Continuing professional development (CPD)
What is CPD?
CPD is an investment in yourself. It’s a career-long process of improvement, keeping your skills and knowledge up to date through development activities and then recording and reflecting on what you have gained or achieved.
All IOSH members can use our CPD programme, which sits in our new and enhanced Blueprint tool. Members will have received an email from blueprint@iosh.com with their access details. If you cannot find it, please send us a message with your membership number and we will resend the email.
CPD is mandatory for all Chartered Fellows, Chartered, Graduate and Technical Members, whose professional status depends on an up-to-date record. But we recommend all members take advantage of our CPD framework to keep their skills and knowledge fit-for-purpose and set them apart from other occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals.
To get the most from CPD, your learning activities should address your individual needs.
How IOSH CPD works
There are four stages in IOSH’s CPD process.
- Assess and plan
Use Blueprint’s self-assessment tool to assess your current knowledge and skills level and build your personal development plan (PDP) based on the results, your career stage and/or aspirations. - Learn
You can do this through a variety of CPD activities. Our Blueprint system will suggest development options, based on the outcome of your self-assessment. - Record
You should record each activity and the time it has taken. Technical, Graduate and Chartered Members and Chartered Fellows must complete and record 30 hours of CPD each year. - Apply and reflect
Capture what you have learnt and how you have put this into practice in reflective statements, which also identify any strengths or areas for further improvement to enable you to continually grow. This reflection will inform the next cycle of planning, action and reflection.
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How CPD benefits you
CPD enables you to:
- build confidence and credibility
- respond to change by keeping your skills and knowledge current
- meet your career goals by addressing gaps in your development
- create a professional impression at appraisals and job interviews
- maintain your skills and safeguard your professional status
- raise standards of health and safety in the workplace
- benefit from greater career choice and employment mobility.
What counts as CPD?
You’re probably already doing CPD without realising it! Below are just a few examples:
- meeting with colleagues to get a better understanding of a particular issue
- attending a webinar to fill a gap in your knowledge
- reading up on the latest developments in the profession
- shadowing colleagues to gain fresh insights and approaches.
You might find it helpful to think about your learning in three categories – knowledge, skills and personal development.
What resources does IOSH offer?
We offer an array of free resources to help you upskill.
- CPD resource library – provides nearly 1,000 resources all mapped to the competency framework. Hosted in Blueprint.
- IOSH Magazine – includes articles, opinion pieces and news updates on industry best practice and regulatory changes.
- IOSH Career Hub – packed with interactive tools and resources that focus on both business and softer skills.
- IOSH Mentoring – a safe, secure platform for you to connect and build relationships. Join as a mentee, a mentor or both.
- Our webinars – run by IOSH or our Branch and Group volunteers. These cover a wide range of OSH topics and give you the chance to network and ask questions.
- Technical resources – to help you upskill in many areas of health and safety.
- CPD courses – a fantastic way to keep your knowledge up to scratch, plus you’ll receive discounted prices as an IOSH member.
How do I update my CPD?
You can log in to our new and enhanced Blueprint at any time to update your CPD record.
All information is completely secure and none of your personal details are held.
Your access details for the new Blueprint CPD will have been emailed to you. If you cannot find your email, please send us a message with your membership number and we will resend it.
Find out more about ‘your CPD’, check out our CPD FAQs and visit the ‘Help’ section in the top-right corner of Blueprint. If you need further support, email our dedicated CPD Team or call them on +44 (0)116 257 3239.
Please note that later in 2023 we’ll be implementing the new IOSH membership grades. We will continue to communicate with members via email and publish full details closer to the launch date.