Professional engineers are reminded that the onus on obtaining proof of having attained the annual Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Hours lie with the engineers themselves. As such it is imperative that the engineer keeps a good record of the activities that he/she may have had taken part in or shall be taking part in future, be it in the form of a hardcopy or in digital form. It is also to the benefit of engineers to acquire a thorough understanding of the concept of Continuing Professional Development and its implication to his/her professional career, especially on the prospects of enjoying continued recognition as a practising professional engineer by the Board of Engineers Malaysia.
This requirement for professional engineers to keep in pace with the development of the field in which the professional engineer is engaged in, is in line with a global trend requiring engineers to equip themselves with the latest developments in their engineering field of specialisation. To ignore these requirements is to the detriment of the engineer as far as renewing the certificate for continual professional practice is concerned. The best bet is to practice a good approach and that is to take an active part in activities organised by IEM or other CPD service providers. Becoming active members of IEM and its technical divisions is a good start. However, when in doubt, the most appropriate way out is to check with IEM about the CPD validity of the said activity, especially those not organised by IEM, before actually committing oneself to it, as the cost can be substantial in the event it is not CPD relevant.
In view of the bottom line being showing evidence of having acquired the total CPD Hours that the engineer maintain he/she has achieved for that particular year, keeping a list of the activities pursued is therefore recommended. First and foremost is recognising what activities constitute accumulation of CPD Hours.
CPD Hours has been pre-approved for most activities organised by IEM and the number of CPD Hours would be stated in brochures, announcements, leaflets, flyers, etc. Good examples of these are the regular technical visits, technical talks, short courses, conferences and seminars organised by the various Technical Divisions of IEM. Others are attending to engineering-related activities such as representing IEM in meetings, attending meetings as committee members, assisting to organise IEM activities, etc.
CPD Hours may also be allocated for seminars, conferences, short courses, workshops, etc. organised by other service providers or institutions of higher learning that have been approved to carry out CPD activities. The CPD Hours allocated would also be indicated in their respective brochures prior to commencement of the activity. These functions would have been earlier approved either by IEM or BEM.
Activities like writing of journal papers that have been published in respectable publications, books on engineering subjects, special research reports, specific standards of practice, courses leading to a higher degree, continuing education programmes, and activities in other disciplines but having a direct contribution to the development of the engineering profession are also accepted for clocking of CPD Hours.
It is this latter category that engineers should take note of. Keeping a copy of brochures, announcements, certificates, notes obtained or handouts and a certified document of having partaken in that activity is to the advantage of the engineer as these may be used to seek approval for CPD attainment later on, although not all may be recognised as having CPD equivalents. In an effort to help members to keep track of CPD achievements, IEM is initiating the following mechanisms for Approved CPD Activities organised by IEM only, and they are categorised as follows.