What is CPD?
1. Introduction
The motions to empower the Council to make rules, regulations and guidelines for the implementation of a mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Scheme and to incorporate the CPD requirements as part of the Code of Professional Conduct were endorsed by the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on 21 December 1999. The Policy on CPD was subsequently brought into effect from 1 January 2000.
To facilitate Members to record their CPD activities, a record form is prepared and downloadable for reference. Members, except retired Members and full-time students, will be asked to indicate the total number of hours spent on CPD activities in that particular year on renewal of membership in the following year and may be requested to submit their record forms to the CPD Committee for vetting.
2. Broad Principles of CPD
Further to the EGM on 21 December 1999, the Council has also endorsed at its meeting on 28 December 1999 the broad principles of CPD as set out in the notes of the CPD forum held on 7 December 1999 which was circulated to Members for reference on 13 December 1999. The major points are summarized as follows:
• The CPD Committee consists of 1 Fellow Member, 2 Members who joined the Institute for 10 years or more, 2 Members who joined the Institute for less than 10 years and 2 Student Members who are not full-time students. No Council Members shall sit on the Committee.
• To ensure a fair and open system, the CPD Committee is a body independent from the Council of the Institute.
• As a measure to ensure that the implementation of the CPD Policy would be fair and open, an independent CPD Committee was set up and its Members would be elected at the AGM for a two-year term.
• The CPD Policy is implemented on the basis of trust and to a certain extent self-discipline. Only about 2-3% of Members will be required through annual random selection to submit their CPD records.
• Selected members, who do not make successful CPD submissions, will have their names and membership numbers to be posted under the banner of “Outstanding Submission” on the CPD webpage and their name to be published in the synopsis.
• The CPD Committee will issue reminder and warning letters to the member concerned to notify the member and try to arrange meeting with the member to discuss the way to help him/her to meet the CPD requirement. Upon fulfillment of the CPD requirement, the subject name and membership number will be removed from the CPD webpage.
• For the batch of 2009 or before, the CPD Committee will exercise discretion authority of not to publish the names and membership numbers of members with outstanding CPD hours if the members could complete 50 qualified CPD hours on or before 31 January 2011.
• Those Members who are selected to submit their record forms for a particular year and have complied with the CPD requirements will be awarded with a certificate for satisfactory compliance of CPD requirements and excluded from the annual random selection in the next two years.
3. Minimum CPD Requirements
All members of the Institute, except retired members and student members in full-time study, are required to undertake 25 hours of CPD activities in one year. There are three main categories for countable CPD hours, not less than 5 hours shall be spent on each category and for the category on personal development, a maximum of 12 hours limit has been set. As a general rule, Members should also take note that day-to-day work and job-related activity should not be counted towards CPD hours. The three main categories include:
(a) Education and Training (min. 5 hours)
Conferences;
Seminars;
Distance-learning courses;
Courses;
Supervised research;
Publication of technical papers, articles or books, etc;
(b) Professional Activities (min. 5 hours)
Technical tours;
Technical workshops;
Giving presentations, speeches, talks and lectures (other than required by one's job);
Public forums on planning issues;
Committee work of planning-related organizations, etc;
(c) Personal Development (min 5 hours and max. 12 hours)
Structured reading;
Self-guided research;
Activities in non-planning fields but contributing to personal skills which would enhance career or professional development as planners, etc.
Exemption from the CPD requirements may be granted to members only in special circumstances, such as temporary absence from the profession, full-time study, ill health, or personal reasons.
For further details, please refer to the CPD Guidelines at https://www.hkip.org.hk/en-forms-and-guidelines which is prepared by the CPD Committee.
4. Questions and Suggestions
In the meantime, if Members have any queries and suggestions on the CPD Policy and activities, please feel free to contact the CPD Committee at 2915 6212 or by email - hkiplann@netvigator.com
CPD Committee
First issue: 2000
Second revision: June 2006
This revision: August 2010
