Continuous professional development (CPD) is now mandatory for 50% of members of professional bodies in the UK, according to a recent survey.
Based on responses from 19 professional bodies, the research found that there was only a slight rise in the number of bodies that make CPD mandatory for members since the previous survey in 2006.
“There continues to be a sense among those professional bodies that do not intend to make CPD mandatory that this goes against the ethos of their profession,” said David Hill chairman of survey organiser and e-learning specialist Echelon.
It found that 25% of responding bodies measure CPD by the number of hours spent on it, while 42% used other means – largely outputs such as completed units. One in five respondents don’t measure CPD at all.
Half of those surveyed said they applied sanctions for failing to complete CPD tasks, with two-thirds including suspension as an option. More bodies (92%) now offer web-based CPD access, up 6% on 2006.
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Echelon contacted 130 bodies in July and 19 (15%) completed the electronic questionnaires. These are believed to include the CIPD, the Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Institute of Civil Engineers, although Echelon would not confirm this.
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