Is 30 hours of CPD easily reached?

30 hours from any of these, or an even spread? 30 hours doesn't sound very much at all, in my opinion. I certainly spend that much time on IET business alone!

tricky - companies such as mine don't /can't invest in training (affordability), don't generally support attendance at seminars etc, are not into academic stuff, which effectively leaves IET vounteering and self study as the only methods open in my individual case. That's going to be very lop-sided.



This is perhaps one reason why mandated CPD is going to be a challenge as companies have had a free ride so far, and aren't likely to change this attitude in the short term

Tim, they expect you to come preloaded with all the knowledge you will ever need in the job, or else spend your evenings in work-related CPD?

As a designer I'm constantly learning new tools, protocols, languages etc., but as my own boss I only make myself do half of it at home in the evenings.

It should be so easy for you Tim (and everyone).

The idea is, it would be enough for the most work active member to a retired member just keeping up to date with technology.



Training can incude learning from others, mentoring, being a mentee, project work, networking reading technical papers ... all of this is development!



Jump onto Career Manger 3 now and start populating it with your CPD, you'll soon see how quickly

it racks up and it will help you 'sell' yourself if required int the future :-)

Thank you for your replies so far.



Alex - we expect members to undertake a range of different types of CPD activities each year, but we don't stipulate an exact amount of each type required. We understand that members will naturally find what works best for them, is most readily available to them and most importantly delivers the CPD they need.



If you're starting to use Career Manager v3 (www.theiet.org/career-manager) to record your CPD, we welcome your feedback on the new functionality via our Career Manager discussion post.



Kind regards



Caroline Shipp

30 hours sounds more like a month than a year to me, and that is excluding IET volunteer time. I guess I'm lucky to be in a job that is consitently varied and requires me to study new tools, chips & protocols most evenings. If somebody is struggling to list 30 hours in a year, it must be a pretty dull job?

In the past I (Career Manager V2 & earlier) I never recorded "CPD" only the specific training or seminars that I attended.  30 hours a year was OK for this some years (but not all.)  The organisattion I work for does sponsor and pay towards training.



With the onset of Carrer Manager 3 I had some issues with the migration (which IET Stevenage assisted with) but once I got into it I have found that it is much more flexible and open to record the many different types of CPD that all of us actually do.



I think that if anyone has a difficulty achieving 30 hours, then they might be surprised at how many activities actually count as CPD.  Alex is right about IET local network activities.  Just broadening the mind and attending some of these each year can add 10 Hours without difficulty (and if you volunteer to help the local network, even more hours).



Many of us have never previously considered activities at work as CPD. The other day I had to spend a few hours on the internet and reading scientific papers so I could advise properly about some potential interactions between some devices.  This was something I do quite often, filing in a knowledge gap, and   I realised that this is "self-study" CPD.  That would be the same if I was learning about a new chip by reading the data sheet and application notes and then working out how it would work for a new design.



Another common scenario is when your manager needs you to cover for him at a meeting.  Suddenly you need to find out what is due for discussion and then you are attending, often with new people, different ideas and a whole new perspective.  It makes you understand more and is CPD because you are further developed.



As engineers we spend a good proportion of our time expanding our knowledge and experience. It's all potential CPD.  When you look at these areas and don't constrain it to specific training courses, then 30 hours is relatively easy to achieve. 

Dear All,



I think the points above, especially from Ian and Alex conclude that 30 hours a year should not be a problem for most people.  Using/promulgating the suggested categories Caroline mentions plus examples that Ian and Alex mention should make this feel more comfortable to those who otherwise might be put off.



As I have said before on various occasions, I believe the IET will be seen as a stronger, more professional outfit if we are seen to do and record formal CPD like many other professions.  This should attract members (rather than lose them) and employers should also value the IET and its/their members more as a result.



That said, some people will still struggle to complete 30 hours a year, every year.  Can I suggest that for some, a waiver can be given if they are low in one year, providing they catch up in the following year.  Perhaps this could best be described as having a 30 hours per year target averaged over say 3 years.  I use my profession as an example, being in the military - I could be on an operational tour eg in Afghanistan for 6 months with little opportunity for CPD but readily able to catch up over the next 24 months.



Richard

Richard, I'm sure 6 months in Afghanistan gives rise to huge personal development! I guess this doesn't count for CPD.

I think for most working people 30 CPD is reasonable so long as it encompasses a broad range of type, including self study and attendence at 'talks', as equal.  Insisting on formal training would eliminate many people as employers tend to be loathe to to deliver much by way of training to most employees.  As Alex mentioned employers seem to think that you should come with all the knowledge and experience you need to do your job then fill in any gaps or new development yourself in your own time andf at your own expense.