Continuing Professional Development

Continuing Professional Development, or CPD, is defined as the systematic maintenance, improvement, and broadening of knowledge and skills.

It covers technical and professional topics and, as the name suggests, should be undertaken throughout one's working life and should continue beyond the attainment of a professional qualification.

Society members are encouraged to keep their own detailed record of CPD activity for their own benefit and can do so using our online tool ACCSYS.

CPD activities can be undertaken in the work-place or external to the work-place (for example, outreach and education, external training, site work, contributing to the activity of professional bodies etc).

The following list gives an indication of the broad range of activities that can be considered relevant to CPD:

• Acting as an expert – consultancy, professional projects, advisory work,
  expert witness, reviewing books or journal articles, strategy or policy
  development
• Assessing/evaluating – assessing outputs (e.g. project deliverables,
  coursework), marking exams, interviews, workplace assessments
• Attending professional events – conferences, forums, seminars,
  webinars, exhibitions, networking events, specialist groups
• Authoring – books, chapters, papers, articles, webpages, reports, tender
  documents (in full or part)
• Collaborating – working with other organisations, professional groups,
  secondments, committees, boards, steering groups, including
  international collaboration
• Contributing to professional events – actively contributing to
  conferences, forums, seminars, webinars, panel discussions, exhibitions,
  networking events, specialist groups
• Developing resources – best practice guidance notes, standard
  operating procedures, training resources (e.g. courses, lectures,
  seminars, webinars, podcasts)
• Formal learning – studying for a qualification (academic or professional)
  and related assessments
• Informal learning – reading, research, listening/viewing audio/audiovisual
  media (e.g. podcasts, recordings of events, training videos)
• Leading or supporting others – leading groups/ teams, mentoring,
  coaching, tutoring
• Leading professional events – chairing/leading/facilitating professional meetings, seminars, webinars or discussions
• Promoting and inspiring others – public outreach, press or media
  activity, being a champion/ ambassador (e.g. STEM Ambassador)
• Providing formal learning – giving lectures, running workshops/courses,
  presenting papers
• Researching – carrying out or supervising research/development
  activities
• Volunteering – for the Society a charity or within your community

• Workplace learning – being mentored, on-the-job training, work
  shadowing, practising new skills or work practices

   

These activities need to be in the field of meteorology or related fields - judgement on the applicability is made by the CE/CPD panel on a case-by-case basis.