CPD Frequently Asked Questions

05-Jan-07

What is CPD?

Why is CPD important?

What do I need to do for my CPD?

What is a Professional Development Plan (PDP)?

How do I produce a PDP?

What counts as CPD?

How should I record my CPD activity?

Do I have to submit my CPD record?

What does the CPD Monitoring Process involve?

Who should I contact?

Who else can I contact about CPD?

What is CPD?

CPD is the means by which members of professional associations maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge and skills and develop the personal qualities required in their professional lives. The full Institute policy on CPD is outlined in the Supplementary Regulations to the Code of Professional Conduct (Annex A).

Why is CPD important?

Practicing as a Chartered Town Planner and using the designation MRTPI sends a signal to employers, clients and the public as the level of competence of the individual. It is therefore important to maintain this competence in line with changes in planning law, to the planning system, and to the individual’s role.

What do I need to do for my CPD?

The RTPI is not prescriptive as to the nature of the CPD activity, which will be unique to each individual. All members are required to produce and maintain a Professional Development Plan (PDP) and will generally undertake CPD activity in line with the objectives identified in this plan. All members are required to undertake 50 hours of CPD activity in each two year period. Members should also assess their CPD activity for relevance and usefulness.

What is a Professional Development Plan (PDP)?

A PDP is a document outlining your current situation, setting objectives, and identifying means of meeting these objectives. Your objectives might relate to maintaining and improving your competence in your current role, or to working towards a change of role or career direction. The means you identify of meeting these objectives will most likely reflect the CPD activity you pursue in the forthcoming weeks, months and years.

How do I produce a PDP?

Allow approximately 1 hour.

Step 1: Write down all the jobs you are expected to do in your current work, the areas you need to be knowledgeable about, the skills you need and the changes that are likely to occur in the next 2 years.
Step 2: Consider your short and longer-term ambitions and the timescale to achieve them.
Step 3: Start to consider and prioritise your development needs in the light of the above.
Step 4: Ensure that you have adequately considered your longer-term career development and the development of associated skills.
Step 5: List your CPD priorities for the next two years

With your completed PDP, you should then:

Step 6: Regularly review and update your PDP in line with changes in your current work and your future plans.
Step 7: Don't forget to clearly state the period to which your PDP relates.

What counts as CPD?

Professional development activity must represent the personal and professional aspirations set out in your professional development plan. This means that any professional development course, seminar and training event you attend is linked to your development plan. The activity needs to be assessed if possible beforehand to ensure that it aims to provide you with the tools, guidance, skills and competences you need to ensure that you are progressing in your current role, or working towards expanding your role or even entering into a new role.

The professional development plan should also be flexible enough to allow you to take advantage of the learning opportunities that arise throughout your working (and personal) life. Therefore, what counts as CPD for the purposes of your obligation to membership is defined by your development plan, your job description and the skills and competences needed to carry out your role and responsibilities. This means that when the Institute requires you to submit to the monitoring process your CPD activity that must reflect the nature of your role and how you intend to maintain and develop your skills and competencies.

The following provides some examples different types and methods of professional development activity:

Home-based learning (H)* - Private study, structured reading on particular themes or topics. Use of audio, video or multi-media resources and other distance-learning material.
Action-based learning (A)* - A systematic, structured approach to the solving of problems in the workplace.
Preparation of material (M)* - For courses, technical meetings or publication in the technical press.
Research (R)* - Supervised research.
Work based development (W)* - Background reading, research or preparation required to tackle a new area of work.
RTPI activities (P)* - Of a technical or professional nature.
Conferences (C)* - Conferences, seminars, workshops or other technical and professional events and meetings including in-house training.
Qualifications (Q)* - Courses leading to a qualification.

* Use letter to designate mode of CPD on your record

It is recommended that a mix of the above modes be used to give a wider learning experience. If your CPD record does show a very high proportion of one particular mode of activity then you should explain why.

How should I record my CPD activity?

The Institute does not prescribe a form for CPD records, preferring to allow members the flexibility to devise a format that best meets their own needs. However, the record must be legible and well presented and include the following:

a record of those activities that have helped improve competence and/or effectiveness in planning work;
an explanation of the benefit derived from each activity undertaken;
the date on which each activity was undertaken;
the nature of the activity (e.g. home-based reading, conference etc.);
the number of hours attributable to each activity;
the relationship between the CPD record and the PDP for the period covered.

Do I have to submit my CPD record?

The RTPI monitors Members CPD activity on a regular basis and those chosen to submit their CPD and PDP records are selected randomly from the members' database. It is important to remember that being chosen is not the end of the world. The Institute wishes to emphasise that embarking upon CPD activity should be part of Members daily life and is in any case a product of planners' normal duties and responsibilities. Members failing to comply with the monitoring process may be in breach of the Code of Professional Conduct and subject to investigation by the Conduct and Discipline Panel. This is often a last resort measure and the Institute is keen to ensure that the monitoring process is effective and efficient, and is seen as a service to Members.

What does the CPD Monitoring Process involve?

When selected for monitoring, Members will receive a letter from the CPD Monitoring Team (based at Asset Skills in Exeter) outlining the Institute's policy on CPD and a request to submit a professional development plan and a record of their CPD activity over the past two years. The letter will also provide a timescale for submission. Members who do not comply with this letter will receive another follow up letter with another timescale and a reminder that failure to respond to this letter may result in the Member being referred to the Conduct and Discipline Panel. Further information on the monitoring procedure and referrals to the Conduct and Discipline Panel will be available on the web in due course.

Who should I contact?

If you are being monitored and would like to contact the team please contact Christina Hirst, Head of CPD Monitoring, at:

CPD Monitoring

Asset Skills

2 The Courtyard

48 New North Road

Exeter EX4 4EP

Tel: 01392 428 111

Email: cpd@rtpi.eclipse.co.uk

The RTPI's Lifelong Learning Manager manages the CPD Monitoring Team.

Please note that the CPD Monitoring Team is not obliged to provide assistance to non-RTPI members or members of the public. All enquires relating to CPD, or any complaints about the monitoring process, should be directed to:

Lifelong Learning Manager

Membership Education and Lifelong Learning Department

41 Botolph Lane

London EC3R 8DL

Tel 020 7929 9487

Fax 020 7929 9491

e-mail lifelonglearning@rtpi.org.uk

Who else can I contact about CPD?

Most RTPI Regions & Nations have a CPD Co-ordinator who is familiar with the Institutes' CPD requirements and can offer detailed advice and assistance on the preparation of CPD records and PDPs. They can also offer free advice on material available in the area for CPD be it courses, distance learning material or library resources. Most Regions & Nations provide a programme of high quality low cost CPD events and are happy to receive members' ideas for future topics and offers to present! See the Regional Contacts page for local contacts.

CPD Activity can also be undertaken through RTPI Conferences. RTPI Conferences organise a diverse range of events from training courses to the very successful Season ticket conference series and the Cross Country Conference Series, which offers affordable training on a range of national issues at local level. They can be contacted at:

RTPI Conferences

4th Floor, North West Wing

Bush House

Aldwych
London WC2B 4PJ

Tel: 0845 120 9602

Fax 0845 120 9612

Website: www.hawksmereltd.co.uk/rtpi

Other useful websites for planning-related CPD include:

Planning Online: www.planning.haynet.com

DETR: www.dtlr.gov.uk

Planning Exchange through IDOX: www.idoxplc.com

Planning Summer School: www.planningsummerschool.org