CPD EDGE GIVING AHRI PROFESSIONAL MEMBERS THE EDGE Page 1
INTRODUCTION When individuals become professional members of the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) they undertake to model excellence in the workplace and keep professional skills current by committing to continuous professional development (CPD). CPD is a commitment to keeping knowledge up-to-date and continuously seeking to improve. It is the key to building professional standards and optimising individual career opportunities. Commitment to CPD ensures individuals routinely reflect on learning and review their current knowledge and skill level to guide and focus their professional standing. AHRI professional members have exclusive access to the all encompassing AHRI CPD program called CPD edge. CPD edge is based on best practice principles and components providing a leading CPD program structure and framework provides access to a comprehensive range of AHRI formal and informal professional development (PD) activities provides access to PD activities delivered across multiple delivery modes provides exclusive access for professional members to CPDedge online with the ability for individual members to: - build professional development plans - automatically record all registered AHRI CPD activities - record all other CPD activities in one online location - easily access and print a summary of CPD activity Page 2
THE KEY PRINCIPLES OF CPD edge Professional development is a continuous process that applies throughout the working life of professionals. Individuals are responsible for planning, managing and recording their own development. Individuals decide for themselves their learning needs and how to fulfil them. Learning goals should be clearly articulated and well planned. CPD comprises a balanced mix of activities that include work based activities,courses, seminars and conferences, and self-directed informal learning. All CPD should be planned and recorded AHRI PROFESSIONAL MEMBER CPD edge REQUIREMENTS AHRI professional members (MAHRI, CAHRI and FAHRI) are required to complete 90 hours of CPD every three years to maintain professional membership status. The program is built on a three year model allowing for a more rounded learning program. This cycle is more naturally aligned to the way individuals invest in professional development than an annual cycle. A random selection of the membership base will be audited every year for compliance with the CPD requirement. KEY COMPONENTS The most important components of the CPD edge program are to plan, balance and record. A. Plan B. Balance Understanding your CPD needs through a process of review on practice, planning, action and evaluation Find an appropriate balance of activities that contribute to your development (different activities across a range of categories) C. Record Record your activity accurately Page 3
A. PLAN The first component in CPDedge is to establish what is to be gained from CPD, where the member wants to be in the future, and how it is proposed to get there (i.e. to prepare a professional development plan). THE FOUR KEY STEPS ARE 1. Undertake an audit of current know-how and competence 2. Set aims and objectives in terms of what to achieve in relation to work related targets 3. Identify the knowledge and expertise required to achieve targeted goals 4. Identify the gaps between current and targeted positions that will form the basis of a development plan. ADD A LEARNING GOAL TO CPDedge online Any personal professional development plan format may be utilised in the CPD edge program. Professional development plans should be living documents that allow for flexibility and change. With this in mind, AHRI has included for professional members an Add a learning goal function to CPD edge online. The CPD edge Add a learning goal function allows members to: Create and self-manage as many online individual learning goals as they require Individually name and number their learning goals Include, manage and edit detail for each specific goal on: - what do I need/want to learn - what will I do to achieve this - what resources will I need - what is my success criteria - when is my target completion date Page 4
John Smith www.ahri.com.au/cpdedge Page 5
B. BALANCE CPD should be a balanced mix of activities that include work-based activities, courses, seminars and conferences, and self-directed informal learning. Generally CPD hours are calculated at a rate of one hour of activity being equal to one hour of CPD. All CPD contributes to the 90 hour three-year requirement; however there are restrictions to the total claimable hours of some activity types. CPDedge recognises seven learning activity types: Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Type 4 Type 5 Type 6 Type 7 Formal education Learning activities Conferences/seminars Presentation of papers Industry involvement Service to the HR profession Informal learning Type 1 - formal education Formal education is learning undertaken in pursuit of an award or accreditation. For example, AHRI education programs such as the Foundations of HR program and the Professional Diploma of HR, or award programs in HR and related disciplines offered by accredited universities and TAFEs. Members undertaking courses must satisfy assessment requirements to claim CPD hours. Activities of this type include formal classroom, distance education (including online delivery) and short-courses. They may be external to employment or conducted in-house. They will always include time spent in preparation and follow-up, either through lectures or self-study activities and will involve some form of assessment. CPD hours include the actual classes attended and/or research undertaken. For distance learning, the simplest approach is to estimate the equivalent number of hours of formal face-to-face education that would have been involved. Page 6
