Cardiff Metropolitan University has become the first university to achieve CIPD People Development Partner (PDP) status.
The CIPD recognises organisations that are dedicated to the development of their people professionals through the ongoing alignment of their capability and impact against the CIPD’s criteria, including promoting and investing in professionalism, providing entry points into the people profession, and collaborating with the CIPD to promote and support the people profession. Fewer than 20 organisations across the UK have been awarded People Development Partner status to date.
Cardiff Met achieved PDP status by demonstrating its commitment to providing a world-class people function and fostering a culture of continuous development by aligning progress with the CIPD profession map, which serves as an international benchmark for the people profession and organisational success.
Not only the first university to achieve the status, Cardiff Met is also one of only two organisations in Wales to hold the accreditation, alongside Neath Port Talbot Council.
The University employs 1,600 people, 35 of whom are in the people services team. The organisation wanted to achieve PDP status to ensure it could provide all employees with the HR and people function they deserve and to encourage and enable employees to reach their full potential and help retain the University’s place as one of the top education providers in Wales.
Ashley Flaherty, Director of People Services at Cardiff Met is proud of the team’s achievement. She said: “We are very proud that we have become the first university in the UK to achieve CIPD People Development Partner status.
“Over the past three years we have looked closely at transforming the way we work and how we can deliver our people strategy with impact. Aligning our development plan to the CIPD Profession map, investing in our own development, and benchmarking against industry standard, has allowed us to achieve this.
“Building our professionalism and capability has enabled us to develop an outstanding people services function and help to create a truly amazing place to work.”
Achieving PDP status means that Cardiff Met is now recognised as an expert in organisational development, which sustains its credibility not only internally and within academia but also with external stakeholders. For its employees, the achievement means that the university is dedicated to their professional progress and will continue to prioritize their wellbeing and personal development.
Lesley Richards, Head of CIPD Wales, comments: “It is a great achievement that Cardiff Metropolitan University has become the first university in the UK to gain this recognition and they should be very proud. This title truly demonstrates their efforts in creating a people-first culture to ensure that their employees continue to deliver quality work to the people they serve.”
