CPD requirements by profession
Engineering Council CPD requirements
Last reviewed 9 November 2026
The Engineering Council sits a level above most of the bodies on this site: it is the overarching UK regulator for engineering, but it licenses 36 separate professional engineering institutions — the IET, IMechE, ICE and others — to actually register and monitor engineers day to day. Its own CPD Code reflects that structure. It sets the principles everyone must follow and leaves the detail, including any hours figure, to the institutions themselves.
The short answer: the Engineering Council's CPD Code for Registrants sets no minimum number of hours. It is deliberately outputs-focused: registrants holding CEng, IEng, EngTech or ICTTech status must plan, undertake, record, reflect on and evaluate their CPD, and recording it is mandatory even though no format or hours target is fixed. Licensed institutions sample records annually, and persistent non-engagement with a request for records risks removal from the Engineering Council Register.
A two-tier system: regulator and institutions
Understanding Engineering Council CPD means understanding who does what:
| Engineering Council | Licensed Professional Engineering Institutions (e.g. IMechE, IET, ICE) | |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Sets the overarching CPD Code and UK-SPEC standards | Register members, apply the Code, monitor compliance |
| Hours requirement | None specified | May set their own institution-specific expectations |
| Monitoring | Not stated as a direct function | Annual sampling of registrants' CPD records, with feedback |
| Consequence of non-engagement | Removal from the Engineering Council Register | Initiates and manages the sampling and follow-up process |
This means the practical answer to “how much CPD do I need?” depends on which institution you're registered through. The Engineering Council's own Code sets the floor of principle, not a number — check your specific institution's own guidance for anything more specific.
What the CPD Code actually requires
In place of hours, the Code asks registrants to do seven things:
- Take ownership of their learning and development needs, and develop a plan.
- Undertake a variety of development activities.
- Record their CPD activities.
- Reflect upon what they have learned or achieved, and record those reflections.
- Evaluate their CPD activities against any objectives they have set.
- Review their learning and development plan regularly.
- Support the learning and development of others, such as through mentoring.
That seventh point is distinctive among UK CPD schemes: most frame CPD purely as something you receive, but the Engineering Council's Code explicitly includes supporting others' development, through mentoring, as part of your own CPD obligation. The Code sits within UK-SPEC (the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence) for CEng and IEng, and the separate ICTTech Standard for technician registrants.
Recording is mandatory, even without a hours target
It's worth being precise about this distinction, because it's easy to assume no hours figure means no real obligation. The Engineering Council states plainly that recording CPD undertaken is mandatory for registered engineers and technicians. What isn't fixed is the format: no single required template is mandated by the Engineering Council itself, though its own platform, mycareerpath, is described as adopted by many licensed institutions for their members to use. Check whether your own institution requires mycareerpath specifically or accepts another format.
Annual sampling, not central audit
The Engineering Council's own guidance places the monitoring function with the institutions, not itself directly: Licensed Professional Engineering Institutions undertake annual samples of registrants' CPD records and provide feedback. This mirrors several other bodies' random-sample approach, but the layer of indirection — your institution checks, not the Engineering Council centrally — is distinctive among UK schemes.
The stated consequence is specific and notably narrow: it applies to professionally active registrants who persistently do not respond to or engage with requests for CPD records. The risk described is removal from the Engineering Council Register. The guidance doesn't describe a graduated warning system the way bodies such as the RTPI or GCC do, which makes responding to any institution request promptly the safest course, since the stated trigger is non-engagement itself rather than a shortfall in hours.
Where CPD accreditation fits — and where it doesn’t
The Engineering Council's general CPD guidance does not describe a scheme for accrediting external CPD providers or courses; it notes that licensed institutions may themselves offer direct CPD such as workshops, site visits, lectures or short courses. An AssuredCPD-accredited course is not approved or endorsed by the Engineering Council or any licensed institution, and we have no affiliation with them.
What independent accreditation offers an engineer is particularly relevant given how much the Code emphasises reflection and evaluation against self-set objectives: an AssuredCPD-accredited course has written, measurable learning outcomes, assessed under our Standards Framework, that give you something concrete to plan against, reflect on and evaluate — the exact structure the Code's seven points ask for. A justified, honest hours figure and a verifiable certificate reference also give you something solid to produce if your institution samples your record.
If you deliver CPD to engineers or technicians, design with reflection and evaluation in mind, not just content delivery, since that is what the Code's own language emphasises. Our guide to writing learning outcomes that pass and writing a CPD reflective statement cover both sides of that.
How the UK bodies compare
CPD requirements are set independently by each body, and they differ far more than most people expect. Across the twenty-three below, several set no hours target at all; several count records, pieces or outcomes rather than time; several fix a share of the total as structured, verifiable or participatory; and two tie around half or more of the requirement to named subject areas. The Engineering Council is unusual in delegating both the hours question and day-to-day monitoring to licensed institutions beneath it, rather than setting either centrally.
