Continuing professional development

What is CPD?

IPMA describes CPD as a personal commitment made by a project professional to:

• keep up to date with trends;
• expand professional capabilities;
• improve job performance by learning new information, skills, attitudes and behaviours using various sources and approaches, and applying them in their professional career; and
• prepare for professional IPMA certification and re-certification.

Certificate holders are expected to evidence a minimum of 35 hours of CPD per year to support re-certification.

Why is CPD important?

It is good practice to keep a CPD log at all times. For certificate holders it is part of the requirement for re-certification and must meet the following criteria:

• a minimum of 35 hours annually;
• related to project, programme or portfolio management;
• covering more than one activity;
• supported by proof; and
• explained by statements on how the CPD was applied or learnt from.

What are the benefits?

• Your project management competencies keep pace with current standards in project management.
• You maintain and enhance the competencies you need to deliver to your customers, clients and the community.
• You stay relevant and up to date with the changing trends and directions in the project profession.
• You can continually up-skill or re-skill yourself, regardless of your occupation, age or educational level.
• You continue to make a meaningful contribution to your team, helping you move into positions where you can lead, influence, coach and mentor others.
• You gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be a project professional, with a greater appreciation of the implications for the profession.
• You help advance the body of knowledge within the profession by sharing good practices and case studies.
• You increase public confidence in project professionals and in the profession as a whole.
• You stay interested — and interesting.

The IPMA CPD scheme

IPMA has developed a scheme with a set of formal and non-formal activities for determining CPD hours. IPMA Australia can provide a CPD log template for certificate holders on request — simply email us and we will send it to you.