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Category 1 CPD is the structured, developmental type of continuing professional development, such as validated courses, seminars, workshops and conferences, that some South African professional councils require in every cycle. Verifiable CPD is any learning you can prove with evidence, such as a certificate, an attendance register or an assessment result. Your own council sets the categories, the points or hours and the length of the cycle, and practical short courses such as BOTI’s corporate training programmes and short courses can add evidence to your CPD record.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a requirement for most registered professionals in South Africa, including healthcare practitioners, engineers, teachers, social workers, architects, attorneys and accountants. The professional body that registers you sets the CPD programme you must follow. In fields such as healthcare, where public safety is directly at stake, compliance is closely monitored.
What is CPD?
A Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme helps professionals keep developing their professional and academic skills after their first qualification and training. You record the learning you complete, and the governing body you are registered with checks and verifies that record.
The importance of CPD
Technology, regulations and work processes keep changing. CPD makes sure professionals update their skills and knowledge regularly, so that they keep serving clients and communities to a high standard. For example, would you trust an engineer who qualified ten years ago, and has not kept up with new methods and materials, to design a modern bridge? CPD exists to close that gap.
Is the CPD Process Compulsory for Professionals?
Most professional governing bodies make CPD compulsory. In many professions, renewing your registration or licence to practise depends on meeting the CPD requirements. The main purpose of a CPD programme is to protect the public and support a high level of service. It also protects professionals and employers, because it keeps expertise current with developments in the field.
How does one become CPD Compliant?
The conditions for compliance differ widely from one professional governing body to another.
Each governing body has its own rules on how CPD points, credits or hours must be earned and recorded.
What do “Category 1 CPD” and “verifiable CPD” mean?
Two terms cause the most confusion when professionals plan their CPD year: categories and verifiability.
- Category 1 CPD: some councils, mainly in engineering and the built environment, group CPD activities into categories. Category 1 is usually the developmental category. It covers structured learning such as courses, seminars, workshops and conferences that the council has validated. A Category 1 credit only counts if the activity was validated and the council recognises its credits.
- Other categories: these usually cover work-based activities, such as the professional work you do, and individual activities, such as mentoring, publishing or committee work.
- Verifiable CPD: learning you can prove with evidence, such as a certificate of attendance, a signed register, an assessment result or a record of hours. The learning must also be relevant to your professional work.
- Non-verifiable CPD: self-directed learning, such as reading journals or watching technical videos, that you record yourself. Some schemes accept it, but usually only up to a limit.
Whatever your profession, keep your evidence together as you go: the certificate, the course outline, the date and the number of hours. That makes a CPD audit far easier to pass.
Below is a general guide to CPD requirements in the main professions. The figures have been published by the relevant councils in the past. Requirements change, so always confirm the current rules in your council’s CPD policy before you plan your cycle.
Teachers
CPD for registered educators
Registered educators earn professional development (PD) points over a three-year cycle. The educators’ council has set this at 150 PD points every three years. Check its current handbook for the latest requirement.
Engineers
CPD for registered engineering professionals
Registered engineering professionals have generally been required to earn 25 CPD credits over a five-year registration cycle. These credits are spread across three categories of activity, with credits in at least two categories and at least one credit in Category 1. If you plan to attend a Category 1 activity, first make sure the council has validated it and will recognise the credits.
Accountants
CPD for chartered accountants
Chartered accountants have been required to complete 120 CPD hours over a rolling three-year cycle. Of these, at least 60 hours must be verifiable, and at least 20 hours must be completed each year. Confirm the current requirement with your institute.
Architects
CPD for registered architectural professionals
Registered architectural professionals have generally been required to earn at least 25 CPD credits in each five-year registration cycle. At least 3 credits must be earned in any one year of the cycle, and at least 1 Category 1 credit must be earned each year.
Lawyers
CPD for attorneys
Attorneys’ CPD has been set by years in practice, with credits earned over a three-year cycle:
- 72 credits if they have been practising for less than six years;
- 54 credits if they have been practising for six to 12 years; and
- 36 credits if they have been practising for more than 12 years.
