What is CPD?
The focus of CPD, or Continuing Professional Development, is on the benefits it can bring you, so it can be any mix of approaches, ideas and methods that helps you to meet your personal development, learning and growth. CPD is the investment you make in yourself that links learning directly to practice. Taking time and effort to do CPD shows that you are committed to ongoing improvement of your knowledge, skills and competence.
Where do I start?
To know what CPD to do, it's a good idea to first determine where your strengths and weaknesses lie. We would recommend using our Professional Competency Checklist, which we've developed as a guide to expected competencies for qualification as an ergonomist and human factors specialist. It can be used in conjunction with a proficiency scale to show progress in breadth and depth of skills and expertise as your career progresses.
What CPD activities should I undertake?
This depends on what you're trying to achieve in your development. CPD can be very effective when there's a variety of activities. Here's a few examples.
Read
You could read text books, guidance, reports, research papers or any other publications that help expand your knowledge.
Write
You could use your knowledge to contribute to a publication, or you could write an article, a thought-piece or research paper.
Listen
You could add to your understanding by listening to podcasts, webinars, expert videos or attending seminars, conferences or training courses.
Speak
You could consolidate and demonstrate your knowledge by presenting a training course, speaking at an event or mentoring someone.
Top tips for effective CPD
Reflection
To get the most from the effort and time you put into CPD, you must reflect on what you did, what you learned and how it makes you a better professional. This reflective activity is a requirement for maintaining Chartered status. To find out more about reflective practice, see the guidance above.
Planning
To maintain your momentum with CPD, you need to plan what you want to achieve the following year and determine the range of activities you'll undertake to get to your goals. This is a requirement for maintaining Chartered status too. For more information about planning your CPD see the guidance above.
How we support Chartered status
CPD is not just about how much time is spent on activities, it's about outcomes and results. So we have a process to capture and assess CPD records to enable members to maintain their Chartered status. Here's the main points:
- The CPD year for Chartered Members runs from January to December. For those applying for professional membership and Chartership, it is 12 months prior to applying.
- Members can record their CPD activities at any time online in My CPD.
- A minimum of 5 activities for the current year and 3 forward plans for the following year must be recorded.
- The record should show useful experiences and practical benefits of each activity.
- Voluntary activities with CIEHF can be included, provided they help with professional development.
- There should be a variety of activities that are not just a normal part of your job.
We've put together a couple of examples of what a good CPD record looks like.
We've also created a Bitesize Learning module that explains what you need to do to maintain (or gain) Chartered status.
And we've recorded a short presentation on CPD too!
Frequently asked questions
I can't include sensitive or classified information in my CPD record, what do I do?
There's no requirement to include any sensitive or classified information to your record. Assessors will be looking for evidence of self-reflection and how that has impacted you. All CPD records will be anonymised before assessment and our assessors all sign an NDA before carrying out any assessments.
What happens if I fail to submit sufficient CPD activities by the end of year deadline?
In order to keep to the timetable set for these assessments, we can't grant extensions to the deadline, sorry. So if you miss the deadline, having not submitted the minimum number of activities - 5 records of activity carried out that year and 3 forward plans for the following year - you'll lose your Chartered status.
Do all members have their CPD record assessed?
No, on average each record is assessed every 2-3 years. However, members should be prepared for their record to be assessed every year.
How will I know if my record has been selected for assessment?
We'll email you to let you know early in January.
Who will assess my CPD?
Your assessment will be carried out by two assessors from a team of trained Chartered members who work to written guidance and will complete a checklist. Your CPD information will be treated as confidential at all times.
Is there a chance to resubmit if the assessors feel my record is not satisfactory?
Yes, if the assessors feel your record needs more information you will be emailed mid-January requesting you to provide it within two weeks. The assessors will then review your updates and make a final recommendation, which will be either be for you to retain your Chartered status or to remove it if your CPD is not felt to be sufficient.
If my CPD has been selected for assessment, when will I know the result?
The assessment will be complete by the end of February at the latest. We will email you with the result.
Can I get my Chartered status back if I lose it one year?
Yes, your CPD can be assessed the following year and if successful, you'll then regain your Chartered status.
What if I haven't been able to do much CPD because of extenuating circumstances or a career break?
If you have any extenuating circumstances, detail it in your CPD record under 'Other activities' and contact us too. We'll then be able to take it into account. Please see more information on CPD requirements on careers breaks.