Type 2 - learning activities This area covers recognised and structured training that is not part of a formal award or accreditation process, and generally does not involve structured assessment. Learning activities can include: Non-assessed courses offered by education and learning institutions, professional bodies and employers (delivered face-to-face, distance and online) Attendance at professional HR events such as AHRI special interest group (SIG)presentations Non-assessed professional training organised through the employer CPD hours are generally calculated on the basis of the number of hours attendedand exclude meal breaks. TYPE 3 CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS Attending conferences can be claimed as CPD provided the content relates to theindividual s professional development. CPD hours are generally calculated on the basis of the number of hours spent attending formal presentations and exclude meal breaks, social events and travelling. TYPE 4 PRESENTATION OF PAPERS CPD hours can be claimed for preparation and presentation at conferences, symposia and seminars which are conducted beyond normal employment. For this to be considered CPD, it must extend knowledge in the person s area of HR practice and contribute to the capabilities required of HR professionals. CPD hours are generally calculated on the basis of the number of hours required in preparing and giving the presentation. TYPE 5 INDUSTRY INVOLVEMENT HR professionals employed in academic positions are expected to foster links with industry for the benefit of HR education, research and practice in Australia. This requirement also ensures that they are exposed to development in HR practices outside the university or TAFE institution. Industry involvement can include: Consulting services Industry partnership/supervision in research Sabbaticals to industry and return to industry Industry committees for course development CPD hours are calculated based on the number of hours of involvement. Page 7
TYPE 6 SERVICE TO THE HR PROFESSION Service to the profession is a valid form of CPD particularly where it extends the development of the person making the contribution. For AHRI members service may include: Standing as an AHRI council member Volunteering as an AHRI SIG convener and member AHRI Awards programs Acting as a tertiary accreditation assessor on the National Accreditation Committee Participating in an AHRI Mentor Program Writing articles for HR or business magazines or journals Participation in AHRI research CPD hours are calculated based on the number of hours of actual involvement. A limit of 20 per cent of total CPD in any three-year period is allowed. TYPE 7 INFORMAL LEARNING There is considerable scope for informal learning away from the work environment. Discussion groups, web forums, books, journals, newspapers, television and radio programs provide a wealth of professional development material. CPD hours are calculated based on the number of hours of actual involvement. A limit of 10 per cent of total CPD in any three-year period is allowed. C. RECORD The maintenance of records is fundamental to CPDedge and is supported by CPDedge online. Whether records are maintained online or in hard copy is an individual member s choice. RECORD YOUR CPD IN CPD edge online CPDedge online takes the hassle out of the requirement to maintain CPD records. All CPD that members complete with AHRI, which requires an individual registration, is automatically recorded in the members CPDedge personal record (as of 1 July 2007). CPD edge online allows for the individual member to record in a simple online process all non- AHRI provided CPD. Simply enter the CPD: - activity title - provider - type Page 8
XXXXXXX John Smith www.ahri.com.au/cpdedge Page 9
XXXXXXX CPDedge online provides individual members with a simple summary of all CPD completed with direct links to full detail for each recorded CPD event. John Smith 3.00 3.00 3.00 www.ahri.com.au/cpdedge Page 10
PROVIDING EVIDENCE OF CPD A random sample of the membership database will be audited annually for CPD. Members wishing to upgrade their professional membership will be required to provide evidence of CPD as part of their upgrade application. When asked to supply evidence of CPD, members will be required to supply records for the past three years supported by evidence (from the time when the member entered the AHRI Professional Membership Framework). There is considerable flexibility with respect to sources of evidence for CPD. Evidence can include copies of formal qualifications, attendance statements, copies of articles written, presentations given, or payment receipts from conferences. The rule is that the source must be objective and serviceable. NON-COMPLIANCE Members who do not meet their CPDedge obligations may be regraded as Affiliate members. Regrading considerations of that type are made on a case-by-case basis. A peer review panel will enable non-compliant members to be reviewed by colleagues sensitive to the needs of practising professional members. An appeal process will be available to members in the event of regrading. CPDEDGE QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK AHRI members are encouraged to forward questions and feedback on CPD edge to cpdedge@ahri.com.au Page 11
Australian Human Resoures Institute Limited ABN 44 120 687 149 Level 13, 565 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 T (+613) 9918 9200 F (+61) 9918 9201 E cpdedge@ahri.com.au W www.ahri.com.au