Personal and professional development (PPD) is the new requirement that applies to all students who joined the IFoA after 1 September 2017. PPD is the replacement programme for work-based skills (WBS) and will come into effect as a requirement for qualification from 1 September 2018.

Personal and professional development (PPD) is the new requirement that applies to all students who joined the IFoA after 1 September 2017. PPD is the replacement programme for work-based skills (WBS) and will come into effect as a requirement for qualification from 1 September 2018.
What is PPD?
PPD is the documentation of your work/placement experience, which all students studying to become an Associate or Fellow will need to complete alongside their examinations.
Objectives and competencies
All student members will need to complete their PPD in order to gain their qualification. There are three core workplace areas you will need to document:
- Effective communication
- Problem-solving and decision-making
- Professionalism.
Each competency has a value of one or two credits.
In order to qualify as an Associate, you will need to complete 10 credits, whereas to qualify as a Fellow, you will need to complete 20 credits. For both Associate and Fellow, there are certain competences across the three objectives, which are mandatory.
Transition period
From September 2020 onwards, all students who wish to qualify as a Fellow will need a full three years of PPD. Until then, a balance of work-based skills and PPD will be required (see charts below).
To enquire about your own requirements if you think you will be qualifying between September 2018 and September 2020, please email [email protected]
Full details on PPD can be found at bit.ly/2hTkUke