What is CPD?
CPD is how professional geologists and Earth scientists keep their skills and knowledge up to date. As well as broadening what you know, it gives assurance to your employers, clients and the wider public that you are professionally competent.
Recording CPD is mandatory for all Chartered Fellows (CGeol, CSci and EurGeol) and for Fellows working towards Chartership. It is strongly advised for any other Fellow who is professionally active. Reduced requirements apply in retirement and in some other circumstances.
Plan → Act → Reflect
Our CPD scheme is a cycle. You set goals for the year, carry out activities, and then reflect on what you learned and what you will do next.
A complete record has four parts:
- A five-year Career Aspiration Plan
- An annual CPD plan
- A record of your activities through the year
- An annual reflection
The CPD logbook contains a worked example of all four.
What counts as CPD?
CPD records learning, not time at work. If you already knew how to do something, it is not CPD, however long it took.
Not sure whether an activity counts? Ask yourself two questions:
- Does it improve my skills, knowledge or competence relevant to my work?
- Does it contribute to my career development or personal development plan?
If either answer is yes, record it.
Activities are grouped into six categories:
- On-the-Job Learning — training at work, and project work that stretches you
- Professional practice — mentoring, committee work, peer review, presenting
- Formal learning — courses and programmes with a set curriculum
- Informal learning — lectures, technical meetings, toolbox talks, secondments
- Self-directed study — reading, research, private study, being mentored
- Other — volunteering, outreach, business and transferable skills
The CPD Mind Map shows the full range of activities in each category. Table 1 in the CPD guidance lists common activities with the category each belongs to.
If you are in full-time employment you should record at least 90 hours a year, of which at least 30 must be On-the-Job Learning and 30 must be career development outside On-the-Job. The rest should be spread across at least two of the other five categories.
Different minimums apply if you work part-time, are on extended leave, or are retired. The CPD Guidance document and the CPD Regulations (FP/13) set out the exact hours for each working pattern.
We know working patterns change, and CPD targets don't always fit neatly around that. If you're retired, temporarily out of work, or facing any other circumstances that make the usual hours hard to meet, get in touch. We're happy to talk through what's realistic for you, and in some cases, such as extended leave, we can agree a reduced rate in advance. Contact us on membership@geolsoc.org.uk.
See the CPD Guidance document and the CPD Regulations for the full requirements.
You can record your CPD however you like, as long as the record meets the Society's guidelines.
The GSL logbook is the simplest place to start. It is an Excel workbook with a tab for each year, built-in category totals, guidance, and a worked example of a compliant record.
Download the CPD logbook
Your own or your company's template is equally acceptable. If you record this way, check your record against the CPD guidance first. It must still include the plan, the activities, the annual reflection and a summary of hours by category.
MyGSL also has a CPD area, which existing Chartered Fellows may prefer if they are already using it. It is not linked to the Chartership application and cannot produce a downloadable report, so Chartership candidates should use the logbook or their own template instead.
Full instructions on what a compliant record must contain are in the CPD guidance.
A record covering at least your last three years of CPD must be submitted with your application, and those three years must be the most recent three, including the current or most recently completed year.
Please use the downloadable logbook or your own template. Work on the MyGSL CPD area is still ongoing, so it should not be used for a Chartership application.
There is a separate CPD upload field on the application form. You can upload in any format, provided the record follows the plan, act, reflect approach and meets the guidelines.
Supporting evidence is not required with your application. Keep it, though, as assessors may ask to see it.
You are likely to be asked about your CPD at interview, so be ready to talk about recent activities and your plans for the year ahead.
If you are applying for Chartership with the Geological Society, a record of CPD activities for at least the last three years must be included with your application in the CPD section of the application. (CPD Supporting Documents are not required unless requested by the Assessors).
The record may be produced using the Society’s online system – although a company scheme records, or your own spreadsheet, is acceptable provided it meets the the Geological Society CPD scheme criteria. Note that all CPD must demonstrate learning. It is not intended to capture routine day-to-day professional practice activity.
Below are some top tips for planning your CPD and for completing your CPD records from Chartership Assessors - by David Lawton, BSc MSc CGeol FGS:
- Your CPD is key to demonstrating how you as a professional geoscientist maintain and develop the standards of technical and professional competence required for your work and for your selected field of competency.
- As well as broadening your own knowledge, CPD gives assurance to your employers, clients, partners, peers and to society in general, that you as a Chartered person are professionally competent.
- Your CPD record is primarily your record. It is not just for the assessors or the Chartership team. It should not be viewed as something just for your Chartership application, but it will need to be continued in the years to come. Keeping CPD records is a requirement of maintaining your chartered status.
- CPD helps you steer and monitor your own training and personal development. It should demonstrate that you have planned your training needs for the year, then acted on the plan and finally reflected on the learning outcomes on what you have achieved and what impact this might have on your professional work (plan → act → reflect).
- Activities recorded should address across the chartership competencies and will also reflect the stage of your career progression. It should include a range of activities (not just geoscience learnings) but also things like industry awareness, technology developments, business skills, management skills, HS&E learnings, coaching and mentoring.
- It should include any mandatory training, certification or recertification that is required as part of your professional role.
- For On-the-Job entries, record things that are new to you. Learning a new area or stratigraphy, taking the lead on a project, using a new evaluation technique, or presenting at a project meeting or conference.
- Keep your record up to date wherever you choose to store it, whether that is the Society's logbook, a company scheme or your own spreadsheet. Recording activities while they are fresh gives a far better record than reconstructing the year later.
- Expect to be questioned on your CPD and your future plans at interview, so be ready to talk about both.
- Society training courses and thematic conferences all count towards your CPD.
Each year a number of Chartered Geologists, Chartered Scientists and European Geologists are selected for a CPD audit, to check that records are being maintained. If you are selected, you will be asked to provide a written account of your CPD activities.
Chartered Fellows who do not engage with and complete their CPD annually risk having their Chartered or EurGeol status rescinded.
Links and Downloads
