In 2022, ICE will for the first time publish CPD topics that members should address, including safety-based subjects, in response to the In Plain Sight report.
In 2022, ICE will for the first time publish CPD topics that members should address, including safety-based subjects, in response to the In Plain Sight report.
ICE is launching a new CPD framework that includes topics that should be covered as part of professionally qualified members’ continuing professional development (CPD).
While there are established rules that ICE members are required to do CPD, this will be the first time that the institution will publish a framework of professional development topics that members will be asked to complete.
The framework has been developed by the ICE Professional Panel, which has the responsibility for providing all members with standards, policies and procedures that enhance the understanding of civil engineers’ knowledge, skills and professionalism.
Enforcement of the framework will be considered by ICE from 2023, and approached according to the industry’s needs as a profession and obligations to society.
How will the CPD framework affect ICE members?
The CPD framework will include a set of ‘core’ topics relevant to all members, and in addition discipline-specific topics that members may choose from when providing evidence for their CPD record for the year.
The initial discipline specific fields covered in 2022 will be Structures and Buildings, Geotechnical and Ground Engineering, Transport, Water and Sewage and Maritime.
These fields have been selected as they reflect the most common topics considered at the Professional Review.
ICE will collect feedback and monitor engagement throughout 2022. Any changes and refinements resulting from this feedback will be added iteratively to the topics and fields.
The framework is relevant to all qualified members, including Chartered Engineers, Incorporated Engineers and Engineering Technicians, though not all topics apply to all sectors or grades.
Why is ICE introducing a CPD framework?
In 2018, ICE published the In Plain Sight report, which recommended a greater emphasis on safety measures, including mandatory risk-related topics, as part of the membership’s CPD.
In 2020, the UK government also issued a report into building safety, Setting the Bar, which recommended that the industry: ‘Mandate continuing professional development.’
ICE’s new CPD framework is a response to both of these reports, but also contains topics that reflect the other key issues for the civil engineering profession, such as climate change and productivity.
How do members access the topics and how will they be assessed?
Throughout 2022, ICE will be publishing the CPD framework on ice.org.uk, with resources being free to all members. Members have been strongly advised to address the recommended topics.
Topics will consist of a combination of generic CPD topics and topics specific to certain fields of engineering. ICE will provide ongoing explanations for why it believes the key topics are essential to members’ professional development.
