Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Qualifying activities

  • All IFM seminars, conferences, training courses and technical meetings
  • Seminars, conferences, training courses, technical meeting and workshops organised by other professional bodies; universities, colleges, local authorities, relevant trade associations and other course providers
  • Relevant committees and working parties
  • Supervised research, normally within an academic establishment
  • Flexible open learning programmes and structured reading projects
  • In-house training / briefing sessions
  • Technical authorship or preparation of relevant lectures, training sessions or seminar papers

CPD framework

The content and subject area of your CPD activities should be relevant to your personal role, or professional development aims. Activities can be broadly grouped into three categories:

  • Fisheries Management
  • Environmental management and sustainable development
  • Personal skills and competencies (e.g. IT skills, Project management, etc)
  • A minimum of 50% of credits must come from activities directly related to fisheries management

Recording CPD

There is no fixed way of recording CPD so feel free to create your own record form if you wish. It is, however, recommended that you use one of the forms available here as a basis for your own record to ensure that all of the relevant information is captured.

The real value of CPD is obtained by taking a planned approach. By recording CPD intentions in the future, a review of actual CPD activity can help you draw up a structured personal plan for the following year. Missed opportunities or unsuccessful CPD can be revisited and a developing professional will make the best of opportunities ahead with this approach.

Our chartership umbrella body, SocEnv, requires regular audits of the IFM's CPD scheme in order to demonstrate that it is working effectively and that members are undertaking the CPD required of them to maintain chartered status. Members will be periodically requested to submit their CPD records for audit purposes.

Chartered members who do not submit their records when asked, or who fail to achieve the required number of CPD points for the period, will be asked to provide an explanation. If this explanation is deemed unsatisfactory then they will be referred to the Training Committee and may lose their chartered status.

  1. Download CPD Starter pack
    Word CPD Starter pack
  2. Download CPD record
    Excel CPD record

FAQ

What is CPD?

Continuing Professional Development is the way in which IFM members maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge and skills, and develop their personal qualities. Such activities demonstrate commitment to professional competence and development, and the maintenance of high standards.

Why CPD?

One of the Institute’s main roles, in common with most other professional bodies, is to develop, promote, monitor and control the quality and standards of practice of its membership.

As well as setting educational standards for the relevant professional qualifications, the Institute has an obligation to ensure that its members are up to date and developing on a continuous basis. The Institute believes that it can best satisfy that obligation with a scheme of CPD.

The Basis for the Scheme

The rules of the Institute contain a general requirement for full professional members (i.e. registered Members and Fellows) to follow a programme of CPD.The Institute of Fisheries Management first introduced a voluntary scheme during 2004.

Do other professions have CPD schemes?

Yes, most professional bodies have CPD schemes.

What do I have to do?

CPD is measured by credits. Credits are awarded for activities or attendance at events. For a detailed breakdown of events and number of credits awarded refer to the CPD Credit Table enclosed or on the website. Credits for IFM functions will appear in FISH magazine.

Members who take part in CPD should complete, and record, at least 60 credits of CPD activity over a two-year period.

What sort of activities counts towards CPD?

The Institute believes that the scheme should be as flexible as possible and therefore a wide variety of activities can be included. Research activities, attending seminars, courses or conferences, whether arranged in-house or externally, working on study groups, distance or open learning, structured reading or private study and taking part in training events can all be recorded for CPD purposes. Providing these activities are relevant either directly or indirectly, to fisheries management work, environmental management and sustainable development, or developing personal skills and competencies.

Why should I do CPD?

Firstly, the Institute’s own research has shown (Source: – Membership survey April 2001 – Anne Bowden Research Associates) that most of its members agree with the principle of CPD, and the vast majority are also probably achieving significant credits already.

The advantages of undertaking CPD are that it demonstrates the professional commitment of the individual, which is of assistance in career progression, and it strengthens the case for access to training and development on a structured and professional basis.

Will CPD cost me anything?

It should be quite possible to fulfil the CPD recommendation without incurring excessive personal cost, except perhaps for the expense of travelling to branch or national IFM activities. But as there are considerable personal, career and professional benefits to CPD, most members would regard any such costs as incidental.

What if I cannot get the time off for CPD?

Employers are encouraged to support CPD activities as it is to their benefit for employee’s skills and knowledge to be continually updated and developed.

However, CPD is not just about attending courses and seminars – the wide range of CPD opportunities should ensure flexibility for the individual who finds access to, or support for, conventional activities restricted.

Only senior colleagues ever get sent to conferences

Whilst this may be true, CPD provides a good argument for such nominations to be more selective and varied. Of course, anyone who has attended such an event should be encouraged to provide a briefing session for colleagues. This would provide CPD time for both the ‘presenter’ and all those attending the briefing session.

I read FISH magazine regularly. Does this count for CPD?

Such reading, which is largely unstructured and a normal professional activity, does not count towards CPD, but certain structured reading linked to a specific project could be recorded. For example, if you are researching for a project which involved a structured literature search through journals.

What happens if I do not achieve the required number of credits?

CPD is a voluntary scheme. However the Society for the Environment expects those who qualify for Chartered Environmentalist to undertake CPD as it is available through the IFM. Members who register for CPD but do not achieve the standard required will be asked to provide an explanation. If unresolved, they will be referred to the Committee. Members who do not complete CPD could be transferred to a less senior class of membership with the possible consequential loss of ‘Chartered Environmentalist’ title. A prospective employer is more likely to look favourably on an applicant for a job who has complied with the CPD scheme than one who has not.

What does the Institute provide to help me achieve CPD?

Attendance at many of the meetings and events organised by the Institute at both regional and national levels will form part of your CPD. Many of these, particularly local branch meetings only make a charge to cover costs of refreshments.

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Membership is open to anyone with an interest in fish and fisheries, their proper management and conservation. Benefits include training and qualification opportunities, events, publications, CPD, the Chartered Environmentalist qualification (C.Env), member discounts and more......

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