print
this page Get Ready! – Mandatory Continuing Professional Development starts January 1, 2006 By Wayne Caston, P.Geo., MCIP, RPP, With the completion of the yearlong voluntary phase on December 31st, mandatory Continuing Professional Development, or CPD, commences on the first day of January, 2006, for all Practising and Limited Members of APGO. To support our members as mandatory CPD is implemented, we have provided an Executive Summary of the CPD program, the full text of the CPD Guidebook and the CPD forms (in Excel format) on the APGO website. A compact disc of all CPD materials was distributed to APGO members in the spring of 2005; extra copies are available from the APGO office upon request. In addition, an interactive version of the Declaration Form - Summary and Assessment will be available on or before January 1, 2006. This form, the only form required to be submitted to APGO, can be completed and returned by e-mail. The Executive Summary contains all the basic information required to keep track of CPD activities. The CPD Guidebook is the formal APGO-CPD document and describes in detail the various aspects of the program. As noted in the March 2005 issue of Field Notes, the onus is on the individual member to decide which CPD activities, in his or her professional judgment, are best suited to the specific requirements of a practising Professional Geoscientist in Ontario. Active participation in a CPD program is a particular advantage for members seeking employment or advancement opportunities. Employers also have an important role to play in Continuing Professional Development, particularly if the employer is an APGO Certificate of Authorization (C. of A.) holder. C. of A. holders are required to support member employees in their CPD activities. Nevertheless, the primary responsibility for CPD still rests with the individual APGO member. There are six categories in the APGO-CPD program: Professional Practice, Lists of typical activities that qualify for each required category are provided in the CPD guidebook. With the exception of professional practice, for which 15 activity hours equals 1 CPD Hour, one activity hour is equivalent to one CPD Hour for each of the other five categories. A minimum rolling total of 240 CPD Hours must be accumulated over a three-year period in at least three of the six categories. Although members are strongly encouraged to accumulate at least 80 CPD Hours per year, there is no annual minimum number of CPD Hours required. This allows a considerable degree of flexibility for APGO members, given the particular characteristics of our profession. Further, excess CPD Hours may be carried forward for a maximum of two years, thus allowing additional flexibility. Finally, a member may request a temporary exemption from the CPD program under certain conditions.
CPD program forms for each CPD category are available on the APGO website to assist members in summarizing their CPD activities. Only The Declaration Form-Summary and Assessment, however, is to be forwarded to APGO on an annual basis by June 30 of the year following the calendar-reporting year. For example, those members participating on a voluntary basis in 2005 would submit the Declaration Form electronically, by FAX or by mail, by June 30 of 2006. It is important to remember that all records pertaining to CPD activities should be retained in case of an audit. As an incentive to participate in the voluntary program in 2005, those members submitting Declaration Forms by the June 30, 2006 deadline will have the opportunity to carry forward excess CPD Hours into 2006, the first year of the mandatory program. To prepare for auditing the compliance of APGO members with the requirements of the CPD program after mandatory participation commences in 2006, we are currently establishing Audit panels that will assess the voluntary submissions of Declaration Forms for 2005. Up to five percent of the membership can expect to be audited in any one year. Selection for a CPD audit will be based on a number of factors:
The bulk of auditing activities, however, will simply be to ensure submission of the Declaration Form by our members. It is important to reiterate that APGO’s Continuing Professional Development program has been established to clearly indicate to members of the public that, as a self-regulating profession, we are actively encouraging our members and Certificate of Authorization holders to maintain and enhance the highest standards of technical competence, professionalism and dedication to public welfare. |
For more information on APGO, please contact info@apgo.net |