Remind me about CPD
From January 2017 all Professional Engineering Institutions have introduced a Policy of random reviewing of Professionally Active Registrants’ CPD Returns. The IET’s Board of Trustees has extended this as a benefit to IET Members (TMIET, MIET and FIET).
CPD is the ongoing process of tracking and documenting the skills, knowledge and experience that you gain both formally and informally as you work. This includes Training courses, Work experience, Academic study, Volunteering, attending Events and Self-Study (“TWAVES”).
What has changed?
As a Member, you have already committed to keeping your knowledge and skills up-to-date through planned professional development, as explained in the IET Rules of Conduct: the only change is that you may be chosen to have your previous year’s records reviewed.
How is the IET supporting me in this process?
We have provided a powerful, intuitive online tool called Career Manager which allows you to record and submit your CPD.
During the review year of 2022, we will be reviewing a sample of members’ CPD activities that took place in 2021.
The IET offers a wide variety of products and services to support members’ CPD activities, many of which are free or discounted to members. See our CPD Guide to find out more. You can also watch our pre-recorded CPD webinar.
What happens then?
You can submit your records at the start of the following year. If selected, we will notify you and request your records if you have not already submitted them, we will then provide you with feedback and advice.
What counts as CPD?
When planning and recording your CPD, remember the acronym TWAVES.
The IET offers a wide variety of products and services to support members’ CPD activities. However, content from any source is equally acceptable.
What are the benefits of CPD?
CPD is the key to managing your career – it’s how you keep up-to-date with current practice, and it drives you to improve your skills and progress into new roles and keeps you employable throughout your working life.
CPD will help you to:
- achieve your goals efficiently
- keep pace with changing technology
- achieve recognition
- stay in the job market
- develop leadership skills and help to influence others
- provide evidence of competence when it is required
- demonstrate a commitment to your profession.
Guideline CPD requirement
Professionally active IET members should aim to undertake a minimum of 30 hours of CPD per calendar year, which could be split as follows:
| Area | Number of hours |
| Personal technical knowledge/skills | Ten hours |
| Job role technical knowledge/skills | Ten hours |
| Personal soft skills | Ten hours |
| Number of hours | Examples | |
| Planned CPD | At least ten hours | Training courses, seminars, targeted academic or self-study or work experience opportunities such as secondments; |
| Unplanned CPD | Remaining balance (up to 20 hours) | Ad-hoc opportunities and less structured activities, such as attending events and exhibitions, self-study, etc. |
We recognise our members work in a wide range of roles, sectors and circumstances and that you are best placed to decide what CPD is appropriate for you. We understand that the amount and type of CPD you do will change at different stages in your career. Many of you will already be doing more than thirty hours, particularly during periods of change such as starting a new job. This information is a guideline to help you manage your CPD more effectively.
Semi-retired or partially-active members have a reduced target of 10 hours. Members who are no longer professionally active need not undertake any CPD. This may be through retirement (without volunteering), unemployment, employment in a non-engineering capacity, parental leave, long term illness etc. However, we strongly recommend recording CPD to those members who plan to be professionally active within the engineering field in the near future as this would help them become employed within that field again.
You are strongly encouraged to follow the professional development cycle.
