What is CPD?

Continuing Professional Development is the systematic maintenance, improvement and broadening of knowledge and skills and the development of personal qualities necessary for the execution of professional and technical duties throughout the landscape architect’s working life.

The HKILA’s CPD policy encourages all members to implement and maintain a Personal CPD plan that provides a balanced development of professional knowledge and skills. Relevant CPD activities organized by the HKILA and other organizations will be announced from time to time be announced.

HKILA members are required to submit their Personal CPD Record Sheet to the HKILA at membership renewal.

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  • to encourage a culture of CPD within the membership;

  • to co-ordinate and maximise CPD activities within the HKILA;

  • to facilitate member awareness of CPD Programs and opportunities;

  • to facilitate dissemination of CPD information to members; and
  • to provide guidelines for self evaluation and auditing of individual member’s personal CPD Programmes.

CPD program is a mandatory requirement for members of the HKILA commencing 1st April 2003. The following details apply:

  • CPD is a mandatory requirement of all HKILA Fellow and Professional Members starting from 1st April 2003. CPD is not mandatory of Associate Members but members are required to submit their Personal CPD Plan with each membership renewal and are strongly urged to participate in full CPD activities as this will substantially contribute to their progression to Professional Membership.
  • CPD activities will be fully documented on a Personal CPD Plan.
  • Members shall be required to operate and complete a Personal CPD Plan during each Institute calendar year.
  • The completed Personal CPD Plan will be submitted to HKILA for review upon membership renewal.
  • The HKILA shall review members Personal CPD Plan in terms of its progressive implementation and efficacy.
  • The HKILA shall advise members the acceptability, marginal acceptability, and unacceptability of members Personal CPD Plan.
  • Where the Personal CPD Plan of a member is found acceptable, membership to HKILA is recommended to be renewed.
  • Where the Personal CPD Plan of a member is found marginally acceptable, membership to HKILA is recommended to be renewed subject to conditional advancement of member’s Personal CPD Plan during the forthcoming Institute calendar year. Members shall be requested to take up additional CPD activities make up for those insufficient activities of the previous year.
  • Where the Personal CPD Plan of a member is found unacceptable, Fellow or Professional Membership to HKILA is withdrawn and the member is registered as an Associate Member until such time as an acceptable Personal CPD Plan is submitted.

The CPD policy is designed to ensure attention to all facets of professional development in a recurrent and balanced way. Major topic areas for balanced professional development include:

  1. practice, contract and environmental law, administration and management
  2. technology, materials, techniques and documentation
  3. planning and design theory
  4. natural sciences and environmental management
  5. cultural/heritage landscape and social issues
  6. community participation and general communication processes and skills
  7. Institute works
  8. Others Members should attend major and supplementary CPD activities that are altered to ensure balanced coverage of all topics in the long term. Implementation of the plan should aim to utilise a variety of educational and/or training methods and involvement. Three levels of educational/training activity are recognised:

Level 1:

Documented satisfactory completion of a tertiary academic education either as a course leading to a qualification or having a defined curriculum leading to an examinable/assessable product. Such courses may be undertaken in a variety of modes such as full time, part time, sandwich, distance education, concentrated short/single topic course. Formally supervised research leading to refereed publication and contributing to the profession’s body of knowledge would also qualify.

Level 2:

Institute or professional organisation training courses. These include conferences, seminars, workshops, colloquiums or certified training. Higher weighting should be given to active participation at this level (e.g. a presenter of a paper published in conference proceedings or a workshop leader/participant) in contrast to passive attendance (see Level 3).

Level 3:

Skill enhancement or information gathering. Such activities might include study tours, visiting exhibitions, attendance at public lectures, seminars, and professional representation on panels and working committees (including Institute committees and task forces). Also included in this level is skill enhancement in areas of advocacy, communication and report as part of any of these activities.

The points scheme for measuring CPD activity is:

  • Level 1 activity category: 2.0 points per contact hour
  • Level 2 activity category: 1.0 points per contact hours
  • Level 3 activity category: 0.5 points per contact hours

CPD is a mandatory requirement of all HKILA Fellow and Professional Members starting from 1st April 2003. A minimum of 12 CPD points are required during each calendar year.CPD is not mandatory of Associate Members but members are required to submit their Personal CPD Plan with each membership renewal and are strongly urged to participate in full CPD activities as this will substantially contribute to their progression to Professional membership.Members are encouraged to attend their CPD activities amongst the eight topic areas mentioned above on a balanced basis. The HKILA shall review members Personal CPD Plan both in terms of completeness of CPD points and balance of CPD topics. Members are required to submit their Personal CPD Plan to the HKILA at membership renewal.

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