Undertaking development activities is an obligation of the members while continuing their endeavors to expand their knowledge in keeping with the changes in the current affairs and developments in the industry. It is the responsibility of the Institute to provide the necessary support and guidance to its members to achieve this goal and evaluating the outcomes with regard to achieving their career aspirations.

With a view to fulfilling this obligation, the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka introduced a Continuing Professional Development Programme (CPD) in January 2009, which benefited the Institute’s membership. The IBSL CPD policy was reviewed in June 2010 including additional options/benefits through professional organizations to its members. The CPD programme will provide a path to its Associate members and Diploma holders for their professional and personal development.

What is CPD

CPD provides the path to continuous learning, which enables professionals to take control of their career while displaying valuable evidence of their ability to be competent in their profession. CPD also encourages development of new skills and facilitates ways and means of increasing their knowledge and professionalism and always be ready to learn new ways of becoming more efficient and more effective in their careers. Therefore, CPD is the process of:

• Continuous - learning is an ongoing process
• Professional - focus on the skills and expertise relevant to the role of a professional
• Development - while taking the responsibility of learning to expand knowledge, maintain confidence and credibility
  

CPD is for whom?

• Holders of the Diploma in Banking & Finance of the Institute
• Aqssociate Members (AIB holders) of the Institute
• Fellow Members of the Institute

Benefits to members

• Members could display their professional competence in carrying out their roles and discharging their duties.
• Provides a structured framework that allows the members to make better decisions about their future
• Provides the opportunity to demonstrate to the employer, their commitment to continued learning
• Members will be better equipped to secure and enhance their employability and are facilitated to have a competitive edge in the employment market.

Members will acquire marks at the evaluation of applications for Fellowship of the Institute

Benefits to IBSL

The IBSL expects the following benefits by introducing the CPD programmes to the members of the Institute.

• To build active relationships with the members who have completed DBF examinations/Associates/Fellows of the Institute.
• To collect arrears of subscription from the members and to increase income from subscriptions.
• To encourage the members to follow courses conducted by COBAF/other institutions thereby increasing professionalism of IBSL members.
• To encourage members to obtain the Fellowship offered by the IBSL by allocating marks for the CPD certificate holders, at the evaluation of applications for Fellowship.
• Make use of the members’ expertise and knowledge for the development of IBSL programmes.
• Obtain the members’ support and contribution for IBSL marketing programmes.

Enhance the image of the IBSL as a professional educational institute.

Minimum CPD Requirement

It is essential to undertake activities that would update their knowledge in order to earn a minimum of 70 marks per year. But the requirement of the CPD monitoring process is not only accumulating marks but also demonstrating the acquired skills.

Development of knowledge and skills

Members are required to demonstrate the depth of the knowledge and the skills acquired/improved/developed by participating in the programmes of CPD activities. Their record card should reflect such improvement/development during the given period, as proof of their development and increased skills and knowledge.

Some categories of skills that are expected from the members after completion of the CPD programmes are listed below.

• Specific knowledge based skills (knowledge specifically related to the profession, including examples of good practice)
• General knowledge based skills (knowledge generally applicable to the area of the profession)
• Technical skills (knowledge and awareness of changes in the regulatory, statutory and business environment applicable to the members’ profession and those that can be applied to their profession)
• Management and Planning skills
• Communication Skills
  Internal - within the organization with fellow staff members
  External - outside the organization and between different organizations
• Training/Lecturing skills
• Negotiation and Problem Solving skills
• Innovative/Analytical skills
• Report writing skills

This is not an exhaustive list. Members are allowed to include any skills that fall outside of the above categories.

CPD Activities

CPD activities offer a wide range of learning experiences to the members who have obtained the DBF qualification of the IBSL. In order to support the members in their professional development, the Institute has introduced the following range of activities after completion of which, members will be granted a total of 140 marks. However, a member who obtains minimum 70 marks per year will be recognized by IBSL and CPD certificate will be issued.

Recording and Monitoring Process

Members are required to keep records of the activities carried out by them to develop and enhance their knowledge and skills, on an annual basis, as evidence. In this regard, the Institute has designed a CPD Record Form to be completed by the members giving full details, for the purpose of monitoring. Please refer the CPD record form.

At the end of the twelve month period, members who have successfully completed CPD activities and acquired 70 marks are eligible to submit the CPD Record Form to the Institute in order to obtain the CPD certificate. Once the Institute receives the member’s claim form, the Institute will make necessary arrangements to evaluate the claim and subsequently issue a CPD Certificate to those who are successful.

Members are required to pay all arrears of subscription (if any) when submitting their CPD application forms to the Institute.

Duly completed applications with supporting documents, should be forwarded to the Director General or the Director Studies, Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka, No. 5, Mile Post Avenue, Colombo 5.

CPD Certificate

The IBSL will record the details of the successful candidates in the CPD register and will issue the CPD certificates. The certificates will be issued under the signatures of the Chairman and the Director General of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka.