Engineers Ireland members record 47,000 hours of CPD in 2017 to date

Friday 1 September 2017

Engineers Ireland’s CPD Policy was introduced on 1 January this year. To date, members have logged more than 47,000 hours. It involves no additional cost and helps members to demonstrate that they take the necessary measures to maintain and enhance their competences. The challenge has been to ensure a number of key messages regarding the CPD Policy are communicated to our members. Firstly, that the introduction of the CPD Policy means that Engineers Ireland is now in line with the best practice of other professional bodies, representing other professions such as architects or solicitors or representing Engineers in other jurisdictions. Having a requirement for members to undertake and record their CPD means the profession and individual members can demonstrate that they take the necessary measures to maintain and enhance their competences. As stakeholders – employers, clients, the public - become ever more demanding this is now important than ever. Secondly, the introduction of the CPD Policy will require no additional costs for members. It is important to keep in mind that CPD refers to learning activities that contribute to your development as a professional engineer. Today we learn in many different ways and not just by attending paid training courses. So there are many different CPD activities that will contribute to you meeting and exceeding the 35 hour requirement per annum. We have categorised CPD into 6 broad types:

Work-based learning
Professional Body activities
Self-directed learning
Mentoring and Coaching
Courses, Seminars and Conferences
Further Education

Watch the short video to learn more about the different activities you can count as CPD. It is worth noting that 35 hours per annum is less than 1 hour per week. I think most members would agree that they undertake at least one hour of learning every week to stay up-to-date with new technologies, legislation, standards and best practice as well as enhancing their interpersonal, managerial or commercial skills. When talking with members, it is clear that once the different activities that count as CPD is understood, meeting the 35 hour requirement becomes less daunting. In fact most have said that they already well exceed that number. Thirdly, in order to support the recording of CPD by members, Engineers Ireland has developed My CPD, an online recording tool. My CPD will enable you to record and track your CPD throughout your career regardless of whether you change employer or move country. An important consideration when designing My CPD was that it should be quick and easy to use. In a recent survey of users, 96% described it as easy and straightforward to use. That figure speaks for itself. It only takes a minute to record a CPD activity, you can access your records anytime, anywhere and export them to an excel file if you need to. We have developed a really useful Help Section with a number of short informative videos and helpful FAQs. The feedback from our members using My CPD has been really positive “The availability of this method for recording CPD is very helpful and encouraged me to keep accurate records more than previous methods.” “It is better than other institutions CPD diaries.” “A great tool. I have used it for my workplace development plan and for my application for chartered engineer.” Finally, the CPD policy applies to all non-student members but there are some caveats. If you work for a CPD Accredited Employer you can avail of a dispensation. Engineers Ireland’s CPD Accredited Employer standard requires a minimum of 35 hours CPD per annum recorded on average for all engineers and technicians. Members working in these organisations will already be recording their CPD hours and indeed the organisations holding the CPD Accredited Employer standard are audited in order to retain the standard. Therefore a special dispensation was introduced for members working in these organisations. They can forgo recording individual CPD activities on My CPD and simply upload a single document detailing their CPD activities from their employer as proof of meeting the 35 hour requirement. Watch the short video to learn how you can avail of the CPD Accredited Employer dispensation. The CPD Policy does apply to retired members, some of whom may still be involved in professional engineering-related activities and continue to undertake CPD. However, retired members who are no longer engaged in professional engineering and do not undertake CPD may apply for an exemption to the CPD Policy. Applying for an exemption is quick and simple and will mean that you are adhering to the CPD Policy. Watch the following short video to see how you can request an exemption. You can also apply for an exemption if you are on maternity leave, sabbatical leave or currently unemployed, for example. The Policy also applies to members working abroad. However, your CPD does not need to be undertaken in Ireland or with Engineers Ireland. You can meet your CPD requirement through any of the learning activities you undertake at your workplace, through other professional bodies or online, for example. Indeed, reading the Engineers Journal is an excellent means of keeping up-to-date and it counts as CPD. Watch the My CPD Video Guide to learn how to use My CPD and adhere to the CPD Policy. If you have any queries regarding the CPD Policy or My CPD feel free to contact cpdpolicy@engineersireland.ie.