Qualifications are for life but they can go out of date if you don't keep your knowledge and skills up-to-date. In a dynamic environment like this, you can't afford to be complacent. One of the main benefits of association membership is being part of the continued personal development (CPD) programme.

Continued personal development (CPD) is the means by which members maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge and skills and develop the personal qualities required when using their awards. The Mountain Training Association encourages good practice and supports members in being professional in their approach and believes that the CPD process is vital for all members, whether working full time in the outdoors or using the awards in a voluntary capacity. Full members commit to gaining two CPD points, which roughly equates to two days, in a five year period.

The Mountain Training Association has a diverse programme of workshops, conferences and regional events planned throughout the year, providing opportunities to update, refresh and enhance your skills. This programme of workshops support the associations' CPD policy for full members (i.e. members that hold a Mountain Training qualification) and provides development opportunities for all members.

CPD policy

The detailed Mountain Training Association CPD policy is available in full for members in the MEMBERS AREA.

Promoting and developing a robust CPD culture raises the profile of the Mountain Training Association and allows us to confidently promote our members to potential employees, organisations and the public. It's also a great asset for a professional CV and highlights your dedication to enhancing your skills and knowledge.

Commitment to CPD is part of being a Full member of the association; it's a great way to keep your skills fresh and up to date and a means of demonstrating to others (including employers) that you are passionate about upholding good standards, good practice and professionalism. The records of full members who have held an award for 5 years are audited annually so it is important to keep your CPD record up to date.

For the purpose of CPD verfication, this information will now come from your Mountain Training digital logbook (DLOG). To ensure your CPD record remains up to date please make sure that your most recent 20 personal/group days/sessions are recorded in the main "Add entry" section of your DLOG (rather than in the 'Files' tab of your DLOG).

If you hold a number of Mountain Training awards you can log relevant experience across the range of schemes.

• Fundamentals for climbing
• GPS
• Social media marketing
• Leadership
• Coasteering and Sea Level Traversing
• Personal Scrambling

In addition to the workshop programme there are a whole host of other continued personal development opportunities recognised by the Mountain Training Association for its members. These include courses run by organisations such as DofE, Scouts, NICAS, Girlguiding, Institute of Outdoor learning as well as employers in-house training and Mountain Rescue training. The association also recognises some Mountaineering Council symposiums, coaching events and conferences as well as a selection of events run by charitable organisations focused on environmental conservation relevant to the awards.

Members have the facility to record all externally recognised CPD opportunities in their online Mountain Training account, which can be made public, for members allowing them to demonstrate that not only do they hold qualifications, but they are actively committed to keeping their skills up to date.

Recording CPD is easy. Simply log into your Mountain Training account, find the CPD tab, click add CPD and then select from a comprehensive list of recognised CPD opportunities.