Continuing Professional Development
A list of frequently asked questions about CPD
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
- Including at least one semi-structured CPD activity on Sustainability
- Including at least one semi-structured CPD activity on Building Safety
- 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.
Building Safety and Sustainability are critical priorities for the engineering and construction industries, with growing legal, ethical, and professional responsibilities.
CIBSE requires all professionally active members to undertake CPD in these areas to ensure they remain competent, up to date with current standards and legislation, and able to contribute to safe, resilient, and low carbon buildings. This supports both public trust and professional accountability.
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'.
Guidance on how to use mycareerpath and submit your CPD for audit can be accessed here.
CPD can include a wide range of learning activities, such as:
- Attending seminars, webinars or training courses
- Reading technical articles or standards
- On-the-job learning
- Mentoring or being mentored
- Participation in professional committees or working groups
See the examples section on this page for more.
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.
Yes. No matter how experienced you are, CPD is essential for staying current with evolving legislation, emerging technologies, and industry best practices. It also demonstrates a continued commitment to professional excellence and ethical responsibility. In today’s rapidly changing environment, maintaining your knowledge and competence is just as important at a senior level as it is earlier in your career.
Yes. We recognise all relevant CPD activities carried out with other professional bodies, providing it meets our requirements.
You can upload records of externally recorded CPD via our online professional development portal, mycareerpath.
Failure to engage with CIBSE’s request for CPD information as part of the audit process may result in disciplinary action by the Professional Conduct Committee (PCC). The PCC will determine the appropriate course of action, which could include downgrading your membership to Affiliate and, if applicable, removal from the Engineering Council’s Register of Engineers.
If you need support, please contact the CIBSE Membership team at [email protected].
The CPD audit is an annual review process in which a sample of CIBSE members are selected to submit evidence of their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities.
The audit ensures that members are maintaining their professional competence in accordance with CIBSE’s Code of Professional Conduct. It is also a requirement set by the Engineering Council for CIBSE to carry out these audits on an annual basis.
It is an Engineering Council requirement that CIBSE conduct a random audit of 5% of all Corporate Members (LCIBSE, ACIBSE, MCIBSE and FCIBSE) and Engineering Council registrants, each year.
The selection is conducted completely randomly.
Members can only be selected for audit once every five years.
Retired members are usually exempt, with the exception of those who are actively volunteering for CIBSE in any capacity.
Members who are on a career break may also be exempt.
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.
Please submit a report of your CPD for audit via our online platform, mycareerpath.
To access mycareerpath, login to MyCIBSE, then click on 'My CPD'.
Guidance on how to use mycareerpath and submit your CPD for audit can be accessed here.
=CPD doesn’t have to be formal training. Most engineers engage in CPD through their everyday work, whether it’s learning new systems, solving technical problems, mentoring colleagues, or staying up to date with industry developments. These informal activities count and should be included in your CPD record.
If you plan to return to work in engineering, then yes, it's important to stay up to date with developments in your field to ensure a smoother return to professional practice. Activities such as reading technical journals or attending industry events can help you stay connected.
However, if you are on a career break, you may request an exemption from CIBSE’s annual CPD audit for that period.
No. CIBSE understands that not all CPD comes from formal courses. Many professionals develop their skills through day-to-day activities, such as on-the-job training, learning new technologies, knowledge-sharing in meetings, in-house sessions, or involvement in community and public projects. While attending courses can be beneficial, they are not essential. CPD should be relevant to your personal development needs and can take many flexible and low-cost forms.
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 practice for Training & Development and Continuing Professional Development.
All members are encouraged to record their CPD activities to help reflect on their learning and demonstrate ongoing professional development. Keeping a record supports effective career planning and helps maintain professional competence.
However, recording CPD is compulsory for corporate members of CIBSE (Licentiate, Associate, Member and Fellow) and those registered with the Engineering Council.