Anne Robinson raised eyebrows west of Offa’s Dyke when she appeared on BBC’s Room 101 last year and asked: “What are the Welsh for?” We in Wales cannot help it if Anne is the weakest link and has been kept in the dark on such vital matters, but it reminded us that one must ensure that everyone understands exactly what things are for.

Continuous professional development (CPD) is a case in point: this is something we hope all teachers in Wales will soon expect to have throughout their careers. But with more than 30,000 practitioners, that is a big commitment with a substantial price tag. Even so, the benefits of better classroom performance by teachers are beyond calculation.

So what is CPD and what is it for? At the General Teaching Council for Wales, we prefer the broadest definition: “all formal and informal learning that enables teachers to improve their own practice”. So teachers themselves decide what is needed and how needs should be met. This element of personal choice makes the proposals put before the Welsh Assembly by the teaching council different from what already exists.

Research shows us that good practice is driven largely by school, local or national priorities. Rarely are individuals given the chance to ask for training that they believe will make them better teachers. So it is no surprise that teachers have bitten off our hands to make the most of last year’s pilot project which offered between pound;500 and pound;3,000 for individual training packages. Nearly 1,500 teachers, from a quarter of Welsh schools, claimed funds from the initial tranche of pound;1.3 million; more than 4,000 will benefit from this year’s pound;5m second phase.

The training ranged from a day’s study visit to the Tate Gallery by an art teacher to a study of the teaching of handwriting for pupils with poor eyesight.

If individual training becomes an entitlement, we must grasp several nettles. Classroom cover must be provided - not just during training but beforehand so that teachers have time to assess themselves, to research what training is available and decide the focus of their projects. One Scottish education authority has addressed this issue by appointing a pool of 80 supply teachers.

But what constitutes a valid project? It would be difficult for Welsh teachers to argue that first-hand experience of yak husbandry in Tajikistan would help them to teach geography better. So where do you draw the line?

Clearly, criteria that focus on the impact of training on classroom standards are needed, yet these should not be too rigid lest many valuable experiences be ruled out. In other professions, continuous development is moving towards more experiential projects rather than straight “courses”.

This leads us to the accreditation of training and its providers, and how to ensure the high quality of courses. Here, the teacher education colleges have a crucial role in providing a flexible, credit-based accreditation framework.

Should every teacher be entitled to an annual sum to improve their skills? If so, how much? And should teachers be allowed to bank these sums for a few years and then undertake a major self-development project - perhaps as part of a sabbatical? How would the system cope if large numbers wanted to do this?

Of particular importance is the link between training and performance management - a new process that is almost upon us. Performance management without a central place for identifying and meeting CPD needs will be a pretty pointless exercise. The new Professional Code for Teachers in Wales emphasises the importance of maintaining up-to-date professional knowledge, understanding and skills, and states that they should reflect on their own practice. Happily, teachers in Wales take tremendous pride in their work and are eager to take advantage of any opportunities to do their job better.

It is this two-way commitment to training - from teachers and employers alike - that will not only help teachers to fulfil their potential but deliver huge benefits to their pupils and society at large.

CPD for everyone. Gary Brace is chief executive of the General Teaching Council for Wales. He is speaking on “CPD - an entitlement for all” at 10am on Thursday, May 23