15 March 2018
As our profession’s regulator, we enable our members to demonstrate that they meet the professional standards and quality of actuarial work necessary for assuring public trust in the profession. One of the ways we support our members to demonstrate their professionalism and competence is through the IFoA’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Scheme.
To help you get the most from your CPD, some of our volunteer CPD Coordinators explain how undertaking CPD has supported their professional development and offer advice on how to meet your CPD requirements.
CPD is really important - it helps you to keep your skills and knowledge up to date and ensures that you are fit to practice as an actuary. It also helps to increase public confidence in the actuarial profession. Alison Kearns FFA
Plan ahead
"I plan my CPD for the year ahead by looking at the events calendar on the IFoA website, where I can see events and webinars coming up that interest me" - Alison Kearns FFA
"Holding a Practising Certificate, with the additional CPD requirements it entails, means I have to plan my CPD for the coming year. This means I get to relevant and interesting events that help with my development and enable me to do a better job for my clients" - Andrew Blain FIA
Make CPD part of your Personal Development Plan
Rather than treating CPD as a separate requirement to meet, consider linking it to your personal and career development plan with your employer, so that there is a common objective to build on your strengths and improve on weaknesses. Kelvin Kwok FIA.
Plan for key Professional Development opportunities
By planning and completing CPD throughout the year, I can make sure that I focus my energies on CPD opportunities that will maximise my own professional development. Helen Nicholas FIA CERA
Use online resources
The online resources provided by the IFoA are another great way to obtain good quality CPD – we often get a group together to watch and discuss a video, which really helps to maximise the benefit from the material. Helen Nicholas FIA CERA.
Use the IFoA events calendar
I’ve found the events page on the IFoA website incredibly helpful when planning ahead for useful external CPD events. Andrew Blain FIA
Take advantage of workplace opportunities
If you work at a large company that employs lots of actuaries, you can take advantage of CPD opportunities like internal training, technical briefings and professionalism discussions. Helen Nicholas FIA CERA
Look for local industry events
I’m fortunate to work in London, so there are plenty of local events run by pensions, actuarial associations and industry. Planning ahead means I can pick the meetings most relevant and useful for my role and personal development needs. Andrew Blain FIA
Connect with your Regional Community
I am lucky in that we have an active Regional Community (if you don’t have one near you – why not start one!?) that offers local, professional events. There are also lots of other local events arranged by legal firms and other organisations, which provide a great way to obtain a wider range of CPD plus opportunities to network with other professionals. Helen Nicholas FIA CERA
Keep a log of your CPD progress
I tend to keep track of my CPD on a spreadsheet (I am an Actuary after all!) with a log of how many technical, professional and external hours I’ve reached. That way I can monitor my progress through the year to avoid a panic just before my Practising Certificate needs renewal. Andrew Blain FIA
Scan and file your CPD evidence throughout the year
I tend to scan and copy all my attendance documents and other CPD evidence into a folder as I go, rather than trying to collate them all at the end of the year when it is often much harder to track them down. After years of experience, I find this a far less stressful approach. Andrew Blain FIA
Find out more about the IFOA CPD Scheme or download our guide CPD - Helping you to get it right.
In an increasingly fast-paced world where change is the only constant, to avoid being lagged behind it is critical to update oneself with the latest developments in the profession. Kelvin Kwok FIA
IFOA CPD Resources
There are a number of ways we support you in meeting your CPD requirements, including;
Online Learning Resources
Our online learning modules and recordings help you to learn and develop wherever you are in the world.
Online Research and Knowledge
Our online Actuarial Knowledge Hub lets you access eBooks and journals at the cutting edge of actuarial research where ever you are in the world.
IFoA events
Our events offer CPD learning and development opportunities ranging from one day seminars to residential conferences.
Regional Communities
Regional Communities are run by IFoA volunteers and offer networking opportunities and support to actuaries in their area. They provide a range of locally based events, both social and academic in the UK and Globally.
The IFoA CPD Scheme provides a framework to keep me building new skills and knowledge, which helps me move forward in my career rather than standing still. Helen Nicholas FIA
Andrew Blain FIA is a Senior Consultant and Scheme Actuary at Willis Towers Watson and one of two CPD coordinators in their Retirement practice.
Alison Kearns FFA is a Corporate Actuary working in pensions consulting in the Edinburgh office of JLT Employee Benefits. She is JLT’s CPD Co-ordinator and a member of the IFoA’s Scottish Board.
Kelvin Kwok FIA works in the Group Office of AIA Group based in Hong Kong, focusing on international regulations on insurance company capital requirements.
Helen Nicholas FIA CERA is a Consultant with Willis Towers Watson’s UK Retirement team and has been one of the company’s CPD Co-ordinators since early 2017.
Find out more about becoming a CPD Co-ordinator for your organisation.