Our upcoming survey will benchmark trends in the sector

In our triennial International Benchmarking Survey in 2009, we identified a growing trend of professional bodies adopting compulsory CPD, sometimes prompted by the introduction of regulatory legislation but often as a result of a belief that CPD is an inherent aspect of professionalism.

Of all the professional bodies that had an official CPD policy, 35% had a compulsory CPD policy, whereby CPD is monitored and sanctions are in place for non-compliance. A further 24% had an obligatory policy, whereby CPD is required, though there is no monitoring or system of sanctions. Another 15% had some kind of mixed policy, entailing elements of compulsory, obligatory or voluntary CPD for certain grades of membership.

Compulsory CPD requires professional bodies to measure their members’ activity, but organisations can do this in different ways. How does your organisation measure CPD and how does this compare to others?  In 2009, 35% of professional bodies used input measures (such as how much time is spent doing CPD), 21% used output measures (such as evidence of development resulting from CPD), 25% used a combination of the two, and 19% had no formal measurement at all. We found that bodies with compulsory CPD policies were more likely to use input-based measures, probably since these are likely to be simpler to implement and explain to members as well as more objective and transparent.

Will these trends continue in 2012, will more professional bodies make the move towards compulsory CPD? Or will we see a decline of the use of sanctions if members are failing to comply or opting to leave the body if there is no legal obligation to be a member? Will the need for measurement increase as professionals feel a greater onus to objectively prove their professional development in the current economic climate?

Last chance to take part!

If you haven't already completed our survey, you still have until 31 January 2013 to respond!

By doing so, you'll get a free copy of a new and improved benchmarking report (RRP £150) which compares your professional body to all other professional bodies that respond.

Also new for this time around, all organisations that complete the survey will also be entered into a prizedraw for a free place on any of our ten Training Courses - a value of £295 - £350! We'll be randomly selecting three organisations as winners.

In addition, our Training Courses will be updated to include this new research data.

If you'd like your professional body to take part, contact us for your login details:

• Email Natasha Afitska in our Research Team
• Call us on 0117 929 4515

Posted on 03 Jan 2013