Attorneys must also obtain a minimum of three credits in every year of the cycle. Legal practitioner CPD rules have been revised over time, so confirm the current requirement with your regulator.
Health Care Professionals
CPD for registered health practitioners
Health practitioners must earn a set number of CPD points, or continuing education units, in each cycle. This includes a portion on ethics, human rights and health law. Practitioners who do not have the required points may be selected for a CPD audit, after which their professional board may take action. Check your board’s current guidelines for the exact number of points.
How can professionals benefit from CPD?
- Keeps knowledge up to date and in line with new technologies.
- Raises the standard of service delivery.
- Keeps professional credentials current.
- Opens up more employment opportunities.
- Makes it easier to take advantage of new business opportunities.
- Builds professional standing with clients and employers.
How is CPD calculated?
Some professional governing bodies measure CPD in points or credits, while others count hours. Professionals usually need a set number over a cycle of one to five years, often with a minimum each year and sometimes with a set share for ethics. Here is a simple example. If your cycle requires 30 general points and each activity you attend earns 3 points, you need ten such activities over the cycle, plus any ethics points the scheme requires.
CPD Hours
Where a governing body measures compliance in hours, one CPD hour usually means 60 minutes of structured learning. That could be a one-hour lecture or several shorter online sessions that add up to an hour. A two-day face-to-face course therefore represents a substantial block of hours, as long as your body accepts the topic as relevant.
Does a CPD course require a written exam?
It depends on the format and on your governing body. Many online CPD activities end with a short multiple-choice test, often with a pass mark in the region of 70%, set by the provider or the council. Face-to-face courses usually do not need an exam. You verify your attendance by signing the attendance register and keeping your certificate. Non-verifiable CPD, where accepted, needs no test at all, only your own record.
Short Courses can help you obtain CPD points
Even if you are an architect, engineer, accountant or health practitioner, you may need skills outside your technical field, such as management and leadership, business finance, project management or computer skills. BOTI does not run a dedicated CPD programme for any professional council, and only your council can decide whether a course counts towards your CPD. What BOTI does offer is practical short courses with a certificate of attendance and a course outline that you can keep as evidence.
Options professionals often choose include Finance for Non-Financial Managers Training, Project Management Fundamentals, Business Ethics Training and Microsoft Excel Beginners to Advanced. You can browse more in BOTI’s leadership and management courses and Microsoft Office and computer skills courses. To arrange training for a group, request a quote.
Frequently asked questions
What is Category 1 CPD?
Category 1 CPD is the developmental category used by some South African professional councils, mainly in engineering and the built environment. It usually covers structured learning such as courses, seminars, workshops and conferences that the council has validated. Credits only count if the activity was validated and the council recognises them, so check before you book.
What does verifiable CPD mean?
Verifiable CPD is learning you can prove with evidence, such as a certificate, an attendance register, an assessment result or a record of hours, and that is relevant to your work. Non-verifiable CPD, such as self-directed reading, may also count in some schemes, but usually only up to a limit.
How many CPD points do I need in South Africa?
It depends on your professional body. Some measure points or credits and others measure hours, usually over a cycle of one to five years and often with a minimum each year. Your council’s current CPD policy is the only reliable source for the number you need.
Can BOTI short courses count towards my CPD?
Only your professional council can decide whether a course counts towards your CPD. BOTI delegates receive a certificate of attendance and can ask for the course outline, which you can submit as evidence of verifiable learning if your council accepts the topic.
Can I do continuing professional development online?
Many professional bodies accept online CPD, including live online courses, as long as the activity is relevant and you keep evidence of attendance or completion. BOTI runs its short courses in-house, at its venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or live online.
Many professionals need management skills alongside their technical CPD. BOTI’s Management and Leadership Development Training is a 2-day course on leading people, planning work and making decisions as a manager. Training runs in-house at your premises, at BOTI’s venue in Sunningdale, Johannesburg, or live online. Call BOTI on 011 882 8853 or email [email protected]. This course is not accredited. It is delivered as a professional skills programme, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.