CPD FAQs

CPD stands for continuing professional development. It is about maintaining and improving your skills, knowledge and expertise through development activities and then recording and reflecting on what you have achieved or gained.

CPD completion is mandatory for Technical Members, Graduate Members (which is changing its name to Certified when the new membership grades are implemented later in 2023), Chartered Members and Chartered Fellows. Affiliate and Student members are not required to complete CPD but are encouraged to use the programme.

We will support all members through their transition plan – the process of moving from the current to new member grades being implemented later in 2023 – to complete the required CPD. However, to maintain standards, there will be sanctions for members who do not maintain their CPD record. In the new, approved membership grades structure, Technical Members, Certified Members, Chartered Members and Chartered Fellows who do not complete the required CPD will revert to Affiliate Membership unless there are mitigating circumstances. This is because CPD is not mandatory for our Affiliate grade.

If you have extenuating circumstances that are preventing you from completing your CPD, please contact our CPD Team, so we can provide support and discuss the way ahead.

Our dedicated CPD team is available to guide and support you through your professional journey with IOSH. We provide guidance documents, workshops and a host of resources, including IOSH Magazine, CPD courses, webinars and technical guides.

You should start as soon as you join IOSH. CPD, as its name suggests, should be an ongoing process. Your CPD period runs to the same time period as your membership renewal date. 

You will only need to pay if you wish to take a specific training course or qualification. IOSH offers an array of free resources and guidance to help you upskill and on-the-job learning also counts towards your CPD.

We have the Recite Me tool within our CPD platform, Blueprint, which provides accessibility and language options.

Yes. IOSH will select a random sample of members to check they are maintaining their CPD to the expected standard on a quarterly basis. You will only be selected if CPD is mandatory for your grade.

Only in a positive way. As part of our work to enhance the way we support professional development, our CPD system in Blueprint is already aligned with our competency framework. CPD must be completed by members whose grades have a mandatory requirement of 30 hours per year. 

Implementing these changes requires major work to our internal systems and software. A two-phase launch allows members to start their professional journey by accessing our new and enhanced Blueprint in the first phase. They can carry out a self-assessment, identify any development areas and create a personal development plan to begin addressing any competency gaps. This means they will be fully prepared to move along their professional journey with the implementation of phase two later in 2023.  

The changes we are making provide a structured way for you to develop your competencies as an OSH professional and so improve your professional journey. You can use the new and enhanced Blueprint to identify any gaps in competencies and address them using our suite of resources, which will help you both grow and maintain your skills.

These four levels of proficiency are aligned to the competency framework. The levels correspond broadly with the levels of competency expected of IOSH members at different grades. 

“Understand” covers the professional learning needs of Student, Affiliate and Associate members of IOSH.  

“Implement” level is aimed at Technical members.  

“Lead” is a level that is applicable to Graduate members (changing its name to Certified later in 2023).

“Innovate” aligns with Chartered Members and Chartered Fellows.  

Ethical practice is extremely important for all OSH professionals in ensuring public trust and upholding the reputation of the profession. We are making this mandatory for our Chartered Members and Chartered Fellows, as we expect them to lead the profession by demonstrating the highest standards of professional conduct at work and in their dealings with the public. However, we encourage all members to take the assessment because we want ethical values to run through every level of the OSH profession.  

IOSH Chartered Members will continue to use CMIOSH after their name, while Certified Members can use the post-nominal CertIOSH. 

Yes. It should save you time and effort, as it provides relevant information, progress details, CPD, etc in one place. It is more easily accessible and relevant for members of all grades and nationalities.

Blueprint access is supported by Recite Me. Please click on the bottom right-hand corner of Blueprint to open the accessibility toolbar. Here, members can access tools to customise Blueprint to their individual needs. This includes changes to the font size and magnifier, screen reader and masking, coloured overlays and rulers plus additional language options.

We have closed the existing CPD platform on SkilSure. All members now need to maintain their CPD in Blueprint.

We've already set things up for you on Blueprint by importing your CPD record from November 2021 to November 2022. Now we’ve closed SkilSure, we will update Blueprint again with any records you have on there from November 2022 to 31 July 2023.

No. However, your development areas and personal development plan can be printed, including as a PDF.

ISO 27001 is an international standard on how to manage information security. CareShield, the developers of Blueprint, have formally committed to align with the security provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018, UK GDPR, ISO 27001 and maintain a valid Cyber Essentials certificate. 

By completing your self-assessment, you will be able to see which areas you need to work on and your strengths/weaknesses. Our Blueprint system can suggest IOSH CPD that may help you. You will then add relevant activities to your CPD record, to reflect on what you have achieved and what you have learnt.

The Blueprint self-assessment will take up to two hours to complete. This is a personal investment, so it’s important to work at your own pace and respond in a considered way to get the most out of it. 

If you want to ensure your competencies are up to date and relevant, you will need to identify your strengths as well as the areas you need to work on. The self-assessment tool helps you to do this. It’s based on the competency framework and allows you to take a structured approach to assessing your competencies, suggesting IOSH resources that can help you. Self-assessment is mandatory as CPD is mandatory for Technical, Graduate (which is changing its name to Certified later in 2023), Chartered Members and Chartered Fellows.

Self-assessment appropriately affects your practice, while the multiple-choice competency-based questions check your competence in a particular area. The self-assessment process enables you to reflect on your current skills to get a fuller picture of your all-round levels of proficiency in technical, core and behavioural competencies. The competency questions check your level of proficiency based on your selections in the self-assessment. Combined, these help you to identify areas that require either maintenance or further strengthening, according to your professional needs or career aspirations. It then directs you to the kinds of CPD activities you can take to attain the competencies at the correct level.  

