Building on the successful launch of the new Continued Professional Development (CPD) recording system, targeted at supporting individuals to promote their skills and knowledge, the Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS) has released a new video showing just how easy it is to add CPD to their MyECS digital account.
The new digital system has been designed to help better identify and monitor ongoing competence standards throughout the industry. The MyECS CPD section of a card holder’s account provides an easy way to save evidence of their skills and knowledge through a free online portfolio, which helps aid personal development and continuous improvement. ECS card holders simply need to log on to their online MyECS account to view, add to or download their CPD record. Since launch, the system has seen regular use across all electrotechnical disciplines both as people renew their cards to show their hard-earned credentials, and as part of recording ongoing learning more generally.
While it is recognised many people will already be undertaking CPD, such as additional qualifications, in house training, toolbox talks, attending seminars and reading relevant industry articles and publications, not everyone records this activity to show just how they are keeping up to date with the latest changes and developments.
The success of the ECS Registered Electrician status, which has seen more than 35,000 Electricians in the UK commit to ongoing learning and CPD, a professional code of practice and evidencing they have kept up to date with the latest wiring regulations is one example of how CPD is being recognised as an essential part of verifying competence of the workforce.
The ‘Setting the Bar’ report, released last year in response to Dame Judith Hackett’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, proposed an overarching system of competence, including CPD refresher training and maintenance of individual skills. Ensuring the skills, knowledge and experience of the individual through CSCS and Partner Schemes, such as ECS, is an important element of these recommendations and competence framework in ensuring the person has been trained and assessed to the relevant industry standard, and that the card holder keeps up to date with the relevant requirements for their role.
Jay Parmar, CEO of the Joint Industry Board (JIB), said: “This CPD system gives individuals a fantastic opportunity to promote their hard-earned skills and knowledge to employers and clients alike. It is becoming increasingly vital that competence can be simply evidenced and verified by employers and clients who are constantly looking at ways to demonstrate the high quality and standards they are delivering, and recording CPD is an ideal way of prompting the use of a highly skilled and experienced workforce.”
The guidance video and more information about CPD can be found here.
