Following the launch of the online CPD record for members in December 2023, ICAEW has continued to develop the tool and our processes to make it easy to verify as much ICAEW content as possible.

At the start of July, ICAEW started offering a new way to add attendance to events and webinars to your CPD record. Over the coming months, you will start seeing the option to simply click a link or scan a QR code to add and verify these activities, rather than having to create them manually and then upload evidence.

The new system means that the event title and time will automatically be populated as a new CPD activity and, when saved, it will be allocated towards your verifiable CPD hours. 

Event attendees will be able to look out for QR codes at the venue, while those attending webinars or watching them on demand will see them in slide decks. Email links will also be sent out in attendance emails.

“We understand how busy our members are and we are committed to making the maintenance of your CPD record and verifying your activities as easy as possible,” explains Andrea Cook, ICAEW’s Director of Specialised and Lifelong Learning.

“There’s a huge range of ICAEW webinars and events, live and on demand, that are included in your membership, so we hope that our continued efforts will enable you to make the most of these resources to support your professional development.” 

Making the CPD record more user friendly

Alongside the new way to add events, there have been additional changes in July to the CPD record to improve user experience, following feedback from members. 

When adding a new CPD activity, the fields relating to why you chose the activity and what you learned from it are now optional. This means an activity can be added quickly and then amended with additional detail at a more convenient time. 

We have also disabled the function to apply a ‘topic’ to an activity and are working to make this more user friendly.

CPD events this autumn

The quieter summer months can offer a good time to reflect on how you are progressing against your CPD requirements and plan activities for the rest of the year. 

ICAEW’s events programme ramps back up in the autumn with a series of virtual and live events planned, including the Annual Member Conference on 4 October.

This year, the event is themed around chartered accountants’ role in shaping the economies of tomorrow, with three streams of content focused on sustainability, leadership and technology. Attendees will hear about revitalising audits in a tech-driven world, pathways to achieving a nature-positive economy, how to lead through change and much more. 

Throughout the autumn, ICAEW will also be hosting live annual conferences supporting members in specific sectors, including:

• Valuations 
• Farming and rural affairs
• Personal financial planning
• Legal (solicitors)

For those looking for virtual events, our European team is hosting a free series of webinars on career empowerment, with sessions on negotiating finance and coaching skills for modern leaders.

Included in your membership, you can also attend webinars produced by many of our communities and faculties. For those in practice, our Small Practitioner Communities are hosting their regular webinars covering hot topics and tax in practice. Meanwhile, the Tax Faculty is hosting a webinar offering an update on payroll benefits and expenses.

Autumn also sees the second half of ICAEW’s Essentials CPD annual programme, which offers technical know-how in two-hour virtual sessions from £55. The programme covers topics ranging from anti-money laundering and auditing blockchain, to climate change reporting and key tax developments for those working in business. You can browse the more than 30 courses available on events.icaew.com.