In a recent article, we explained that PeopleCert now requires all ITIL 4 certificate holders to renew their certification in one of three ways:
- Take and pass an ITIL certification exam again.
- Sit for an additional ITIL 4 course.
- Earn Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits.
At the time of our previous article, PeopleCert had not fully elaborated on what counts towards CPD. Now that PeopleCert has fleshed this out, in this article we discuss CPD requirements, including how many CPD credits are necessary, CPD categories, and when they need to be reported. We also provide a brief “how to” guide to show you how to report CPD you earned.
What is CPD?
CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development. In other words, after earning an ITIL 4 certificate, a credential holder must demonstrate that they remain up to date in their understanding of the knowledge through a combination of practical “hands on” experience and education. Although we focus on ITIL 4 in this article, PeopleCert requires CPD for other certifications as well (e.g., PRINCE2, etc.)
What are the Different CPD Categories and Qualifying Activities?
CPD is broken down into three categories:
- Professional Experience
- Professional Education
- Community
The table below describes each of these categories and provides a few examples of qualifying activities for each:
| Category | Category Description | Examples of Qualifying Activities |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Experience | Applying ITIL best practice in the workplace. | • Day-to-day work applying the ITIL framework • Coaching co-workers in ITIL |
| Professional Education | Best practice learning and training, both formal and informal. | • ITIL and PeopleCert Certifications • Certifications from PeopleCert Accredited Training Organizations (ATOs) • At-work training • Reading relevant books, articles, and blogs • Listening to relevant podcasts |
| Community | Giving back to the community, including volunteerism and participating in events with other practitioners. | • Organizing and attending best practice related community events • Writing thought leadership articles and creating other thought leadership content (e.g., podcasts) • Speaking at conferences and for groups • Volunteering to share best practice experience and knowledge |
The table above is adapted from Axelos’ original version which can be found here.
How Many CPDs are Required?
PeopleCert requires a certificate holder to complete 60 CPD points over the course of a three-year period within a particular product suite (e.g., ITIL, Project, Programme, and Portfolio Management, etc.). However, during each 12-month period, 20 CPD points need to be earned.
How Do CPD Points Equate to Level of Effort (Hours)?
Each hour of effort equates to 1 CPD point. The minimum amount you can submit is half an hour (0.50).
What are the Rules Associated with CPD?
There are rules associated with CPDs:
- Five points must come from the Professional Experience category.
- The remaining 15 points can be earned from any of the three categories.
One point equates to one hour’s worth of effort, and you can record a minimum of 30 minutes, or 0.5 points up to a maximum of 20 hours or 20 points. For Professional Experience, to earn the five points, you need to list five activities that you perform within your role and that are associated with required skills for your role. Additionally, if you earn more than 20 Professional Experience credits, you can only report up to 20. Anything in excess of this does not roll-over to the next year.
What if I Have multiple ITIL Certifications? Do I need to submit CPD for each one?
Fortunately, if you possess multiple ITIL certifications, submitting CPD for one of them counts towards all certificates. For example, I am an ITIL 4 Managing Professional and Strategic Leader. Thus, I have the following certifications: ITIL 4 Foundation; Create, Deliver, and Support; High Velocity IT; Drive Stakeholder Value; Direct, Plan, and Improve; and Digital and IT Strategy. In the example below, I submitted credits associated directly with the Direct, Plan, and Improve certification. However, this covers me for my other ITIL certs.
Will Submitting CPD for an ITIL Certification Count Towards other PeopleCert Certifications?
If you hold other PeopleCert certifications, you need to submit CPD separately for these. The Product Suites are: ITIL 4; Project, Programme, and Portfolio Management; AgileShift; and RESILIA. That said, you may be able to count an earned certification in one area towards CPD in another. For example, you may be able to submit hours spent towards earning a PRINCE2 certification for ITIL 4 certifications.
What Happens if I Do Not Submit the Required 20 CPD Points Per Year?
If you do not submit the required 20 CPD points per year, your credential expires. Expired crendentials cannot be restored. You will not be able to submit additional CPD and will need to retake an ITIL exam (or take a new exam) to be able to submit CPD.
Do PeopleCert or Axelos Audit CPD Submissions?
According to the myAxelos website, CPD submissions are randomly audited.
Are There Other Resources to Learn about CPD?
According to the myAxelos website, CPD submissions are randomly audited.
An Example of my CPD Submission
20 points of CPD by May 31, 2023. Considering that I provide consulting, maturity assessments, teach ITIL, write books and blog articles, etc., I was not concerned about having the experience. But I certainly did not want to forget submitting it online.
The example below is a job aid that shows you how to submit CPDs on the myAxelos site.
1. After logging in to myAxelos, in the upper right-hand portion of the screen under your profile and in the MY CPD Progress section, click on Manage CPD.
2. You will be taken to a page that shows the certification you have acquired. (NOTE: the screenshot below does not show the full screen). Scroll down the page. 
3. In the myCPD Track Record portion of the page, click on Add CPD.
4. Under Certificate(s) I’m claiming for, you find a list of ITIL certifications. Choose one. Note: I chose Direct Plan and Improve since I recently taught a DPI course. 
5. Under Type of CPD, from the drop-down menu choose Professional Experience, Professional Education, or Community Contribution. Note: I chose Professional Experience since teaching the course is part of doing my job.
6. Under description, enter a description of what you did. Be sure to describe how these activities are associated with your role and with ITIL.
7. Under Points I’m claiming, enter the total number of points you are claiming for this activity. Note: I spent 24 hours teaching the DPI course and two hours of preparation time. One must submit at least five hours of professional experience per year, but time in excess of 20 hours does not roll-over to the next year. So not only will those extra six hours simply not count towards my renewal this time, they cannot be recycled for the next renewal period in three years.
8. In the Completion Date section, use the calendar toselect the date when you completed the activity.
9. In the “What Did you Learn” section, type a brief description of how you gained professionally from the experience.
10. You can include an attachment if need be (I did not).
11. Click on Submit.
12. You receive a confirmation message confirming your submission. NOTE: And yes, I am a “Jr.”
Does Continuing Professional Development Really Matter?
Considering that I consult and train and write for a living, what I am about to say may come as no surprise (though I have held these beliefs all of my life). Of course, continuing professional development matters! The world we live in is not slowing down, and IT moves even faster. Although on the job experience is a superb teacher (and counts towards CPD), it is also important to transcend oneself and learn what other professionals are thinking. When possible, I like to take at least one formal course per year (and often more than that). When I am not sitting in the classroom, I make time to read a couple of Harvard Business Review articles or per month or an IT-related book or even listed to a related podcast. In truth, even with a busy work and home schedule, it is easy to find at least a little time to improve.