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Suggestions for moving toward

An internationally recognized ideal CPD program

by David M. Abbott Jr.                                                         JORC Code list of recognized professional
                                                                               organizations (JORC, 2012). The cells under
          Increasing numbers of professional societies                         each society’s name are the major CPD headings
                            and licensing bodies are requiring that at         for the society’s CPD program except for the
                          least some class or classes of their membership      European Federation of Geologists (EFG)2. The
                          engage in a mandatory continuing professional        number of cells or main activity reporting area
                          development (CPD) program by logging a               titles for the six CPD reporting systems varies
                          specified amount (hours, points or units) of         from four (APGO) to 11 (EFG). Perusal of these
                          CPD, continuing education units (CEU) or             main activity titles shows common titles among
                          professional development (PD) hours. The             the societies. The commonality reflects both that
                          five postnominals under my name are from             similar activities are covered by similar titles, but
                          five professional societies to whom I report         care must be taken because similar titles do not
                          CPD1. While these CPD programs have                  necessarily mean the same thing or cover the
                          many common elements each one has its own            same activities. This variation is a function of the
                          specific definitions, requirements, and CPD log      splitting and lumping of particular CPD activities
                          reporting system that differs significantly from     that each society does differently. For example,
                          those of other CPD programs. And although            the title “formal education or learning” includes
                          most CPD programs have been updated in the           university classes also taken for credit, but it may
                          past two to three years, there has been little or    include other things, and there is sometimes a
                          no discernible effort to recognize and adopt         distinction between tested and untested classes
                          an internationally common CPD reporting              or seminars or short courses or webinars. The
                          system like that of the CRIRSCO template             various main CPD activities also reflect the way
                          (2103) for mineral resource and mineral reserve      in which a particular CPD program accounts
                          reporting. This has created an international CPD     for the reporting of a particular activity. For
                          Tower of Babel that bedevils, infuriates and         example, APEGBC (2011) requires that courses,
                          wastes the time of professionals who belong to       seminars, etc. be at least four hours long to be
                          several professional societies and are expected      classified as formal education.
                          to comply with each society’s specific CPD
                          reporting system. Particularly infuriating and           The “CPD Tower of Babel” between
                          time-wasting are those CPD programs that             professional societies stems from these factors:
                          expect that each individual CPD activity will
                          be logged on the society’s website on a regular          •	 Although most CPD programs were
                          basis. The various CPD programs should work                    recently updated, there was no effort to
                          toward having common meanings of main CPD                      create a commonly accepted program.
                          activities and having a CPD logging system that
                          can be filed by CPD program participants to              •	 There is no commonly agreed-upon
                          any professional society. The purpose of CPD                   general definition of CPD; indeed, most
                          programs is to provide a mechanism allowing the                programs lack a definition of CPD.
                          recording or logging of CPD activities engaged
                          in by participating professional and provide             •	 There is no agreement on what is
                          for a society’s monitoring of that participation.              included in main CPD activities despite
                          Insisting on the use of a particular reporting form            similarity of activity names.
                          is irrelevant. What is relevant is the evidence
                          that CPD has been undertaken by the reporting            •	 There is a lack of agreement on which
                          participant. This article advocates suggestions for            professional practice activities count as
                          moving toward this goal of having a universally                CPD and which do not.
                          recognized CPD reporting system that is
                          recognized and accepted by all CPD programs.             •	 The programs use different reporting

  David M. Abbott Jr., AIPG-CPG,      The CPD Tower of Babel                          1 Prior to 2019, I reported CPD to the Society for
  EurGeol, FAusIMM(CP), FGS(CGeol),       Table 1 presents six
  MMSA QP, is AIPG ethics columnist                                            Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration’s Registered Member
  and ethics chairman emeritus, Den-  different CPD reporting
  ver, CO, email dmageol@msn.com.     systems from seven                       program and the Texas Board of Professional Geologists as a
2 july 2019     Mınıng engıneerıng	   international professional
                                      societies; all are on the                licensed geologist in Texas.

                                                                                    2 The 11 cells under EFG in Table 1 are the subdivisions

                                                                               of the EFG’s main activity categories of Professional practice,

                                                                               Enhancing & maintaining skills and knowledge, International

                                                                               mentoring, Program, Social competence and Participate in

                                                                               the geoscience community.

                                                                                                                  www.miningengineeringmagazine.com
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