THE INSTITUTE of Measurement and Control considers professional development – the systematic acquiring, honing and maintaining of skills and abilities – to be the principal process that underpins members’ professional and technical competence and commitment.  Initial Professional Development (IPD) involves building this competence and commitment, and Continuing Professional Development (CPD)   involves sustaining it thereafter.

Professional development is critical where individuals are pursuing registration, with the Engineering Council UK, as Chartered Engineers, Incorporated Engineers, or Engineering Technicians.  Prospective registrants must not only demonstrate acceptable standards of competence and commitment but must also provide details of how these have been developed, i.e. through IPD, and how they will be maintained, i.e. through CPD.

Some individuals will have support from their employers for their IPD, principally by way of structured development programmes, and possibly also for their CPD.  It is apparent, however, that many individuals currently do not have ready access to such programmes.  They therefore need to manage their own professional development.  In this context, IPD that is self-managed must not be confused with IPD that is illustrated through the assembling, retrospectively, of examples drawn from experience.  Self-managed IPD embraces the conscious planning, reviewing and recording of development against specified objectives.  Retrospective illustrations of IPD invariably lack such clarity and tend to assume that ‘development’ is implicit in, or can be inferred from, the examples.  Although applicants have used the retrospective approach in the past, individuals are now strongly advised to follow the more structured approach of either employers’ programmes or self-managed schemes.

Professional development is primarily the responsibility of the individual, but the Institute recognises its obligation to support this.  The following guidelines, compatible with the ECUK’S current criteria for registration, have therefore been prepared  to assist members and prospective registrants:

• Your Initial Professional Development Planner and Record’ – for the guidance and use of those needing, or choosing, to manage their own IPD; and

• Continuing Professional Development… for You’ – for the guidance and use of  those seeking to demonstrate that they are maintaining their professional and technical competence and commitment.