Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in Tier 4 of the Agricultural Reform Programme

This section of the consultation sets out the amount of CPD that could be undertaken in a year (CPD year) and how it could be calculated.

Calculating the amount of CPD to be undertaken - hours and points 

All CPD systems set out an amount of CPD that must be undertaken in a year of 12 months (a CPD year). This can be expressed in two main ways:

• The amount of time spent on CPD activities. This is also known as CPD hours.

• The number of points allocated to a specific activity or activities. A specific activity is allocated a number of points.

We propose that the time spent undertaking CPD (CPD hours) should be the main way to express the amount of CPD to be undertaken. This gives a clear way to understand how much activity an individual is to undertake.

As is used in other CPD systems, we propose that each CPD hour should be awarded two points. So 1 hour = 2 CPD points. As not everyone spends an hour on a particular learning activity, there should be smaller time and point allocations. Points should also be allocated for every 30 minutes. For example, an individual who attended a FAS webinar that lasted for 1 hour and 30 minutes would receive 3 points for their participation.

The use of CPD hours can be used to cover the majority of activities that can be undertaken as CPD. However, there are some that are not time-based. So that we can recognise the contribution that they can make to CPD, we propose that a specific number of points should be allocated to them. These are:

Recognition for participation in other schemes with CPD 

Some agriculture schemes include an element of CPD or need activities to be undertaken to meet membership rules. These can include farm assurance schemes or membership requirements of professional organisations. Membership of some of these schemes is voluntary.

We have considered how we recognise that farmers, crofters and land managers are already undertaking CPD in other schemes. We think that there should be some form of recognition given to them. We want our CPD system to offer recognition without impacting the uptake or membership of these other schemes. Also, we do not want our system to be seen to be an easier way to gain CPD by comparison to others.

We have considered how we could balance the needs of our scheme with those of others. We think that this could be best achieved in two ways.

First, we award points for membership of a scheme that involves CPD being undertaken. We want to be able to set out a specific list of schemes. We also want an individual to submit proof that they had completed the CPD in that scheme in the current CPD year.

Second, we let individuals use relevant learning from a scheme or other professional activities, as long as it meets our scheme requirements. It is important that CPD is recorded for each scheme as evidence that their obligations have been met.

Amount of CPD to be undertaken 

We know that there are varying opinions on how much CPD could be undertaken in a year. Our informal consultation on the AKIS demonstrated this. Responders gave a wide range of figures.

Farmers, crofters and land managers have told us they are “time poor” and have a lot of competing pressures in their daily lives. We recognise and appreciate this.

All CPD schemes state the amount of CPD that must be undertaken in a year, or a CPD year. The start and end dates of that year varies according to the needs of the scheme. A CPD year could run from January until December or from April until March the following year.

The amount of CPD to be undertaken in a year varies between the different schemes in agriculture and other occupations. We have looked to see what could be a fair and reasonable amount of time to spend undertaking CPD.

We propose that farmers, crofters and land managers could undertake at least 30 hours of CPD per year (or 60 points). Based on an 8 hour day, this would amount to 3.75 days a year.

If they had points for specific activities, this would be 30 hours less that number of points. For example, if they had 6 points awarded from these activities, they would need to undertake 27 hours of CPD.

We have looked at the amount of CPD to be undertaken by persons working part-time and full-time. CPD schemes typically set out that they should undertake the same amount of CPD in a CPD year. We consider that this could also apply in our CPD system. We particularly welcome your comments on this point. 

It will be up to a person to decide when and how they undertake their CPD, subject to the scope of the CPD system. For example, it may be preferable to undertake it for an hour or two when it suits work or domestic arrangements.