a member. You join of your own volition and therefore one assumes that you feel you get some benefit from it. Although we have HQ in the US and people do seem to think we are rather US driven, this is about 208 here in the UK driving and setting our tactical agenda. But to ensure that we are answering your needs, we must as they say 'be able to measure it, to manage it'.

Therefore, PLEASE take just five minutes to answer Alan's questions and return to Jude. Your five minutes spent here will mean a number of outputs for the advantage of all.