Council Examines CPD Implementation Plan
At its June 23 meeting, APEGBC Council examined revisions to the proposed Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Guidelines and is now exploring the implementation plan for mandatory CPD.
It is recognized that mandatory CPD is a significant change to past practices within the Association; however, Council is motivated to remain accountable to government so that the engineering and geoscience professions continue to enjoy their privilege of self-regulation. Engineering and geoscience are among the few professions in BC that do not have mandatory CPD programs in place.
CPD continues to remain a high priority within Council and the Association. As such, Council created a working group of Councillors to explore the implementation process; the group comprises Janet Benjamin, P.Eng., Lee Failing, P.Eng., Philippe Kruchten, P.Eng., and Margaret Li, P.Eng. supported by Janet Sinclair, Associate Director, Member Services .
In order to introduce a bylaw vote on mandatory CPD, APEGBC requires an amendment to the Engineers and Geoscientists Act. Presently, an act change for APEGBC is not on the BC government’s legislative agenda, giving the working group an opportunity to explore several options for implementing mandatory CPD.
As a result of previous Innovation articles and information sessions for members on this topic over the past year, APEGBC received feedback from approximately 600 members on the proposed CPD Guidelines and the initiative to implement a mandatory CPD program. While members had varying opinions on what CPD should look like in the future, the general consensus is that ongoing professional development is a necessary part of maintaining professional competence. It is the Association’s responsibility to demonstrate to the government and the public that its members are doing what is required to stay current in their professions.
Throughout this year President Bob Ito, P.Eng., during his Branch visits across the province, made presentations emphasizing the numerous benefits of CPD. Advantages include promotion of excellence in engineering and geoscience, contribution to professional knowledge, enhanced and/or expanded domain of practice, improved marketability, facilitated practice mobility and enhanced professional image.
Furthermore, CPD results in decreased liability/discipline exposure. Practice review outcomes indicate a correlation between practice issues and members who are not current with CPD.
APEGBC Code of Ethics tenets 2 and 6 clearly outline the requirement for qualifications and competence. The CPD Guidelines offer members a source of information and recommendations for ongoing competency.
It should be noted that CPD can take many forms and is not limited strictly to delivery via post-secondary education institutions. In fact, many members are likely already completing CPD by reading trade journals or making presentations in the community.
More information about the CPD program is available at www.apeg.bc.ca/prodev.html.