professional competence
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Professionals accept responsibility for the maintenance and enhancement of their levels of knowledge, skills and professional competence.
The BSSS CPD Programme gives members the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to the continuing development of their overall professional competence and to maximise their ability to contribute to society, through application of the skills acquired throughout their professional life.
Continuing Professional Development
What is CPD?
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) describes the activities you undertake in addition to on-the-job training, which contribute to your improvement and development as a soil scientist.
CPD enables learning to become conscious, proactive and reflective, rather than reactive. It involves documenting and keeping a record of the increasing skills, knowledge and experience gained throughout your career.
The Importance of CPD
How does it benefit me?
CPD provides a structured framework to learning that encourages individuals to improve their workplace skills and knowledge. It helps keep academic and practical qualifications up-to-date, and allows an individual to continually upskill throughout their career.
CPD also enables individuals to showcase their further learning and development, which can help create a competitive advantage within the job market. CPD can help increase confidence, with the knowledge that professional capabilities are improving and evolving to support industry changes.
BSSS CPD Programme
What is Required?
All Full or Fellow members of the British Society of Soil Science are required to undertake and record Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities on an annual basis, as detailed in the Society’s Code of Conduct, in order to retain the M.I. Soil Sci or F.I. Soil Sci designation.
The BSSS CPD standards are to:
- Maintain a continuous, up-to-date, accurate and reflective record of CPD activities and be able to provide supporting evidence if requested
- Demonstrate that CPD activities are a mixture of learning activities relevant to current or future practice
- Seek to ensure that CPD has benefited the quality of practice and reflect upon this
- Seek to ensure that CPD has benefited the users of a member’s work (employee, customer, student etc) and reflect upon this.
BSSS CPD Programme
The main Aims of CPD
The most important aspect of CPD is the outcome of an activity for the individual, rather than the length of time engaged in it. Learning outcomes and, where relevant, their application to practice should be recorded for each piece of CPD undertaken.
Some of the main aims of CPD are:
- maintaining scientific and technical knowledge,
- developing scientific and technical knowledge,
- broadening scientific and technical knowledge beyond one’s speciality,
- acquiring professional life skills and knowledge, e.g. management techniques, interpersonal skills, finance, languages.
BSSS CPD Programme
Types of CPD Activities
There is no one-size-fits all approach to CPD, however a blended approach to learning that incorporates a full range of different types of CPD can increase chances of knowledge retention and engagement.
Work-based Learning
Work-based learning is professional development that takes place by fulfilling the current job role. Such development naturally takes place as experience is gained in the role, greater independence and responsibility is given, and the complexity and scope of work undertaken increases.
Work-based learning also includes in-house learning activities and development opportunities that are provided by the employer as part of staff orientation and development in support of organisational performance and objectives.
Examples:
- Experiential learning: learning by doing the job – gaining, and learning from, experience – expanding role
- In-service training – includes orientation programmes, standard operating procedures and employee development
- Receiving coaching from others
- Work shadowing
- Peer review of own work, including presentations to colleagues
- Review of case studies & literature
- Discussions with colleagues – idea generation, problem solving, etc.
- Presentations to external clients, regulators, policy makers
- Supervising colleagues or students
- Job rotation, secondments, and sabbaticals
- Involvement in the wider work of employer – beyond scope of role
- Post-mortem & lessons learnt activities following significant projects, events
- Requesting and analysing feedback on performance from colleagues, clients
- Participating in the employer’s performance appraisal and goal setting process.
Professional Activity
Professional activities that support professional development include participating in the management and organisation of a professional body; and also participating in activities that develop the professional skills and knowledge of other professionals, and participating in activities that apply statistical expertise in the wider community.
Examples:
- Involvement in the management of a professional body – officer, organiser, committee member, working group member
- Organiser of a conference, scientific meeting or course
- Being an examiner
- Being a referee for a journal
- Supervisor of research
- Membership of a technical expert group – e.g. special interest group, section or study group
- Being an expert witness
- Lecturing or teaching (new material)
- Giving presentations or being a discussant at conferences or scientific meetings
- Networking with professionals in other organisations
- Coaching or mentoring.
Formal / Educational
Formal/educational professional development includes participation in activities that lead to gaining academic/professional qualifications and the attendance at structured learning activities organised by professional bodies, learned societies or training providers; and also the preparation of papers, articles or presentations for a professional audience.
Examples:
- Undertaking a programme of learning or research for an academic qualification
- Attending training courses, conferences or scientific meetings
- Undertaking distance learning or e-learning activities
- Reading to understand the legal, regulatory framework for professional work
- Maintaining or developing specialist skills
- Writing articles or papers
- Preparing presentations for conferences or scientific meetings
- Preparing material for training courses.
Self-directed learning
Self-directed learning takes place when the individual takes the initiative in diagnosing learning needs, formulating learning goals, designing learning experiences, identifying and using human and material resources and evaluating learning outcomes.
Examples:
- Reading books, journals and articles
- Reviewing and summarising books and articles
- Upgrading knowledge through internet searches and the use of electronic information sources
- Reflective practice – assessing benefit of CPD activities to self, client or employer – identifying next steps.
Other
Activities which do not require soil science expertise, but which help develop transferable skills and gain experiences that are valuable in the current professional role or in future career directions. These would include involvement in strategic activities for the employer; and activities carried out outside of professional life.
Examples:
- Strategic projects for employer (e.g. organisational restructuring, strategic planning & resourcing, external/community relations, facility development)
- Public service (e.g. school governor, church parish councillor)
- Voluntary work (e.g. leader of scouting activity, telephone advice for Samaritans)
- Charitable work (e.g. trustee of charity, organiser of fundraising event).
Templates and guidance
Recording Your CPD
Download the documents below to keep record of your CPD activity in readiness for the annual submission. From 1 January 2026, it will be mandatory for all Full or Fellow BSSS members to submit a record of their CPD activities on an annual basis in order to retain the M.I. Soil Sci or F.I. Soil Sci designation.
A GOOD CPD SUBMISSION EXAMPLE
A good submission highlights a number of CPD activities covering three or more categories. It provides comprehensive descriptions and highlights the benefit of each activity for both the quality of practice and the users of the work. Although evidence does not need to be provided unless requested, it is good tyo highlight that it is readily available. A good submission offers good reflection and looks ahead to plans for the next year covering all categories.
A CPD SUBMISSION EXAMPLE that needs improvement
A bad submission only provides CPD activities for two categories, and does not meet the minimum criteria of three. It only provides basic descriptions and limited detail as to the benefit of each activity for both the quality of practice and the users of the work. Although evidence does not need to be provided unless requested, it is recommended to highlight what the evidence may be. A poor submission offers limited or no reflection and does not sufficiently detail activities planned for the year ahead.
Other Uses for CPD
This CPD evidence can be used to support a CSci application.
The British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) is licensed by the Science Council to award the qualification Chartered Scientist (CSci).
The Chartered Scientist designation allows professional scientists to be recognised for their competence, ability and integrity and serving the public interest.
Chartered Scientists are committed to keeping their skills and knowledge up to date through continuing professional development (CPD) which is submitted for review on an annual basis.