I record the number of hours spent attending the conference up to a max of 8 hours per day.

How do you then use those hours KP? Is it important that the particular conference is CPD certified?

I intend to become a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and I think for that you need to demonstrate a continued commitment to professional development. Though actually looking at the IOM3 website it seems it is a recommended process rather than an absolute requirement. Maybe people who have gone through the Chartering process can add some more insight?

I record the hours on my IOM3 profile, I find it a very useful facility for that... More info to be found onhttp://www.iom3.org/content/professional-development

Hi, it's actually required for the SA professional engineer status continuance. Need a certain amount of CPD points for each year. The status is reviewed every five years and technical conference and CPD associated points are important.

I see zero value in remaining a member of the governing body (ECSA) and maintaining professional engineer status in SA. I shall be cancelling mine shortly and CPD points (themselves) will then become irrelevant to me. I am certainly NOT saying CPD is irrelevant. I won't hijack this thread, but it would be interesting to see what others think of the relevance of ECSA membership and the need for Prof Eng. status in SA.

I believe the SME has the ability to track attendance / participation at annual conference and other meetings. If you or other readers are member looking for CPD credits I'd suggest you or they contact SM membership coordinator.

In India CPD hours hardly have any impact in professional growth except at the individual level. Of course people mention important seminars attended in their CV but that is more from the point of view of their paper presentation either individually or in groups.

May be I am wrong but it appears to be a new concept/idea.

I will record some of the time spent at CPD-certified conferences as part of my intention to become a Chartered Geologist. After that I am not sure if there would be continued importance in recording CPD time in the same way.

I record CPD hours for attending conferences as well as any other professional development activities that I undertake in my CP logbooks associated with my AusIMM and Engineers Australia membership. This can be maintained online now via member login services rather than maintaining a spreadsheet or similar record.

A certain number of hours are required annually in order to demonstrate ongoing professional development as part of maintaining Chartered status with these organisations. This is routinely audited. E.g. AusIMM requires 50 hours CPD annually on a 3 year rolling basis in order to retain chartered status. AusIMM and EA and similar organisations often advertise the hours that can be claimed for a particular activity and also nominate types of activities that can be counted toward maintaining ongoing CPD. eg For AusIMM these are:

a. Formal Education

b. External and Internal Short Courses

c. Technical Conferences and Learned Society Meetings, including AusIMM Technical Meetings

d. Publications

e. On-the-Job Skill Enhancement

f. Private Reading of Learned Publications

g. Other Activities

Activities also have different weightings applied to actual hours to calculate equivalent CPD hours. Total % of hours that can be claimed for any type of activity may also be nominated. Eg Private reading has a 0.5 weighting factor and can only count for up to 35% of equivalent CPD activities hours in a period. Short courses and formal education have a weighing factor of 3x and no limit on hours claimed. For conferences attending has a 1x factor applied to actual hours attending whereas preparing and presenting a paper is weighted as 10x.

CPD is fine for young professionals and of course for any professionals who actively want to improve their knowledge or their skills by attending a conference or course which fits in with their schedule..

However, I believe CPD has become a sacred cow and the need for it is totally overblown. Chartered status should also carry a weighting for years of experience in the mining industry, in my case more than 50 years. The present weighting for years of experience is zero.

A much better guide to how much you know and the quality of that knowledge is whether or not you are still employed and practising your profession. Even this criterion is too tough in the present mining downturn, when highly skilled and experienced professionals can't find work because none is available.

I myself have previously had chartered status with the former IMM in UK, but I resigned from IMM when they joined with the Ceramics Society. Similarly I had chartered status with AusIMM but resigned my chartered status when required to be audited after a period of more than three years during which I as a self-employed consultant had not attended any conferences.

For the record, I am still employed, and will still refuse to attend a conference unless it will bring specific benefit to my current or future consulting activities. I can get all the good technical oil simply by buying the conference proceedings manual, which is what I usually do.

On being deputed by the concerned employer, Professionals attend seminars, conferences, workshops either to present their papers / findings or taking part in chairing a technical session or participating in a panel discussion. The employers sponsor their employees in rotation for developing personal contacts, keeping abreast of latest developments and exchange of information. The professionals may mention attending seminars abroad as a part of added experience.