• Promote the profession as a whole within the public sector
• Support members in their efforts to respond to the challenges on implementing ICT in the rapidly changing environment that now exists in the public sector
• Enable Socitm members to demonstrate to their employers and colleagues their own professional competencies

The scheme is not intended to impose an additional burden on members, but rather to provide a way of recording formally activities which members should in any event be undertaking to maintain and improve their professional skills, so making such activities ‘visible’ to employers and colleagues. 

The CPD process consists of maintaining a log of a range of activities that contribute to a participant’s professional development, including both formal training such as attending courses, and ‘on-the-job’ experience, such as presenting a report to committee for the first time. CPD Units are allocated for these and each participant is expected to achieve a target of 20 Units per year.

Participants may register for CPD at any time. Simply complete the initial Development Plan form and e-mail it to Paul Offen, the CPD Manager. During the year participants should complete the Activity Record each time a qualifying activity is completed. At the end of the year, participants should submit a completed Evaluation Record to the CPD Manager. Participants will then receive certification that they have undertaken the required level of CPD.

The CPD Manager  may ask to see the Activity Records at any time, and participants should keep evidence of activities undertaken for submission  if required.

CPD is open to all categories of membership of Socitm but will not allow a person to upgrade their membership category, nor will it differentiate between classes of membership, nor will it be a criterion for membership. Participation is purely voluntary.

During the phases  forms and supporting documents can be downloaded from the Socitm website and emailed as attachments to the adjudicator. In the longer term we are moving to a fully electronic system whereby records will be completed and updated directly on the website.

Socitm has recently become an accredited partner of SFIA (Skills for the Infromation Age). SFIA enables employers of IT professionals to carry out a range of HR activities against a common framework of refernce - including skills audit, planning future skills requirments, development programmes, standardisation of job titles and functions, and resource allocation.

Full details of the qualifying activities and of how CPD Units may be calculated are listed in the downloadable files.

Anyone wishing to enrol in the scheme should contact Paul Offen at Paul.offen@virgin.net.