About
Qualifying Professional Development Activities
All CPLD activities must serve to increase professional competency in the broad area defined as the CMA territory. CMA Canada – British Columbia reserves the right to disallow any activity deemed not to meet the CPLD requirement. CPLD must be measurable and verifiable with concrete outcomes.
CMA Canada – British Columbia encourages its members to undertake a broad range of CPLD activities in order to enhance their cross-functional skills.
CPLD activities are broken down into six categories for the purposes of tracking and reporting. These activities are tracked on an input basis. This means that all CPLD activity will have a unit of measure (learning credits) associated with it. In most cases, a learning credit is equivalent to one hour, except where indicated below.
1. Formal learning and development activities
The CPLD requirement is satisfied through formal course study leading to a new degree, diploma or recognized professional designation, or coursework resulting in a final grade.
Examples:
- Courses related to professional activities with structured evaluations such as university courses or programs, MBA degree, distance or part-time university credit courses. In the case of distance education courses, the equivalent hours that would be required for the course if it were taught in the classroom will be used.
Measure:
One (1) hour of classroom time = One (1) learning credit
The learning credit maximum for this category is 80 per year.
2. Informal learning and development activities related to professional competency
The CPLD requirement is achieved through a self-directed program of informal studies that serve to maintain and/or enhance the member’s business and professional competencies.
Examples:
- Certain continuing education courses
- Non-credit courses
- Training courses offered at work
- On-line training
- Conferences - Seminars
Measure:
One (1) hour = One (1) learning credit
The learning credit maximum for this category is 80 per year.
3. Reading or research related to professional competency
This category would involve business reading and research conducted at work and at home.
Examples:
- Reading business journals
- Non-credit courses
- Reading business magazines
- Web-based reading
- Books - Web-based research
Measure:
One (1) hour = One (1) learning credit
The yearly maximum for this CPLD is 30 learning credits per year.
4. Volunteer and community leadership contributing to professional competency
This would require active involvement in the business and volunteer community in roles that highlight, enhance or maintain the member’s professional and business competency.
Examples:
- Mentoring activities
- Serving on volunteer boards or committees
Measure:
One (1) hour = 1.5 learning credits
The yearly maximum for this CPLD category is 25 learning credits per year.
5. Formal teaching and writing contributing to professional competency
This would involve teaching in a formal academic environment or in a defined teaching role within business and/or writing for publication (including approved web-based publications).
Examples:
- Moderating or teaching CMA Canada-related courses
- Moderating or teaching other programs of equivalent level of professionalism
- Writing articles or books of a professional nature
- Delivering presentations.
Measure:
- One (1) hour moderating/teaching time = Two (2) learning credits
- One (1) published article = 15 learning credits
- One (1) extensive paper = 20 learning credits
- One (1) published book = 80 learning credits (exempt from maximum credit restriction)
- One (1) hour presentation time = Two (2) learning credits
- The yearly maximum for this CPLD category is 20 learning credits except where otherwise stated.