About the CIPR's Continuous Professional Development (CPD) scheme

”For PR to continue to be recognised as a professional discipline, CPD needs to be as much a part of our career development as it is for lawyers and accountants. I found it easy to integrate the requirements of CPD with Golley Slater’s personal and professional development programme to create a plan that incorporated a diverse range of activities. Reaching Accredited Practitioner status is a valuable, tangible reward and a public recognition of a commitment to professional career development."

Matt Appleby, Director, Golley Slater PR, Cardiff

The PR industry’s continuous professional development (CPD) scheme, Developing Excellence, is open to all CIPR members (excluding students) and participation leads to Accredited Practitioner* status.

What CPD does…

Supports your career progression
Regardless of the sector in which you work or your level of experience, it’s designed to help you achieve your professional and career goals.

It’s not a qualification. It’s a way for you to take control of your development by identifying development needs and structuring how you are going to reach your goals. It’s about looking at how you want to progress your career, and logging what you do to improve your knowledge and skills.

It doesn’t have to be about expensive training courses. In fact, taking part needn’t cost you anything. It’s about you planning your development in the way and at the time, pace and budget that suits you.

Sets you apart from the crowd
Investing in your own development, continuously improving your skills and knowledge, and demonstrating your professionalism will give you a competitive edge in the eyes of clients and employers.

What’s involved?

You can learn from colleagues, by reading or doing your own research. Time spent contributing to the PR industry by mentoring, speaking, sitting on committees or working groups, or helping your colleagues improve their PR skills can all count towards your CPD.

It’s not about adding to your workload or giving up all your free time. To complete the CPD programme, you need to spend 30 hours a year on your professional development – that’s just over half an hour per week. And the CIPR is on hand to offer advice and guidance.

How CPD works

To complete the CIPR’s CPD scheme, you need to provide evidence of spending at least 30 hours each year on enhancing your PR skills and knowledge.

The scheme works like this:

You decide what you would like to learn or achieve over the next 12 months
You record this on a one-page development plan, which you email to the CIPR
Once your plan has been logged by the CIPR, you are ready to start working towards your goals and developing your skills as a PR practitioner
After 12 months you complete a development record, outlining what you have achieved over the past year
Once your record has been approved by the CIPR, you will have completed your first year of CPD and be well on the way to becoming an Accredited Practitioner*.

General queries regarding CPD should be addressed to Professional Development Officer Deborah Liddle: email DeborahL@cipr.co.uk or telephone: 020 7766 3366

What should I do next?

The scheme is open to all Affiliates, Associates, Members and Fellows of the CIPR.

If you are already an Affiliate, Associate, Member or Fellow of the CIPR, log into the member area of the website and take a look at the Developing Excellence pages, where you can download, complete and submit your development plan.

If you’re not a member of the CIPR, you can find out more about applying for membership by choosing one of the options at the top of the page or by emailing membership@cipr.co.uk for a membership pack.

"It can sometimes be difficult to find the time to think about career development and areas where you might benefit from gaining additional experience and training. The CIPR's CPD scheme really helps me to focus my mind on this throughout the year and gives me clear personal development goals to work towards. So far, the training and experience I've gained have really helped me in my career. Without this scheme I may not have pinpointed key development areas as effectively."
Niamh MacMahon, Communications Manager, Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA)

*Accredited Practitioner status is awarded on completion of three years of continuous professional development and is valid as long as you continue to participate in the CIPR’s CPD (“Developing Excellence”) scheme. CIPR Fellows and Full Members are eligible to receive Accredited Practitioner status. Associate, Affiliate and Global Affiliate members will have to upgrade to Full Membership before they can receive Accredited Practitioner status.