Demonstrating CPD
CPD FAQs
What if I am retired, unemployed, on a career break or maternity/paternity leave?
What if I no longer work in chemical engineering?
What does 'professionally active' mean?
My employer doesn't support my CPD and I don't have access to training. What can I do?
Can I submit my own CPD records rather than fill in the CPD submission form?
I am unhappy with the feedback on my CPD submission. What can I do?
I have extenuating circumstances and am not able to provide a CPD submission by the deadline.
What is CPD?
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) may take a variety of forms. It can help enhance your technical skills, develop your leadership and management skills, or improve soft skills or voluntary duties. It is more than just training - it gives you the opportunity to develop wider competencies and advanced understanding in areas related to your engineering field and chosen career path. CPD will normally have a direction of travel, for example developing a new skill to help achieve a clear goal.
CPD activities may be:
- work-based: for example, employer training, work shadowing, job rotation or secondments, presentations, performance appraisal, experiential learning, involvement in wider work outside the scope of an individual’s role, or supervising colleagues
- formal education: for example, attending training courses or conferences, undertaking academic qualifications, writing articles, or developing specialist skills
- professional activity: for example, lecturing or teaching, direct or indirectly supervising research, coaching or mentoring, volunteering for a professional body, or membership of a technical expert group
- self-directed learning: reading professional journals, attending webinars, reviewing and summarising books and articles
This list is not exhaustive and there are many more types of learning activities that are CPD.
What if I am retired, unemployed, on a career break or maternity/paternity leave?
Members who are not professionally active, such as those who are unemployed, retired, on a career break or maternity/paternity leave, and who do not undertake any work (paid or unpaid) related to or on behalf of the profession, may be exempt from the CPD requirements, either temporarily or permanently. Please complete section 1 of the submission form with an explanation of your situation for your circumstances to be reviewed.
Please note that the Science Council (for CSci, RSci and RSciTech registrants), the Society for the Environment (for CEnv registrants), and the Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme (ESOS Lead Energy Assessors) require registrants to be professionally active in order to remain on their registers. It is possible to defer your CPD revalidation if you hold one of these registrations and are unemployed, on a career break or maternity/paternity leave, but retired members that are not professionally active may have to relinquish their registration.
Members that hold a non-practicing RPEQ registration are required to demonstrate reduced CPD hours - 150 hours over a five-year period. For further information please refer to the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland (BPEQ) website.
What if I no longer work in chemical engineering?
Members who are working in roles unrelated to the profession of chemical engineering will ordinarily be required to submit CPD records even though the CPD activities carried out may not include those of an engineering or technical nature. Such members will identify this when summarising their roles and responsibilities within their submission so that when their CPD is assessed, it is clear why activities fall under non-technical areas.
What does 'professionally active' mean?
Professionally active means that you are undertaking activities (either paid or unpaid) where you use professional skills and knowledge. Those members who are retired or not working but are undertaking volunteering roles related to the profession are considered to be professionally active, and we would therefore expect them to be carrying out relevant CPD to keep knowledge and skills up to date. The type and amount of CPD will be appropriate to the activities being carried out.
As noted above, the Science Council (for CSci, RSci and RSciTech registrants), the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland (for RPEQ registrants), the Society for the Environment (for CEnv registrants), and the Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme (ESOS registrants) require registrants to be professionally active in order to remain on their registers. Therefore, retired members who are not professionally active may have to relinquish their registration. If sampled for one of the above registrations, complete section 1 of the submission form with an explanation of your situation for review.
Members that hold a non-practicing RPEQ registration are required to demonstrate reduced CPD hours - 150 hours over a five-year period. For further information please refer to the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland (BPEQ) website.
My employer doesn’t support my CPD and I don’t have access to training. What can I do?
We understand that not everyone will have access to the same opportunities and that an individual’s CPD plan and activities will be highly dependent on their personal circumstances.
CPD is much more than just training courses and other formal activities. Any activity which maintains or increases your knowledge and skills is CPD. For further advice on what types of activities count as CPD please contact the CPD Administrator.
When assessing CPD submissions we will take account of all the information provided, so in completing your submission form, please help us by explaining any limitations or constraints that impact on your CPD plans in the relevant section.
I'm about to retire/change job (or have another significant change of circumstances) - how can I complete the section on future CPD plans?
If you are about to, or have recently had, a change in circumstances which leaves your future CPD plans uncertain, liable to change, or no longer appropriate, please describe these changes and what they mean to your future CPD plans in the relevant section of the CPD submission form.
You don't need to have detailed CPD plans for the future if that's not appropriate at the time, but we would expect you to be able to describe the recent CPD activities that you have undertaken.
Can I submit my own CPD records rather than fill in the CPD submission form?
We are unable to accept submissions without a completed CPD submission form. All selected members are required to complete a standard CPD submission form, which allows members to demonstrate that they are meeting each of the CPD requirements of their registration, and allows submissions to be assessed in a standardised way by our Assessors. You are welcome to attach documents to your form as supporting evidence. Many members will attach a copy of their CV or recent Professional Development Review (PDR) for example, but this is not a requirement.
I am unhappy with the feedback on my CPD submission. What can I do?
All CPD submissions are peer-reviewed by trained volunteer member CPD Assessors who assess submissions against the CPD requirements of each registration concerned and determine whether the submission is adequate or inadequate in each area.
Members may be asked to provide more information in the first instance, if it is clear to an Assessor that the CPD submission is likely to be graded inadequate. All members then receive final written feedback via email on their submission. Feedback is advisory in most cases and aims to support members to improve their CPD processes. Please note that the Science Council stipulates that members must take action to address any inadequate feedback within a three-month timeframe, and evidence will be requested of this.
If you are unhappy with the feedback on your CPD submission please contact the CPD Administrator.
I have extenuating circumstances and am not able to provide a CPD submission by the deadline
If extenuating circumstances leave you unable to provide a CPD submission by the deadline given (for example high workload, change of job, personal health or family circumstances), please contact the CPD Administrator as soon as possible to inform them of your situation.
It is usually possible to extend the deadline according to individual needs within reason. If you are having difficulties, please do not ignore our emails as you risk your membership and registrations being removed.
I did not provide a CPD submission and have been notified that my membership will be removed - how do I stop this?
Members selected as part of the annual CPD audit will be notified in November/December and have a minimum of 60 days to provide a CPD submission form before the deadline on 1 March. The CPD Administrator will send multiple reminder communications both within and after this period to encourage a members' response. This will include communication via email, phone and letter.
Should a member fail to respond by 31 May in the year of the audit, they will receive notification from IChemE's Chief Executive that their membership will be removed after 31 August. Any subscription fees already paid for that year are then forfeited. After this date members will have to go through the formal reinstatement process to regain their membership and registrations.
Members are encouraged to keep their contact details up to date via MyIChemE, and to make contact with the CPD Administrator at any time if there are extenuating circumstances preventing them from providing a CPD submission.