Earning CPD Units in Times of Social Distancing

The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the process of developing and documenting Filipino professionals’ skills through courses and training. It is commonly associated with the CPD law, which mandates professionals to pursue certain programs to earn CPD units. Its mandatory nature, however, has made it unpopular among professionals. As most of these CPD programs are expensive, it has made renewal of Professional Identification Cards (PIC) difficult. 

The CPD law has gone through changes in recent years. The most noticeable among them is the decrease in required units of 45 to 15. Professionals are also given the option of signing an Affidavit of Undertaking. This allows the signee to renew their PIC cards with incomplete or no earned units until December 31, 2021. The catch is that they fulfill the required CPD units upon their next renewal.

With the current situation of the country, takers of CPD-based seminars and courses are greatly affected. Earning units has become an arduous task during the lockdown, which has spanned a couple of months. As a result, Resolution No. 1240 was created to make unit earning easier during these uncertain times. It states that the PRC and CPD-related committees have acknowledged the hardships of earning units under the restrictions of the new normal.

Today, professionals may earn CPD units through self-learning methods and online training programs. The resolution document lists down four ways of achieving this:

1. Informal Learning 

Refers to learning that occurs in daily life and which can contribute to qualifications, such as reading books and developing related skills. Some of the mentioned skills in the document involves learning how to prepare gluten-free products and urban gardening.

2. Professional Work Experience 

Professional Work Experience refers to workplace practices that are directly related to the profession. Among the skills mentioned in the document includes designing residences and commodities for the elderly, as well as providing professional consultancy services.

3. Self-Directed Learning  

Self-Directed Learning Activities refer to participating online courses and webinars, which did not undergo CPD accreditation but may be awarded units by the council. Professionals are expected to apply these activities for accreditation beforehand. 

• Professional activities which promote and facilitate the enhancement of knowledge, skills, and values as a professional.

• Volunteer Engagement, which may or may not directly involve the practice of one’s profession, but may help in the development of the professional in a social climate.

4. Online Learning Activities 

This refers to structured or unstructured learning initiatives, which make use of web-based Information and Communication Technology solutions. It can be a combination of two or three of the aforementioned learning methods.

Examples for each section can be read in the actual document, which you can access through this link. 

CPD providers are encouraged to convert their courses into online training programs. This way, earning units will not be such a struggle for professionals.