Helping you to be a Complete Technology Professional

Understanding the purpose of the Continuing Professional Development program

25, Jul, 2016

As a self-regulating association, members have an annual Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirement as part of their membership to help technology professionals promote the profession and to stay current with industry trends. We sat down with ASET’s Regulatory Compliance Officer, Melanie Leaf, to discuss some of the finer points about the CPD program.

ASET: What is the purpose of the CPD program?

Melanie Leaf: The purpose of the program is to ensure members are continuously working to improve themselves. This makes you much more valuable as an employee because it shows your commitment to maintaining and developing your proficiency and competence — which ultimately serves the public.

The CPD program only applies to you if you’re a regulated ASET member — specifically a C.Tech., C.E.T., R.E.T. or P.Tech member. Retired members, Students, T.T.’s and regulated members who are not actively practicing (and have submitted a Membership Status Change request form) are exempt from this requirement.

ASET: So what is required of members to fulfill their CPD requirement?

ML: Simply, you need to complete two CPD activities in the membership year. We have four categories of CPD: Formal Learning, Informal Learning, Peer and Professional Interaction and Contributions to the Profession. Each activity needs to be from a different category in order for CPD requirements to have been met.

One misconception about the CPD program is that the program requires additional costs or extra time away from work for members to complete their required CPD. The program is meant to be flexible while ensuring members are focused on their professional development.

ASET: How do I know if what I am doing qualifies for CPD?

ML: The best way to determine what will count as CPD is for members to ask themselves two questions: “Does this activity make me a better practitioner?” and “Does this activity advance the profession?” If you can make a case that the answer to either of these questions is “Yes,” then the activity qualifies as CPD.

For example, volunteering for an ASET committee counts as one activity under the Contributions to the Profession category, and reading a technical journal counts as a second activity under the Informal Activities category. It can really be that simple.

ASET: How does ASET monitor compliance with the CPD Program?

ML: Each year, three per cent of members who hold a C.Tech., C.E.T. or R.E.T. membership are randomly chosen for the annual audit, while 10 per cent of P.Tech. members are audited for compliance. To log your CPD for a given year, just log into the ASET website, and access the CPD log through the Members Dashboard.