What Is CPE?

Continuing Professional Education (CPE) refers to structured learning activities undertaken by professionals to maintain, develop, or enhance their knowledge, skills, and professional competence.

CPE is an important part of ongoing professional learning. It enables individuals to continue developing after completing their initial education, training, or professional qualification.

Why Is CPE Important?

Professional knowledge and workplace practices can change over time. New technologies, regulations, standards, research, methods, and professional expectations may require individuals to continue developing their knowledge and skills.

CPE provides a structured approach to ongoing learning and can help professionals:

Maintain current professional knowledge
Develop new skills and competencies
Keep up with developments in their field
Address identified learning needs
Support professional development
Document participation in continuing education activities

What Counts as CPE?

CPE can include a range of structured educational and professional learning activities.

Depending on the applicable requirements, examples may include:

Professional education courses
Workshops and seminars
Educational conferences
Structured training programs
Lectures and educational sessions
Online and distance learning
Professional development activities
Other qualifying structured learning activities

The fact that an activity is educational does not automatically mean that it qualifies as CPE. The activity should meet the applicable requirements for educational content, learning objectives, participation, documentation, and quality assurance.

CPE and Professional Development

CPE is closely connected with professional development but the terms are not necessarily identical.

Professional development is a broader concept that may include formal education, workplace learning, mentoring, experience, and other forms of professional growth. CPE generally focuses on structured continuing educational activities that can be documented and evaluated.

Learning Objectives

A quality CPE activity should have clearly defined educational objectives.

Learning objectives help identify what participants are expected to know, understand, or be able to do after completing the activity.

Well-defined objectives also help providers design appropriate educational content and evaluate whether the activity achieved its intended purpose.

CPE Credit

CPE activities may be assigned a credit value according to the applicable CPE framework or requirements.

The way CPE credit is calculated can vary according to the relevant organization, professional field, credential, regulatory authority, or accreditation framework.

Participants should therefore verify the applicable credit requirements before assuming that a particular activity will satisfy an external professional or regulatory obligation.

Documenting CPE

Accurate documentation is an important part of continuing professional education.

Depending on the applicable requirements, a CPE record may include:

Participant name
Title of the educational activity
Date of participation or completion
Duration or credit value
Provider or organization name
Completion status
Certificate or other evidence of participation

Professionals should retain their CPE records for the period required by the relevant professional, organizational, credentialing, or regulatory requirements.

CPE Certificates

Providers may issue certificates or other records to participants who successfully complete a qualifying CPE activity.

A CPE certificate should accurately describe the activity and the credit or participation information associated with it.

A certificate confirms participation or completion according to the provider’s requirements. It should not automatically be interpreted as proof that the activity satisfies every external licensing, regulatory, employment, or professional requirement.

For CPE Providers

Organizations providing CPE activities should establish appropriate processes for educational planning, delivery, participant registration, attendance or completion, evaluation, documentation, and recordkeeping.

Providers should ensure that their CPE activities are accurately described and that any credit claims are supported by appropriate evidence.

For Professionals

Professionals should select CPE activities that are relevant to their knowledge, skills, responsibilities, and development needs.

Where CPE is required by an employer, professional association, licensing authority, credentialing body, or regulator, individuals should confirm that the selected activity meets the requirements of that organization.

CPE and IABCET

IABCET’s continuing education framework can support the development and documentation of structured professional education and learning activities.

Organizations seeking to provide CPE should follow the applicable IABCET requirements relating to educational quality, learning objectives, credit calculation, participant records, certificates, evaluation, and quality assurance.

Related CPE & CEU Information

Important Note

CPE requirements vary between professional fields, organizations, employers, regulators, and credentialing bodies. Completion of a CPE activity should not automatically be represented as satisfying an external requirement unless that acceptance has been independently established.

Specific IABCET CPE requirements should be determined according to the applicable current policies and procedures.