Personal and Professional Development (PPD) is the new requirement for recording students work experience, replacing the existing Work-Based Skills and Form A/B.
The process of documenting work experience is a vital part of the qualification process; it ensures that the skills and knowledge students have within the workplace is current and up to date before they begin to practise as a Qualified Associate or Fellow.
The method of recording PPD is done online via the PPD portal, through the 'My Account' section of the IFoA website. Current students completing Work-Based Skills told us that the documentation was labour intensive to complete, and that the provision of examples placed a large burden on their supervisor or line-manager. This feedback helped us develop the new PPD system, which we hope will be more user friendly for students.
Here are some important points that students should note in regards to PPD:
- From 1 September 2018, all students not qualifying this year need to move to PPD
- Until September 2020, you will need a combination of Work-Based Skills/Work Experience Form/PPD to qualify. Find out more about the transitional requirements at bit.ly/2Nr2ip8
- From September 2020 onwards, Work Experience Form A/B and Work-Based Skills will no longer be part of the qualification requirement. After this date you will be required to have completed a minimum of one year of PPD for Associate and a minimum of three years for Fellow.
- There are four categories within PPD: Effective communications, Problem solving and decision making, Professionalism, and Formal Learning. Within Effective communications, Problem solving and decision making and Professionalism, there are more than 30 competencies from which students can choose when looking to evidence their practical work experience. These competencies each have a credit value of either one or two credits. There are four mandatory competencies that must be completed before qualification as an Associate or Fellow.
- There are minimum submission requirements per year. Students must record three credits and two formal learning hours before their annual PPD deadline. A non-compliance fee may apply if you miss your PPD deadline.
- The annual deadline date to submit your PPD can be found in the PPD portal within 'Your Account' on the IFoA website. It is normally your anniversary date of joining the IFoA.
For more information about PPD, including the recently updated downloadable PPD Guide, please visit our website at bit.ly/2hTkUke.
If you wish to make an enquiry about your own situation, please contact [email protected]