Here’s How You can Get Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

To keep our country’s professionals on par with global standards, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) imposed the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to ensure professionals can keep up with the knowledge and skills needed for their profession. Especially for construction professionals, the PRC license is necessary in order to conduct their activities legally. In that case, construction professionals also need the CPD. 

But what exactly is the CPD and how do you get it? Here is a quick rundown of what you need to know about the CPD and gaining it.

What is CPD?

Continuing Professional Development is a relatively new concept in the professional field, but according to the PRC, it is:

• An inculcation of advanced knowledge, skills, and ethical values; 
• A post-licensure specialization or an inter-or multidisciplinary field of study; and
• Assimilation into self-directed research, professional practice, and/or lifelong learning 

We need the CPD for social protection and general welfare. It aims to continuously improve the competence of professionals in the country and promotes the upgraded practice of all professions under the international standards of each practice. 

The CPD also intends to:

• Assure the competencies of the qualification of Filipino professionals;
• Comply with the MRA requirement anchored on the AQRF and PQF for ASEAN professionals; and
• Ensures contribution to uplifting the economic growth, general welfare, and the development of the nation 

To ensure all the country’s professionals are up-to-date with skills and knowledge related to their profession, they have declared the CPD a requirement in the renewal of professional licenses of all professionals under the PRC.

Who Implements the CPD?

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) implements the CPD program. Particularly, the Continuing Professional Development Program Management Committee (CPD-PMC) proposes and manages policies for CPD implementation. 

The CPD Council plans its own Operational Guidelines before being subjected to the approval of the PRC. 

CPD Coverage and Credit Units

For reference, newly licensed professionals after obtaining their license for the first renewal cycle (3 years) and the CPD requirement do not cover professionals working overseas. 

CPD Credit Units is the value of learning achieved from non-formal, informal, or formal, including professional work experience, where credit units are accumulable for qualification. Depending on your profession, the required CPD Units may vary. 

You can refer to the tables below from the PRC as a reference to the required credits:  

How Are CPD Credits Earned?

CPD credit units can be earned through the following programs: 

A.) Formal Learning – earned in education and training institutions; structured and curriculum-based; leads to qualifications and diplomas; in order to earn credit units, a professional will need to apply for this under the self-directed learning modality
B.) Non-Formal Learning – Accredited CPD activities that include seminars, CSR, conferences, and lectures
C.) Informal Learning – credit units can be earned through recognition, validation, and accreditation processes which can contribute to a qualification; this will have to be applied under the self-directed learning modality
D.) Self-Directed Learning – learning activities where the program provider is not CPD accredited but it can be applied for and the respective CPD Council can award credits; this includes foreign conferences, lectures, and congresses; this must be applied for in order to earn credit units.
E.) Online Learning Activities – uses the internet and other web-based learning activities; webinars can apply to this
F.) Professional Work Experience – this must be applied under a self-directed modality to earn credit units; this is knowledge acquired in the workplace
G.) Corporate Social Responsibility 

For more information regarding credit units and the matrixes regarding CPD activities, you may check the document from the PRC regarding questions on the CPD. Professionals may get in touch with the Professional Regulation Commission through their official website should the document should not address their queries.

Don’t forget to keep your licenses in check and be mindful of the credit units required for renewal of your PRC license before applying for it. Keep tabs on the PRC website for any announcements that they may have regarding the CPD. 

Citations: 

• How to Credit Self-Directed and LifeLong Learning for CPD Law Compliance. (2021, October 2). The Pinoy OFW. https://thepinoyofw.com/credit-self-directed-lifelong-learning-cpd-law/
• PRC License Online Guide: Registration, Features, & Application Requirements. (2020, June 1). The Pinoy OFW. https://thepinoyofw.com/prc-license-guide/
• What Every Licensed Professional Need to Know About PRC’s CPD – Filcil. (n.d.). Filcil.com. Retrieved July 15, 2022, from https://filcil.com/prc-cpd/
• Professional Regulation Commission. (2016). Prc.gov.ph. https://prc.gov.ph/