At the latest Engineering Council Board meeting, on 15 June 2017, Trustees approved an updated Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Policy Statement and an updated CPD Guidance Note. This is a significant milestone in the work of the Professional Development Steering Group, chaired by Board Member Rob Smith CEng FIMechE.

The Policy Statement highlights CPD sampling, which is now undertaken each year by the 35 licensed professional engineering institutions in order to provide feedback and guidance to their professionally registered members. Recording evidence of CPD undertaken is a requirement of professional registration and by January 2019 at the latest, it will be mandatory for professionally registered engineers and technicians to submit their CPD record to their institution when requested as part of a sample. Some institutions have already taken this step for their members. This approach encourages a culture in which members will naturally engage in CPD and take ownership of their own learning and development.

The updated Guidance Note includes advice and good practice for institutions on sampling CPD records and related topics. The Policy Statement has been published on the website and can be viewed alongside the CPD Code for Registrants at engc.org.uk/cpd. The Guidance Note is available to institutions on the Engineering Council extranet.