Title: Letters to the Editor(s)

I read with much interest the article in Overload 58 - 'A Standard Individual: A Licenced Engineer'. I thought it was very good and I agreed with most if not all of it.

One small point however - the BCS CPD (Continuing Professional Development) scheme has not disappeared, in fact it is going strong and highly recommended (if not compulsory) for their professional members to partake of. CPD itself is a requirement for continued membership, it is the recording of it on their scheme that is not compulsory. I record my courses, study with the Open University, seminars and so on with their CPD scheme and have found it to have a good balance between being too complex and rigourous (and thus a chore to comply with) and too simple (which is not of much realistic use).

I am also a member of another professional institution - the Insitute of Physics, which used to have a CPD scheme a few years ago but it was withdrawn and has not (yet) reappeared. As I am registered CEng via the IOP I feel I ought to keep up to date with developments in my field(s) even though it is not required, and therefore I use the BCS scheme for all my development.