Yes, internal meetings absolutely count as valid Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the UK, provided they meet specific criteria for structure and demonstrable learning. The key is that the activity must genuinely enhance your professional knowledge, skill, or competence, and you must maintain an auditable record. For many chartered bodies, internal training, technical discussions, or specific project review meetings qualify if they have a clear developmental objective.
Understanding CPD Eligibility in the UK #
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a mandatory requirement for professionals across various sectors in the UK, particularly in regulated industries like architecture, engineering, and finance. The fundamental principle is that the activity should lead to measurable learning or personal growth that improves professional practice.
The Regulatory Context: What Defines Valid CPD? #
While specific professional bodies (e.g., RIBA, ICE, CIBSE) have their own nuanced guidelines, the core eligibility requirements for a CPD activity generally hinge on the following four elements, which internal meetings can certainly fulfil:
- Relevance to Practice: The content must be directly applicable to your current or future role, strengthening your competence in a professional area.
- Clear Learning Objective: The meeting must have a pre-defined purpose focused on education, not merely administration or project management.
- Active Learning: Passive attendance is often insufficient. Valid CPD usually requires interaction, discussion, or a requirement to apply the knowledge gained.
- Documentation and Reflection: You must maintain a record detailing the activity, what you learned, and how it will impact your work.
Academic Sources on Developmental Activities #
Academic research into professional learning consistently supports the idea that informal and work-based learning constitutes a significant, and often more effective, portion of professional development than formal courses alone.
- A 2017 study by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) found that up to 70% of workplace learning occurs through informal activities, including on-the-job interaction, problem-solving, and, critically, structured internal knowledge-sharing.
- The CPD Standards Office (CPDSO), which accredits CPD programmes, explicitly endorses structured internal activities. Their guidance states that internal training, technical updates, and ‘lessons learned’ sessions are all acceptable forms of verifiable CPD, provided they meet quality standards for content and delivery.
- The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), for instance, categorises CPD into ‘Structured’ (e.g., seminars, formal training) and ‘Informal’ (e.g., reading, technical discussions). Technical internal meetings fall neatly into the Structured category when they are planned, delivered by an expert, and focus on one of the ten key curriculum areas. RIBA requires 100 units of CPD annually, with a minimum of 50 units structured, and a well-organised internal meeting can contribute significantly to this.
How Internal Meetings Transform into Valid CPD #
To move from a standard project update to a verifiable CPD activity, an internal meeting needs a deliberate structural shift.
| Characteristic | Standard Internal Meeting | Valid CPD Meeting (Internal) |
| Primary Goal | Project update, task allocation, administrative check-in. | Knowledge transfer, skill enhancement, analysis of complex technical issues. |
| Format | Open discussion, unstructured agenda. | Structured agenda with dedicated learning slot, presentation, or case study review. |
| Content Focus | ‘What’ and ‘When’ (deadlines, progress). | ‘Why’ and ‘How’ (technical methods, regulatory changes, best practice). |
| Documentation | Meeting minutes (actions, decisions). | CPD log entry (attendee list, learning aims, reflective notes). |
FRAKT’s Perspective: The Clarity-Driven CPD #
At FRAKT, we view CPD not merely as a compliance exercise but as an engine for intellectual rigour and future-alignment. Internal meetings are a powerhouse for development when managed through the lens of clarity and detail as a discipline.
Harnessing Cognitive Load: Meetings as Focused Learning Modules #
Standard internal meetings often suffer from high cognitive load due to irrelevant administrative chatter. This immediately undermines their value as CPD. We believe the key is to surgically isolate the learning component.
- Principle of Isolation: Dedicate a specific, ring-fenced portion of the meeting to a technical deep dive. For example, a 30-minute ‘Project Review’ can be followed by a 20-minute ‘Technical Deep Dive on Fire Stopping Best Practice’ based on a critical issue encountered in that very project. This shifts the internal meeting from an administrative drain to a focused learning module.
- Case Study Rigour: Use a recent project failure, technical challenge, or innovative solution as a live case study. The discussion should not just be about the issue but about the lesson learned. What was the latent design risk? How did the new Building Safety Act regulations impact the solution? This provides concrete, UK-centric evidence of professional growth.
Leveraging Peer-to-Peer Expertise and Integrity of Thought #
Internal meetings are a unique platform for leveraging the collective intelligence of your team. This informal peer-to-peer training is highly effective because it directly addresses real-world, context-specific problems, which boosts knowledge retention.
- The ‘Teach-Back’ Method: Ask a team member who recently attended external training or solved a novel technical problem to present their learning to the wider group. This ‘teach-back’ method reinforces their own knowledge (known as the protégé effect) and ensures that high-value information disseminates rapidly and consistently across the firm. This demonstrably meets the CPD requirement for ‘active learning’.
- Scenario Planning: Use internal meetings to run ‘What If’ scenarios related to evolving regulations, such as the new competence requirements under the Building Safety Act. By simulating a complex scenario, the discussion generates verifiable learning outcomes regarding compliance pathways and necessary procedural changes. This foresight is core to Future Alignment.
Data and Specific Facts: Quantifying the Value #
To validate an internal meeting as CPD, you need specific, documented facts:
| Fact Type | Example Data for CPD Logging (UK Focus) | How it Meets CPD Standards |
| Objective | Discussion on ‘Updates to Approved Document B (Fire Safety) and its impact on material specification.’ | Clear learning aim: Understanding recent UK regulatory changes. |
| Duration/Format | 45 minutes; structured presentation by Senior Engineer followed by 15-minute Q&A. | Provides auditable time and structured format. |
| Knowledge Gained | Confirmed the reduction of combustible materials permitted in external walls above 18m. Identified three non-compliant products currently on the practice’s specification library. | Specific, actionable learning that changes professional behaviour. |
| Future Impact | All future project specification sheets to include a pre-check against the updated Approved Document B standards, reducing design risk. | Evidence of the learning being applied to professional practice (the goal of CPD). |
The Role of Documentation: Simplicity Without Simplification #
The difference between a meeting and a CPD session is the rigour of the documentation. Do not over-engineer the process, but do not neglect the necessary details.
- Standardised Template: Implement a simple, mandatory template for any meeting designated as internal CPD. This template should include the Date, Time, Speaker, Learning Objective, a brief summary of Key Takeaways, and a Reflection Box. This low-friction system ensures that Detail as a Discipline is maintained without excessive administrative load.
- Reflection is Not Optional: The reflection box is vital. It forces the attendee to connect the learning to their work: “How will I use this information next week?” For the auditor, this sentence proves the individual has intellectually engaged, transforming passive attendance into active development.
Practical Steps for Implementation #
Manufacturers, specifically, should leverage the depth of their in-house technical teams.
- Map Internal Expertise: Catalogue the technical knowledge within the organisation (e.g., thermal performance, seismic detailing, acoustic design). These become your internal CPD ‘presenters’.
- Align with Professional Bodies: Ensure your internal CPD themes map directly to the curriculum required by your specifiers’ key professional bodies (e.g., RIBA’s 10 CPD curriculum topics). This makes your internal content immediately recognisable and loggable.
- Time Blocking: Integrate a ‘Technical Tuesday’ or ‘FRAKT Friday’ CPD session into the weekly schedule. By making it a regular, expected event, it reduces the cognitive friction of planning and attendance.
Therefore, re-engineering your internal technical discussions into verifiable, structured learning modules is a powerful and efficient way to ensure your professional team not only complies with UK CPD requirements but genuinely elevates its collective technical competence and future-proofing.
