Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Definition: Registrant – A professional holding the CMarTech, CMarSci, RMarTech, RMarSci, or MarTech certification/registration.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities are available at SUT and MTS events throughout the year. Review our calendar of events online at www.sut.org/events and www.mtsociety.org/events-calendar.

Registrants may also submit CPD units earned at other marine science events, at university offerings, at company-sponsored events, online, or other opportunities. Applicants should discuss their continuing professional development plans with the Interview Panel prior to termination of the interview to ensure that suitable CPD opportunities have been identified.

Per the candidate handbook and application, Registrants are required to complete the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) form annually to maintain their Registered status. Registered members are expected to submit a CPD plan during the application period and must continue to demonstrate a commitment to CPD to maintain their Registered status. Details of this requirement are enumerated below.

Requirements

ALL CHARTERED MEMBERS MUST COMPLETE A MINIMUM OF 8 HOURS CPD EACH PROGRAM YEAR.

The program year shall run from July 1 – June 30.
You must be able to demonstrate completion of required hours by June 30 in each year.

Eight (8) hours of CPD are required annually to maintain Registered status. Of the required 8 hours:

At least 2 hours must be obtained via SUT or MTS, or an SUT or MTS-sponsored program or event.
At least 4 hours must be within the domain of your technical expertise.
At least 4 hours must be formal CPD. The remainder can be informal CPD.

Examples of formal CPD include:

Completing or participating in a structured activity either as a delegate, speaker, panel member or other participant. This includes but is not limited to conferences, seminars, training courses (classroom, online), workshops, panels and group meetings.
Webinars
Participation in staff development training courses/activities provided by employers
Sharing professional knowledge in a formal setting
Writing relevant books, articles and papers
Lecturing, teaching and addressing meetings on relevant subject matter
Being an examiner or being involved in professional or higher education that is relevant.

Examples of informal CPD include:

Reading, researching information via the internet, reviewing books or articles for professional purposes
Experiential/workplace learning, reading and research
Reading a relevant industry Journal or publication
Reading a relevant book or publication
Reading other professional body magazines or publications
Professional research undertaken in the course of work
Preparation of research for workplace projects
Workplace learning/support
Coaching, mentoring, peer review, work shadowing/secondments, meetings or project work

EACH YEAR, SUT AND MTS WILL SAMPLE UP TO 50% OF ALL REGISTERED MEMBERS TO ENSURE CPD REQUIREMENTS HAVE BEEN MET.

CPD activity may be recorded and tracked online. If you track your CPD online, responding to a request from SUT or MTS for evidence of CPD completion will be simplified.
- If you intend to track your CPD online, SUT and MTS require that you enter your CPD information in our online tracking system within one (1) month of completion of any CPD event.
You may also track your CPD offline, however, when responding to a request from SUT or MTS for evidence of CPD completion, please be sure to have the following information available:
- Number of hours completed
  - Within your technical domain
  - Via SUT or MTA
  - Formal vs. Informal CPD
- Session information and evidence of completion
  - Name of sponsoring organization
  - Name of course/lecture/webinar/seminar/workshop
  - Length of session in minutes
  - Date of learning
  - Lecturer/presenter
  - Certificate of completion or copy of presentation

IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES IT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO MEET OR MAINTAIN THE MINIMUM CPD REQUIREMENTS.

For example:
- Those on maternity, paternity, adoption or family raising leave;
- Members who are unemployed;
- Those who are on long-term sick leave;
- Those who may currently be non-practicing for other compassionate reasons.
In these circumstances we will ask that Registered members keep up to date at least informally and that they consider their learning and development needs prior to returning so they are ready to competent to return to work when able to do so.
Registered members who feel that they may have difficulty in meeting the requirements should contact the Societies (SUT-MTS) as soon as possible.

If you are non-compliant with CPD requirements and payment of fees for a period of three (3) years, you will be removed from the Register and will have to re-apply to be re-listed.