CPD FAQ's

CPD is Continuing Professional Development. It is a strategy for ensuring you maintain your competence and knowledge, through training and education.

CPD is about updating your skills and knowledge, boosting your confidence, strengthening your professional credibility and ensuring your employer has a competent and well-motivated employee.

By having a three-year rolling programme, it provides the member with flexibility to fit their professional development into their lives.

A rolling programme provides you with the flexibility to start. The programme is set so that a member must gain a minimum of 60 credits in a maximum of three years. However, a rolling programme means that once those 60 credits have been reached the three-year programme restarts. For example, a member reaches 60 credits in 18 months, they then have another three years to reach 60 credits. They may achieve this in six months and the three-year programme restarts again.

Your membership number can be found on your BIGGA membership card and on all correspondence regarding CPD. Alternatively, you can telephone the office to confirm your membership number.

CPD Active recognises members who have committed to the BIGGA CPD Programme and are accumulating credits but have not yet achieved 60 credits.

By gaining 60 credits within your three-year cycle.

CPD Approved identifies a member who has committed to the BIGGA CPD Programme and has gained 60 credits and who is continuing to gain 60 credits in each of their three-year cycles.

Maintaining your CPD Approved status proves that you are committed to developing yourself professionally and personally and identifies you as a valuable employee for your current and future employers. If you are unable to achieve your 60 credits your status will revert to CPD Active, until you have gained 60 credits within your three-year cycle.

If you are unable to achieve your 60 credits please call us to discuss ways we can help you achieve the required number of credits. If you are unable to gain the 60 credits your status will revert to CPD Active.

A lifetime transcript is a complete list of all courses or activities you have claimed for whilst you have been registered on the BIGGA CPD Programme. This can be viewed, printed or saved as a PDF and can be used in a number of ways. By regularly reviewing your lifetime transcript you can monitor the CPD you have undertaken and ensure you keep your professional development up to date. By saving the lifetime transcript, you can print it out and use it in appraisals and job interviews.

When you claim credits they will be added to your Lifetime Transcript.

View My Credits in your CPD account and then click on 'View All'

A Milestone is an award that will be made once a member achieves a total of 180 CPD credits and every 180 CPD credits there after.

You will be awarded a certificate, be acknowledged in Greenkeeper International and within the Membership Handbook.

CPD activities can be formal qualifications, certificates of competence, attendance at regional or section events, involvement in section/regional/national committees, presenting papers, reviewing books, writing articles, completing online quizzes and any other educational activity that you feel aids your personal and professional development. For the last one, you will need to complete a Personal Learning Statement.

A Personal Learning Statement provides an opportunity to claim credits for activities that fall outside the boundaries of what are classed as CPD activities. For example, if you volunteer at a sports club or coach a youth team, you can complete a form identifying what you have learnt from your activity and how it has affected you. Your Personal Learning Statement will then be awarded credits.

For a CPD register to be issued the organisers must inform BIGGA that they are running an event so CPD credits can be allocated. However, this does not prevent you from claiming credits for attending. When booking onto events please try to encourage the organisers to register for CPD credits.

In your CPD account you can view your credits, view your credit summary and also view any approved or milestone certificates that you have achieved

Yes! Click into 'Claim Credits' and fill in the details. Remember, anything added into the information box will appear on your lifetime transcript! Keep it professional and keep it brief!

Yes, you can access your CPD account and claim credits on the BIGGA mobile App, giving you access to the best of BIGGA membership, anytime, anywhere. If you would like to download the BIGGA App, please go to the Resources menu on the BIGGA website for more information.

Your additional credits will be rolled over into your next three-year cycle. For example, a member who achieves 65 credits will begin their next three-year cycle with 5 credits.

E-mail a brief summary of your event programme to [email protected] including the date, location and timings. A CPD code, QR code and CPD code weblink will be emailed to you along with the terms and conditions of useage

A new feature of the CPD system is an easier way to add CPD credits on to your record. Scan the QR code with your smart phone or click on the weblink. Enter your BIGGA membership number when prompted and then click 'submit'. The credits have been added to your record!