The Blueprint self-assessment tool helps you to identify competencies that you wish to strengthen. You can use it to create a personal development plan that systematically guides you to reach the desired levels of proficiency in those competencies.  

The CPD record is your log of the activities that you have undertaken to attain these levels. 

You can retake the assessment if you don’t pass first time, but if you are having difficulties passing it, please email the Professional Development and Standards Team for assistance. The team is on hand to support your professional journey.  

The self-assessment and the gaps identified are only a guide. CPD is personal to you and an individual choice. However, the CPD identified in your personal development plan maps to the IOSH membership grades, so the more you complete the more beneficial it is for you.

The IOSH Code of Conduct commits members to the IOSH vision for a world of work that is safe, healthy and sustainable. It provides an ethical foundation for members working towards this vision and is part of your terms and conditions as a member.

The IOSH Ethical Practice in OSH e-learning and assessment provides members with up-to-date and relevant content on ethical considerations that affect organisations and the OSH profession in the widest sense.  

No. We launched a new competency framework in 2019 and no further changes have been made. This framework covers technical, core and behavioural competencies that IOSH considers essential for OSH professionals. These were based on extensive research with members and external organisations. 

Yes. All Technical, Graduate (changing to Certified in 2023) and Chartered Members and Chartered Fellows are required to complete IOSH CPD to maintain their membership status. Your CPD with other organisations may count towards your IOSH CPD if it fits the criteria.

Each unit of IOSH CPD in Blueprint has suggested timings built in. However, because everyone learns at a different pace, this is only a guide.  

We recognise that our members work in a broad range of industries and sectors and have taken different career paths to reach their current status or role. We also have a global membership base where skills and capabilities might be gathered, achieved or described in diverse ways. The self-assessment might not always perfectly reflect your skills and capabilities. In this instance, please choose the one that best reflects or describes your current practice and abilities. 

The self-assessment tool is available to all members and is mandatory for the following grades – TechIOSH, GradIOSH, CMIOSH and CFIOSH. You must complete the self-assessment once but can review it if you wish. You can do this at any time via the ‘reassess’ button in your personal development plan.

An important part of CPD is reflecting on what you have learnt and how you have put this into practice. You should capture this in reflective statements, which also identify any strengths or areas for further improvement or learning to enable you to continually grow. This reflection will inform the next cycle of planning, action and reflection.

Yes. If you wish to continue practising, you will need to maintain your CPD and IOSH Ethical Practice in OSH e-learning and assessment if they are a requirement of your grade. We’ll provide you with a transition plan and support you during the 12-month transition period when the new member grades are implemented.

No. Retired membership will continue as it stands today, and you will be recognised as a retired member who is no longer active with no requirement for CPD.

We have transitioned all members’ CPD to the new and enhanced Blueprint platform. We kept the existing SkilSure platform open for a limited time for members registered on the IPD scheme prior to 06 June 2023. This was to enable as many members as possible to finish the assessment stage and complete their CPD in preparation for their Peer Review Interviews. We have notified all members about this change via email.

Members who registered for IPD from 06 June 2023 onwards are directed to complete their CPD in Blueprint, so are not affected by this change.

Yes you can. IPD was paused between November 2022 and June 2023 because of changes we’re making to enhance our members’ professional journeys. Due to member demand, IPD resumed on 06 June 2023 and will continue until we are able to launch the new Professional Development Assessment route to Chartered membership. We will publish full details of the new route closer to launch.

All members on the IPD programme, irrespective of start date, will be required to complete their self-assessment and build their Personal Development Plan set against the new standard in Blueprint. 

If you’re a Graduate Member on your journey to Chartered status, or a Chartered Member looking to progress to Chartered Fellow, you’ll need to pass a CPD Review. This is to ensure you are investing in your learning and development for the next stage of membership.

We will conduct your CPD Review in the Blueprint platform after you complete the assessment stage. You will need to pass the review before you can sit your Peer Review Interview.

Take time to review your CPD in Blueprint and ensure you have:

• completed your self-assessment
• built a personal development plan (PDP) based on the areas of development highlighted in your self-assessment.

The process is administered by the Professional Development and Standards (PDS) team and undertaken by CPD co-ordinators. The co-ordinator will make a professional judgment as to whether your CPD record meets IOSH’s requirements. You will be informed of the outcome and will receive written feedback.   

You will need to update your record in accordance with the PDS team’s recommendations. You will be given guidance on what you need to do to meet the requirement and/or reach the quality level required and will be offered professional development support from the CPD co-ordinators.   

IOSH has legal responsibility under the Equality Act 2010 to ensure all members have fair and equal opportunity regarding access to our products and services, and that unlawful or unfair discrimination, whether direct or indirect, is eliminated. To meet this responsibility, individual reasonable adjustments are provided for those accessing our services and undertaking assessments. Read more about reasonable adjustments.

Being an IOSH mentor counts towards your CPD. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, or would like to know more about our programme, log on to the IOSH Mentor platform to register your interest.

We will be implementing IOSH’s new membership grades, along with self-serve, personalised journeys for upgrading your membership. We want to fully support you on your professional journey to ensure that your membership grade reflects your level of professional competence.

We have had to undertake a number of activities prior to launch. These have included a formal notification from the Privy Council to accept our proposals of the changes to our Byelaws and internal system changes. We have also carried out extensive new product development work to ensure we deliver a comprehensive, easy-to-use and fully accessible tool that will assist members on their professional journey.