| Body | Who it covers | CPD requirement | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| NMC | Nurses, midwives, nursing associates | 35 hrs per 3 yrs (20 participatory) | 3-year revalidation |
| GDC | Dentists and dental care professionals | 100 / 75 / 50 hrs per 5 yrs, all verifiable | 5-year cycle from registration |
| ICAEW | Chartered accountants | 20 / 30 / 40 hrs by category, part verifiable | Annual CPD year |
| ACCA | Chartered certified accountants | 40 units/yr (21 verifiable, 19 not) | Annual CPD year |
| Engineering Council | CEng, IEng, EngTech, ICTTech registrants | No hours; outputs-focused, institution-sampled annually | Ongoing, licensed institution monitors |
| CII | Insurance, financial planning and mortgage professionals | 35 hrs (21 structured), 30-min minimum per activity | Any 12-month period |
| IFoA | Actuaries | 15 hrs/yr (2 professional skills); extra for Practising Certificate holders | Annual CPD year, declared at renewal |
| IOSH | Health and safety practitioners | 30 hrs per year (Chartered) | Year from renewal date |
| CIOB | Construction professionals | 25 hrs per year, 12 across four themes | Subscription year |
| RICS | Surveyors | 20 hrs per year (10 structured) | Calendar year |
| ARB | Architects on the UK Register | No hours; 8 activities suggested, each with reflection | Calendar year, declared at renewal |
| RIBA | Chartered Members | 35 hrs per year (20 on ten core topics) | Calendar year, record by 31 Dec |
| RTPI | Chartered town planners | 50 hrs per 2 yrs (~25/yr), PDP required | Calendar years, random annual audit |
| GPhC | Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians | 4 records, 1 peer discussion, 1 reflective account | Annual, by renewal |
| CILEX | Legal executives | 9 outcomes/yr (5+ planned) + professionalism | Annual, by 30 Sep |
| CIPD | HR and L&D professionals | No mandatory hours; ~30 recommended, 3 records | Calendar year |
| HCPC | Allied health and care professionals | No hours; standards-based, 2.5% audited | Each renewal |
| BACP | Counsellors and psychotherapists (registered members) | ~30 hrs/yr norm, outcomes-focused, random audit | Rolling, checked at renewal |
| BSB | Barristers (England and Wales) | 45 hrs over first 3 yrs (NPP); no hours after (EPP) | 3-year NPP, then ongoing EPP |
| GCC | Chiropractors | 30 hrs/yr (15 with others), directed topic | Annual, to 31 Aug |
| Social Work England | Social workers in England | 2+ pieces/yr (1 with peer reflection) | Annual, by 30 Nov |
| RCVS | Veterinary surgeons and nurses | 35 hrs (vets) / 15 hrs (nurses) + reflection | Calendar year |
| SRA | Solicitors | No hours; annual declaration of competence | Annual declaration |
Three practical points fall out of that table. First, a figure from one body tells you nothing about another — the Engineering Council's no-hours Code and the CII's strict 35-hour rule sit at opposite ends of the same broad landscape. Second, several bodies specify not just how much CPD but who checks it: the Engineering Council delegates this to institutions, where the RTPI and GCC check centrally themselves. Third, where a body's sanction is triggered by non-engagement rather than a shortfall, as the Engineering Council's is, responding promptly to any request matters more than hitting a particular number.
Five mistakes that cost engineers their CPD compliance
- Assuming no hours figure means no real obligation. Recording CPD is mandatory regardless; there's simply no minimum time attached to it.
- Checking only the Engineering Council's Code and not your own institution's. Your specific institution may add its own expectations on top of the Code's principles.
- Skipping the reflection and evaluation steps. The Code asks for more than a log of activities; it explicitly asks you to reflect on and evaluate what you did against your own objectives.
- Not treating mentoring as part of your own CPD. Supporting others' development is one of the Code's seven points, not an optional extra.
- Going quiet when your institution requests your record. The stated trigger for removal is persistent non-engagement, not a shortfall in hours, so responding promptly is the single safest action.
Common questions
How many CPD hours do registered engineers need?
The Engineering Council's CPD Code for Registrants does not specify a minimum amount of time to spend on CPD each year. It focuses on the outputs of CPD activity instead, and requirements vary by discipline and career stage. Individual Licensed Professional Engineering Institutions may set their own expectations, but the Engineering Council's own Code does not fix an hours figure.
Who does the Engineering Council CPD Code apply to?
Registrants holding Chartered Engineer (CEng), Incorporated Engineer (IEng), Engineering Technician (EngTech) or ICT Technician (ICTTech) status.
Is recording CPD mandatory for registered engineers?
Yes. The Engineering Council states that recording CPD undertaken is mandatory for registered engineers and technicians, though it does not mandate a specific format.
What does the Engineering Council's CPD Code actually ask registrants to do?
Seven things: take ownership of their learning and development needs and develop a plan; undertake a variety of development activities; record their CPD activities; reflect on what they've learned and record those reflections; evaluate their CPD against any objectives they've set; review their learning and development plan regularly; and support the learning and development of others, such as through mentoring.
What is mycareerpath?
The Engineering Council's own online professional development system, described as adopted by many Licensed Professional Engineering Institutions for use by their members. It is not stated as mandatory; institutions choose whether to use it.
Does the Engineering Council itself audit CPD records?
Not directly, based on its own published guidance. It states that Licensed Professional Engineering Institutions undertake annual samples of registrants' CPD records and provide feedback, placing the monitoring role with the registrant's own institution rather than the Engineering Council centrally.
What happens if a registered engineer doesn't respond to a CPD record request?
The Engineering Council's guidance states that professionally active registrants who persistently do not respond to or engage with requests for CPD records from a Licensed Institution risk removal from the Engineering Council Register.
Does the Engineering Council accredit CPD providers or courses?
Its general CPD guidance does not describe an accreditation scheme for external providers. It notes that Licensed Institutions may offer direct CPD opportunities such as workshops, site visits, lectures or short courses themselves.
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AssuredCPD is an independent CPD accreditation body. We are not a government or regulatory body and do not award regulated qualifications. AssuredCPD accreditation is not endorsement, approval or recognition by any professional body named on this page, and we have no affiliation with them. Requirements are summarised from each body’s own published guidance and were checked on 9 November 2026; those bodies change their rules from time to time, so always confirm against the official source linked above before relying on it.