Accumulate CPD credits monthly

The PIRB has many plumbers scrambling last minute to submit their CPD credits before their cycle expires. This is often done to avoid being demoted to a Qualified Plumber, who may no longer issue CoC’s due to not reaching their CPD credit quota within their cycle.

Unfortunately, the plumbers doing this are missing the entire objective of the Continuing Professional Development program.

The purpose of the CPD system is the following;

• To improve skills and knowledge by proactive learning
• To ensure learning objectives have been met and what skills will be put into practice to improve and increase proficiency in the industry
• Annual progression within the plumbing field
• To support and encourage ‘life-long learning’
• Enable compliance

Simply put CPD is by-product of what a person does naturally i.e. we learn and develop daily in some form or another. The CPD program should not be seen as a burden and not be limited to the traditional “classroom” or “book learning” activities but also the development/improvement of one’s self as a person and within one’s work environment.

Registered PIRB plumbers should take pride in the fact that they are required to accumulate credits as only registered professionals are required to do this, professionals such as doctors, veterinarians, architects and pilots, to name a few.

Often, plumbers raise the issue of not having enough time or money to accumulate credits, however, this is often when they have discovered that they have not submitted credits in the 11 months passed and are now scrambling to fulfill their quota in one month.

CPD credits are relatively easy to accumulate if plumbers dedicate time each month to doing so. There are various weekly and monthly activities which take place that plumbers can undertake. Most weekly webinars take up 30 minutes of the day and are either downloadable or published elsewhere for plumbers to access at any time of the day or night.

There are enough various activities which are free of charge for plumbers who do not have the financial means currently to accumulate credits, to carry them through their respective cycles.

The CPD process is there simply to help and manage an individual’s own development on an ongoing basis, keeping record thereof, reviewing and guiding them on what is learnt and should be learnt, and in turn making the individual an improved and professional plumber. More improved and professional plumbers mean a better standard of plumbing in South Africa as well as increased consumer confidence in the profession.

It is the responsibility of every professional plumber registered with the PIRB to keep up to date with their CPD activities and submit their credits to the PIRB on time and preferably on a monthly basis. By just dedicating an hour a month to CPD activities, plumbers will soon realise that the task of accumulating enough credits is not daunting at all.

For further information please visit https://pirb.co.za/cpd-programs/cpd-faq/ or email cpd@host-h.net