Certification & PD
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PD Requirements
How do I comply with PD Requirements?
From July 2006 members are required to achieve 60 PD points in a consecutive two-year period, and the CPP Planning Practice Course units will count significantly towards PD. Each hour of PD such as seminar, conference attendance, involvement in PIA Committees, etc will attract 1 PD point per hour of activity. More intensive activities such as workshops, the Planning Practice Course, tertiary education, preparation of articles for publication in peer reviewed journals will attract 2 PD points per hour of activity. Members are required to keep records of their PD participation and from July 2006 compliance will be audited. The PD policy and Guidelines can be accessed below, together with a PD record sheet.
Access to PD
PIA recognizes that some members, particularly those in rural/regional areas, those who work part time and balance work and other responsibilities, together with many in urban areas find it difficult to access face to face PD activities. The PD policy suggests alternative ways in which PD can be accessed – including structured reading and learning. In addition, PIA is working towards providing on-line and distance PD opportunities for members. PIA already identifies courses run by other recognized education and training providers which can be accessed as PD – details can be accessed below.
What counts as PD?
Whilst members are encouraged to support PIA’s Divisional PD programs which are tailored to meet their members’ needs, the revised PD Policy provides a degree of flexibility to enable them to meet the variety of circumstances in which they find themselves. Members are expected to embrace the spirit of PD and assess for themselves whether the PD activities they undertake are genuinely and demonstrably relevant to their career / professional development, in accordance with the PD Policy. However, PIA staff are available to assist with any queries – contact cpp@planning.org.au.
PIA’s State and Territory Divisions provide the principal programs of PD activities for their members, focusing particularly on topical issues facing planning professionals. State and territory events can be viewed via the Divisions pages, and a full list of PIA Events can be viewed on the Calendar page.
In addition to the Divisional PD programs, PIA recognizes that to maintain and enhance their professional knowledge and skills as their careers progress, and as the planning profession embraces new and broader ranges of knowledge, skills, values and technologies, planning professionals have a need to develop career relevant non-planning skills, as part of their life-long learning.
To assist members to meet their increasingly diverse need, PIA identifies a range of courses provided by recognized education institutions. Whilst this does include on-campus courses, the focus is on courses which can be undertaken off-campus – to assist members who need to contain the time spent away from their workplace, and in particular to meet the needs of rural and regional members. Details of these courses can be accessed below.
PD resources:
- PD Guidelines effective from 1 July 2006
- PD Policy effective from 1 July 2006
- Download PIA PD record form (PDF)
- Professional Development Update - Australian Planner June 2006
Online Planning Courses
For more information, please see the eClassroom.com.au website.
Certified Practising Planner
CPP is a national mark of competency, reliability and professionalism in the planning industry. Whether you are involved in urban and regional planning, social planning, urban design, transport planning, economic development, environmental planning and planning law, the Certified Practising Planner designation indicates a professional who has achieved:
- University qualifications relevant to their chosen planning disciplines(s);
- An appropriate level of practical experience in the field, leading to the development of skills and knowledge relevant to the specialisation;
- Satisfactory completion of the CPP course, demonstrating competence in core planning skills and knowledge.
CPP indicates an ongoing commitment to maintain high standards of professional conduct and to meet ongoing professional development requirements.