continuing professional development

Demonstration of commitment to CPD is an integral and mandatory part of the competency requirements for all cyber security practitioners irrespective of role or specialism. This is a commitment we expect from all Registrants awarded a professional registration title to further develop their knowledge and skills.

CPD is vital within the cyber security sector as we are securing a moving target, and our knowledge must be kept up to date in order to do this.

What counts as CPD?

This may include structured activities such as courses, distance learning programmes, private study, preparation of papers and presentations, mentoring, involvement in professional body activities, and relevant voluntary work. Professional experience, attending events & seminars, and activities completed for other organisations such as producing records also count. For detailed information on the categories created by The Cyber Scheme for collation of CPD, please see below.

CPD Plan

Continuing professional development relies on an individual identifying what they have already accomplished to date. This will highlight knowledge gaps and development needs that can be addressed during the next CPD period.

After identifying the gaps, strengths and weaknesses, a CPD plan can be instigated. This is where goals and objectives are set and ways to fulfil them can be identified. The Cyber Scheme will support registrants in the development of this plan by providing templates aligned to the demonstration of Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours, ensuring that the plan remains relevant and of the highest standard.

Completing the plan will involve attending and engaging in activities to meet the needs that were identified. When learning outcomes are identified as part of these activities, the plan can be updated to reflect that. Whilst this can be subjective it will demonstrate what knowledge, skills and abilities have been acquired upon completion of the learning experience or activity. If further gaps have been identified, they can be added to the plan for future CPD.

Regular self-auditing of the plan should be taken to evaluate the effectiveness of the learning and the impact of all activities. New skills will need to be put into practice, and knowledge gained can be shared – all of these activities should be recorded so that they form part of the continuous plan to learn and improve.

How do I record my CPD?

Registrants must commit to the planning, recording, and making available for reporting of their own CPD.

The recording of CPD is self-administered and you will need to track your own CPD activity in a spreadsheet and be prepared to submit it annually for verification. The Cyber Scheme are developing an online portal where the recording and auditing of CPD activity can be easily managed by registrants. While this is in development, we encourage you to download the CPD Records form we have created (see below), or use a similar offline form to record your activity. 

How much CPD should I be doing?

The Council currently ask for 25 hours of CPD completed each year totalling 75 hours over a three-year period, and across several sources.

We will remind registrants as their anniversary of renewal is due to ensure that year’s CPD record is recorded and up to date.