CPD is a mandatory framework professionals across fields like finance, accounting, and law must engage in to maintain their competence and licensure. This regulatory obligation is typically divided into verifiable and non-verifiable activities. Understanding non-verifiable CPD is important for professionals seeking to comply with regulatory requirements. This article explains the requirements, provides specific examples, and details the necessary steps for tracking these hours.
Understanding Continuing Professional Development
CPD ensures members remain current with industry standards, ethical practices, and technical knowledge. Regulators, such as provincial CPA bodies or engineering regulators, establish minimum annual and triennial hour requirements members must fulfill to retain their designation. These mandates protect the public interest by guaranteeing that practitioners possess the up-to-date skills required to perform their professional responsibilities.
The total required hours are split into two components: a larger portion dedicated to structured, verifiable learning and a smaller portion allocated to informal, non-verifiable learning. For instance, many accounting bodies require members to complete 120 hours over a rolling three-year period, with a specific minimum designated as verifiable. This division encourages a balanced approach that combines formal training with self-directed, practical experience.
Defining Non-Verifiable CPD
Non-verifiable Continuing Professional Development (NVCPD) encompasses learning activities that cannot be objectively confirmed by a third party. NVCPD is defined by the lack of external documentation, such as an attendance certificate, test result, or transcript, that an auditor could review. These activities are typically self-initiated and focus on personal development and knowledge enhancement relevant to the professional’s role.
Compliance for NVCPD relies primarily on the professional’s self-declaration and judgment regarding the relevance and time spent. Professionals must ensure the activity contains significant intellectual or practical content and is quantifiable in terms of time spent. NVCPD usually accounts for up to 50% of the total required hours, making it a smaller, but required, component of the overall compliance mandate.
Key Differences Between Verifiable and Non-Verifiable CPD
The distinction between verifiable and non-verifiable CPD is rooted in documentation, structure, and audit risk. Verifiable CPD (VCPD) demands supporting documentation from an independent provider, such as a course provider or educational institution, to confirm participation and learning outcomes. NVCPD requires only a personal log or journal maintained by the professional detailing the activity and its relevance, without needing third-party confirmation.
VCPD involves structured learning activities like formal courses, workshops, conferences, or e-learning that culminate in objective evidence of completion. NVCPD is more informal and self-directed, consisting of activities that occur naturally within the professional’s daily work or personal study time. This difference means that NVCPD is less robust for auditing purposes.
The level of audit risk differs significantly between the two categories. VCPD is easier to audit because objective evidence, such as a certificate of completion, provides clear proof of the activity. Although NVCPD lacks external evidence, professionals must maintain accurate and detailed personal records, as they may be asked to confirm these hours during a compliance review. The member must justify the reported time and learning outcome if their records are selected for review.
Common Examples of Non-Verifiable Activities
Self-Study and Research
Activities involving self-study and research that do not lead to a formal assessment or certification are counted as NVCPD hours. This includes on-the-job training related to implementing new software, systems, or procedures. Time spent preparing for client meetings or conducting research for complex internal reports can also qualify, provided the learning is new and relevant to professional competence. Learning gained through significant involvement in special projects or a major change in job responsibilities is another common example.
Informal Learning and Mentorship
Informal learning activities include professional development gained through non-structured interactions with colleagues or mentors. This covers informal discussions with peers about industry developments or receiving coaching on a new technical skill. Professionals may also count time spent acting as a mentor, provided the preparation and delivery of guidance requires them to refresh or expand their own technical knowledge. Relevant learning gained through community leadership or volunteer work that contributes directly to professional competencies can also be included.
Professional Reading and Review
Professional reading and review covers keeping abreast of changes in legislation, technical standards, and industry trends. This involves reading professional journals, technical articles, and other published materials related to the professional’s area of practice. Watching non-structured informational videos or listening to relevant audio presentations that do not include formal testing also falls under NVCPD. Casual reading of professional magazines and literature, especially when not part of research for a specific application, is typically reported here.
Practical Guide to Tracking and Reporting Non-Verifiable Hours
Since NVCPD activities lack external proof, the professional must create and maintain robust internal documentation. Most professional bodies require members to keep a detailed log or journal for all reported NVCPD hours. This record must include the date the activity took place and the exact duration of time spent on the learning.
The log must contain a clear, concise description of the activity and a justification of how it contributed to the professional’s competence. This includes explaining the relevance of the activity to the member’s professional responsibilities. Maintaining a comprehensive record ensures compliance and preparedness for any review of the professional’s development declaration.