MEANINGS AND INTERCHANGEABILITY OF CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, TRAINING AND EDUCATION AND THEIR CONNECTION AND INFLUENCE ON LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT IN BUILT ENVIRONMENT. Zuhairuse Md Darus, Fadzil Hassan, Masran Saruwono, Zaidi Omar , Zulkiflee Samad , Fadhil Muhamad & Noraziah Mohammad Abstract Problems associated with the performance, delivery and quality of products or services due to the ineffective performance of workers in the Malaysian construction industry are continually debated. Critics have frequently associated these shortcomings with inadequacies in the education, training, and continuing professional development (CPD), offered to those in the workforce. This paper investigates the underlying concepts for education, training, and CPD, and identifies their differences and similarities. Understanding the similarities and differences among these factors is critically important because these factors significantly influence the design and delivery of effective education, training, and CPD programs. Most importantly, the parties responsible for developing and implementing such programs must understand that all three types of programs must be based on the underlying principle of learning if they are to be effective. Keywords: Built environment, human resources, education, training, continuing professional development (CPD), learning Introduction It is generally believed that the way to ensure high-quality performance of the workforce is through the process of education, training, and continuing professional development (CPD). Based on this conviction, the Malaysian construction industry initiated many initiatives to support its employees. However, to date results have been variable and critics frequently argue that that many of the education, training, and CPD programs offered to workers have been inadequate and ineffective. The challenge of providing effective education, training, and CPD involves the scope with which the responsible parties conceive, design and deliver these programs. The recurrent questions: “Who should provide the education?,” “Who should provide the training?,” “Who should be responsible for CPD?” and “How should these initiatives be coordinated?” continue to be debated. Some have contended that differentiating education, training, and CPD is a non-issue and simply a case of semantics. Yet, in the practical operational context, understanding and appreciating the similarities and differences has significantly influenced the way in which responsible parties design and offer these programmes to the workforce. This paper discusses the differences and similarities among education, training, and CPD, their meanings and characteristics and then explores the elements that facilitate their effective delivery. The authors conducted a literature search to investigate the validity and appropriateness of current programmes offered to Malaysian construction industry. Findings reveal the need for a holistic approach to education, training, and CPD, based on the principle of learning. In conceiving this issue, technology together with education, training and CPD were investigated. Job Performance of the Malaysian Construction Industry At its best, the Malaysian construction industry is capable of matching its counterparts from the more developed countries in delivering quality products using world-class standards. Examples include the construction and administration of the new National Administrative Centre at ISBN:1985-5826 AJTLHE, Vol. 1, No.1, 1-7