BINDT releases enhanced online continuing professional development (CPD) resource
10/12/2018
Continuing professional development (CPD) is the systematic acquisition of knowledge and skills and the development of personal qualities to maintain and enhance professional competence.CPD has several purposes, which will vary in relation to an individual’s circumstances, their needs and their career progression. Very often, individuals will carry out CPD to provide assurance of their continuing competence in their current job. At other times, CPD may be undertaken to enable them to fulfil a different role either within or outside of their organisation (which may have more management content or may not be a pure engineering role). Equally, CPD may help individuals to follow a longer-term career development plan or to enhance their professionalism in a context wider than a specific job role. The focus of an individual’s learning may therefore be on different areas of competence at different times.
CPD can take a variety of forms. At its heart is informal learning through the challenges and opportunities of working life and interaction with others (for example colleagues, customers and suppliers), including professionals from other disciplines. However, this may be supplemented by structured activities such as courses, distance learning programmes, private study, preparation of papers and presentations, mentoring, involvement in professional body activities or relevant voluntary work.
CPD is soon to become a mandatory requirement for BINDT or Engineering Council membership. The UK Engineering Council now requires all of its Licensed Members (including BINDT) to carry out a sample audit of registrants’ CPD records. BINDT has decided to apply this policy to all members, whether registered or not.
One of the main functions of a professional body is promoting and supporting the professional development of its members. BINDT has a Code of Practice for CPD and it expects that individual members will undertake CPD to maintain their professional standards. All CPD activities and achievements should be recorded, so that progress towards implementing the development plan and maintaining professional competence can be demonstrated.
To help with this process, BINDT has recently introduced an enhancement to the members’ area of its website, where members can record their CPD activities and keep a tally of the amount of CPD undertaken by means of points accumulated on an annual basis.
It includes:
- A template to create a record of CPD, which the user can show employers and administrators. Activities can be added and edited and points automatically accumulated;
- The ability to record CPD points for certification renewal (for example linked to PCN documents CP16 or CP17);
- The ability to upload relevant documents, such as certificates and attendance records; and
- The ability to file documents by date and record content on an annual basis.
To access the new resource, log-in to the members’ area, ‘MyBINDT’. Then, simply click on the ‘My Continuing Professional Development’ link.
