You will be aware of the ETB’s ongoing pilot project to provide a tailored on-line Professional Development System (PDS) for engineers.  Specifically, the project was aimed at enabling engineering professionals to plan and record their Initial Professional Development (IPD) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities for IEng, CEng and Eng Tech.

The project ran for a full year until June 2008, and its evaluation has indicated that there is a strong customer demand for the type of service offered by the on-line PDS pilot.  The ETB Business and Industry Panel strongly supported the concept of a single system for IPD and CPD. 

As a result of the success of this project, it was proposed to the ETB Board at its June meeting that a Working Group be convened, comprising representatives of the ETB, IET, IMechE and ECuk, to advise on how best to take this project forward.  This was endorsed by the Board and the Working Group will consider the following two options:
 
• The selection of one of the existing PDSs being used by PEIs as the common system of choice for further development; or,
• The development of a new, common PDS (or of a common portal to interface with the three different systems in use) that fulfills the requirements and is offered on equal terms to all partners
 
If the second option were to be recommended, the Working Group will also need to advise on who should own, manage and develop the system, and on the need for data to be shared between the systems for the benefit of employers.
 
The Working Group will first meet on 24th July and its output will inform a proposal to the ETB Board at its September meeting.  In the meantime, the ETB pilot contract has been extended with Skilsure to December 2008 to ensure system support for the PDS in use by the six partner institutions.  Unfortunately, we cannot invite new institutions to join the pilot system until we are clear on the way ahead.

Meanwhile, ETB will continue to welcome customer feedback on the pilot PDS and will be happy to facilitate any meetings that existing partners require in order to:

• Review and test current functionality to inform potential post-pilot development; and,
• Provide feedback to the Working Group on concerns partners may have in the move towards a longer-term solution for PDS provision.