Frequently Asked Questions

Continuing Professional Development

A list of frequently asked questions about CPD

What is CPD?

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the systematic maintenance, improvement and broadening of your knowledge and skills and the development of personal qualities necessary for you to carry out your professional duties.

How do I record my CPD?

CIBSE has an online professional development portal, mycareerpath, where you can plan, record and reflect on your CPD activities. To access mycareerpath, login to MyCIBSE, then click on 'My CPD - CIBSE Membership'.

I am taking a career break. Do I need to continue my CPD?

If you intend to return to work in engineering then the answer is yes. You will need to keep abreast of developments in your field or you may find it difficult to return to the industry when you are ready. Reading journal articles and attending technical meetings will allow you to keep in touch. If you are on a career break you can be exempt from CIBSE's annual CPD audit.

I'm very busy and CPD courses can be very expensive - do I need to attend courses to meet CPD requirements?

Absolutely not. CIBSE recognises that many people are developing their skills and knowledge during the course of their work e.g. being trained at work on a new piece of technology, exchanging information at meetings, participating in in-house training and community/public involvement. People have different requirements based on their own needs and while attending courses is useful, it is not essential.

As a Graduate member, am I also expected to keep a record of CPD?

Graduate members will normally be undertaking training (called Initial Professional Development) and are not required to do anything additional for CPD. However, keeping records of what you do and learn is good discipline for Training & Development and Continuing Professional Development.

What are CIBSE's CPD requirements?

CIBSE expects you to undertake CPD as part of the Code of Conduct. It recognises that CPD is more effective as part of a structured plan and expects you to have identified your goals, planned what you need to do, recorded how you went about achieving your goals and reflected on what you learned and what progress you have made.

Corporate members are required to:

Take ownership of their learning and development needs
Undertake a variety of development activities
Record their CPD activities
Reflect on what they have learned or achieved through their CPD activities
Reflect on at least two CPD activities per year and any activity over five hours long
Evaluate their CPD activities against objectives
Review and update their professional development plan regularly
Support the learning and development of others

There is no minimum number of hours of CPD you are required to undertake. Instead, members should focus on the outputs of CPD activity for the maintenance and enhancement of competence, appropriate to the individual and their job role.

I'm retired. Do I still need to record my CPD?

Retired members are automatically exempt from CIBSE's annual CPD audit, with the exception of those who are active volunteers of CIBSE. It is an Engineering Council requirement that all active volunteers participate in CPD and be included in the audit process.

I'm fully qualified and have many years' experience so why do I need to do it?

CPD enables you to stay ahead of your profession by keeping up-to-date on legal requirements and technical advances, as well as maintaining your personal development

Can you afford not to be involved in CPD in these days of rapid change?

I belong to another professional institution which has also asked me to carry out CPD activities. Is this acknowledged by CIBSE?

Yes. It is CIBSE policy to recognise all relevant CPD activities carried out with other professional bodies. You can upload records of externally recorded CPD via our online professional development portal, mycareerpath.