Achieving PWI Professional Registration is a very proud moment because it confirms recognition from your peers of your skills, knowledge and experience but it is equally important we maintain these competences in the future.
Like other professions, we do this by carrying out Continuous Professional Development (CPD), and the PWI carries out a yearly audit of 5% of members’ CPD records. The audit results are not just an Engineering Council requirement but also help us to advise and guide our members on the benefits of CPD.
This year’s audit found CPD records contained a very broad selection of activities and subjects. These included attendance at seminars, online Lunch and Learns, reading technical reports, and attending employer in-house training. The records usually included specific lessons learnt and reflective thoughts indicating future actions, but we did note some activities did not link to a Personal Development Plan (PDP) objective, and some records did not link to any associated Plan at all! We also felt that some objectives in PDPs were perhaps too high level for members to usefully measure progress.
Overall, we felt many activities recorded were likely to be training needs agreed at annual reviews with the member’s line manager. These requirements are clearly important to maintaining engineering competence in your current post, but in a changing industry with regular reorganisations, we would recommend your PDP is an opportunity to develop some personal actions for your future career.
For example, you could set an objective to gain a more detailed understanding of embankment instability, rail wear degradation or the risks associated with managing critical rail temperatures.
Perhaps you think in the future it would help to have a better understanding of how work programmes or projects are initiated. All the above topics are covered in the rail media, Journal, our excellent Lunch & Learn programme, and local Section meetings.
Many years ago, I remember hearing my soccer coach shouting from the side “somebody put your foot on the ball.” The game was very frantic, and players were just reacting without a plan of the next move. Eventually, a player stopped the ball to think, and passes were then better controlled… until I got the ball! You may recognise the situation in your daily work on occasions. Perhaps we should all make time to “put our foot on the ball” and consider how we will prepare personally for inevitable changes.
The industry faces a great deal of change: the establishment of Great British Railways, a rapidly changing climate, and vast amounts of industry and engineering data being produced, to name a few. So we recommend you also include some specific personal aims in your PDP which can help you develop your future career aspirations alongside your current role requirements.
Your CPD record should then include reflection on what you have learnt, to assess whether you are heading in the right direction. Future changes can be challenging but from my own experience they also provide opportunities. If you would like to discuss your Development Plan, then please do not hesitate to contact the PWI Registration team (profeng@thepwi.org).