Thu, 08 October, 2026
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is an important part of maintaining and developing professional competence. For CSWIP and BGAS-CSWIP certificate holders, it also forms an essential part of the renewal and recertification process.
But what actually counts as good CPD?
It is a question we regularly hear from certificate holders. Whether you are new to recording CPD or have been maintaining your professional development for many years, it can sometimes be difficult to know what information to include, how much detail is needed, and what makes a CPD record useful.
In a previous article, we looked at “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” of CPD, highlighting some examples of CPD records and explaining what makes a submission effective.
This time, we're taking another look at the subject, focusing on some of the practical things to consider when recording your own CPD.
How to achieve CPD
Professional development can be achieved in any of the following ways, depending on your personal circumstances, learning style and opportunities available to you:
- Private Study: Such as distance learning, Open University, Writing papers, Reading, Research on the internet/journals etc.
- Short Courses: Attendance at short courses, seminars and presentations
- Attending Conferences, symposia and exhibitions
- Additional Study: Learning foreign languages, new computer skills etc.
- Membership of a professional body
- Meeting (non-social): Attendance at branch or technical meetings/webinars
- Further Education Studies
- Imparting knowledge: Making presentations, preparation of papers accepted for conferences/publications, coaching/teaching/lecturing
Five things to remember when recording your CPD
When maintaining your CPD record, there are five important points to keep in mind:
- Record clear dates
CPD submitted for renewal or recertification must cover the required five-year period. Where CPD takes place over multiple days, the full date range should be shown. For example, a week-long training course could be recorded as 05/10/2026–09/10/2026.
- Name the activity accurately
The activity name should clearly identify what you did.
- Explain what you gained
Include enough information to demonstrate what you learned or gained from the activity and how it relates to your professional development and/or certification.
- Record accurate hours
The hours claimed should accurately represent the time spent undertaking the activity.
- Keep your activities relevant and varied
Your CPD should reflect a range of relevant professional development activities rather than relying solely on activities such as on-the-job training or reading technical documents.
Keep it clear, relevant and accurate
Recording CPD doesn't need to be a complicated process. The most important thing is to make sure your record clearly demonstrates what you did, when you did it, how long it took, and what you gained from it.
By keeping your CPD record up to date throughout the certification period, you can avoid the need to reconstruct your professional development activities when it is time to renew or recertify.
For further information about CPD requirements and recording your CPD, please visit the CSWIP website.