The importance of CPD
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is the ongoing process of professional growth and skills development throughout a practitioner’s career. It is a commitment to maintain professional competence, knowledge and relevance in a challenging and fast-moving professional environment.
Who should record CPD?
CPD will benefit you whatever your situation by keeping your skills and knowledge fresh, but for some LI members, recording CPD is a mandatory part of their membership requirements.
As the Royal Chartered Body for the landscape profession, the Landscape Institute is responsible for ensuring our members uphold the very highest standards of conduct, professionalism and skill. All LI members, excluding Affiliate, Retired, and Student members, must complete a minimum of 25 hours of CPD every year.
Those 25 hours must include:
- A minimum of 10 hours of formal learning
- A minimum of 5 hours related to climate, sustainability, resilience, and environmental and biodiversity net gain
Find more details about the requirements below.
The LI CPD year runs from 1 July to 30 June annually. Each year, 3% of eligible LI members will be called up for the CPD monitoring process. CPD records are reviewed by a dedicated panel of members and feedback is provided following the review process.
Record your CPD
Your CPD activities can be logged in MyLI. There, you can also find CPD requirements and guidance for members. MyLI will enable you to track your CPD hours and plan your professional development.
What counts as CPD?
CPD may be undertaken in a number of ways and is not restricted to attendance at classroom sessions. Any activity that allows you to reflect on what you’ve learned or experienced, and then apply that knowledge or experience to your practice, is CPD. You are encouraged to maintain knowledge in areas relevant to your work, as well as increase your awareness of wider legislative and regulatory factors.
A balanced programme of CPD will include a wide range of formal and informal activities, both personal and professional. You set your own CPD priorities at the beginning of the year, to focus your development.
The following provides some examples of different types and methods of professional development activity:
Home-based learning – private study, structured reading on particular themes or topics. Use of audio, video or multi-media resources and other distance-learning material
Action-based learning – a systematic, structured approach to the solving of problems in the workplace
Preparation of material – for courses, technical meetings or publication in the technical press
Research – supervised research
Work based development – background reading, research or preparation required to tackle a new area of work, visiting landscape projects, supporting colleagues, mentoring students, or developing IT skills
LI activities – of a technical or professional nature
Events – conferences, seminars, workshops or other technical and professional events and meetings including in-house training. Can include soft skills as well as technical skills e.g. presenting, managing a team
Study – courses leading to a qualification, short academic courses, open or distance learning, individual study, attending lectures and seminars, delivering lectures and tutorials
Our commitment to CPD
We support members in meeting their professional development objectives by providing a range of opportunities for CPD.
We deliver national and local events as well as free webinars available to watch on demand via LI Campus, provide an online case study library and technical resources section within our website, and write news and blogs about information and resources which may be of help to members.
