CPD - Continuing Professional Development

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As an IOB member, you can complete your eCPD and update your CPD record on IOB Learn.

Access CPD

Continuing professional development (CPD) helps you maintain and increase the knowledge and competence you gain from both formal study and professional experience.

Keeping your qualifications and knowledge up to date enables you to meet and exceed customer and regulatory requirements.

Our CPD schemes can help you to meet your CPD requirements under the Central Bank’s Minimum Competency Code, and can help you to develop your career.

We are happy to review your event to see if we can award it CPD hours. You will be asked to supply a copy of the course material e.g. slides, course outline, syllabus, agenda. However if you do not have these then please ensure sufficient information is provided e.g. topics are provided when completing the form so that we can review the event for all our designation.

However if you have attended one of our events or webinars and it is relevant to you, the hours will be automatically applied to your log about 10 working days after the event.

To submit an application for event accreditation please use the links below.

  • Applications must be made before or within three months of the date the event was held or they will not be approved for CPD hours.

  • For the month of December we will only review events held in December.

If you are applying for CPD hours for an event that has already been approved for CPD hours by the LIA or the Insurance Institute (II) please complete the Accreditation form using the link below and submit  your course material (as outlined above) so that it can be reviewed for all relevant designations.  You will also need to attach the LIA / II confirmation of accreditation letter.

View accreditation form (this is for events that have not been submitted previously)

View re-accreditation form (this is for events accredited in the past and that have not changed)

We will review your event in line with the criteria for CPD accreditation and revert within 15 working days.

This may take longer during December and January.

For the minimum and maximum number of CPD hours that will be accredited for any single event/activity/topic please refer to your scheme Guidelines and Regulations for CPD criteria. Criteria applies for electronically delivered courses.

View criteria in relation to electronically delivered courses

We may disclose information about events to our trusted education partners and/or their representatives e.g. LIA, Insurance Institute, The Compliance Institute etc. for joint accreditation or relevancy of event purposes.

Annual CPD Requirements:

Hours must be completed by 31 December each year.

Annual return must be returned by 31 January each year.

Please check your online CPD log for your CPD requirement. The below is only a summary of the annual requirement and does not include any pro rata or shortfall applied.

Qualified Financial Adviser (QFA)

  • 15 hours in total

  • 1 hour relevant to each of the categories* 1,2,3,7 & 8

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Accredited Professional Adviser (APA)

  • 15 hours in total

  • 1 hour relevant to each category* accredited in

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

RS CPD Member

  • 15 hours in total

  • 1 hour relevant to category* 3 and each additional category* accredited in.

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Grandfathered

  • 15 hours in total

  • 1 hour relevant to each category* accredited in

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Asset Management Professional (AMP)

  • 15 hours in total

  • 1 hour relevant to each category* accredited in

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

  • active QFA Designation

*Categories of Retail Financial Product: 1.Life Assurance, 2.Pensions, 3.Savings & Investment, 4.Personal General Insurance, 5.Commercial General Insurance, 6. Private Medical Insurance and Associated Insurances, 7. Housing Loans, Home Reversion Agreements and Associate Insurances, 8. Consumer Credit and Associated Insurances

Professional Banker (PB)

  • 6 hours in total

  • 3 hours specialist content*

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Chartered Bankers (CB)

  • 6 hours in total

  • 3 hours specialist content*

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Retirement Planning Professional (RPP)

  • 6 hours in total

  • 3 hours specialist content*

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Wealth Management Professional (WMP)

  • 6 hours in total

  • 3 hours relevant to Specialist Content*

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

  • active APA in Pensions

Accredited Funds Professional (AFP)

  • 10 hours in total

  • 5 hours relevant to Specialist Content*

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

*Specialist Content is content provided via IOB events and or IOB online modules

Personal Insolvency Practitioners (PIP)

  • 10 hours in total

  • 3 hours relevant to ISI events / ISI online modules

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Regulatory Reporting Professional (RRP)

  • 6 hours in total

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Certified Bank Director (CBD)

  • 6 hours in total

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Certified Investment Fund Director (CIFD)

  • 6 hours in total

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Mortgage Credit Intermediary (MCI)

  • 6 hours in total

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Licentiate of Compliance Institute (LCI)

  • 15 hours in total

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Fellow of Compliance Institute (FCI Compliance)

  • 15 hours in total

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Fellow of Compliance Institute (FCI -Ethics)

  • 5 hours in total

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Certified Financial Crime Professional (CFCP)

  • 5 hours in total

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Certified Data Protection Officer (CDPO)

  • 5 hours in total

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Certified Ethics and Culture Advisor (CECA)

  • 5 hours in total

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

Certified Fintech Risk and Compliance Professional (CFRCP)

  • 6 hours in total

  • 1 hour relevant to ethics

APA and Grandfather CPD Guidelines and Regulations

QFA CPD Guidelines and Regulations

RSCPD Member CPD Guideline and Regulations

CPD Guidelines and Regulations for the following designations are available by logging into your CPD Downloads Section on IOB Learn:

  • Accredited Funds Professional

  • Certified Bank Director

  • Chartered Banker

  • MCI Board Members

  • Professional Banker

  • Regulatory Reporting Professional

  • Retirement Planning Professional

  • Wealth Management Professional

What is an Annual Return?

An Annual Return is a declaration by a designate that the events/hours recorded on their CPD log are correct and meet the CPD requirements for their designation scheme including category requirements. Designates must take into account that the maximum hours that can be recorded per day (per MCC) is 8 hours.

Failure to submit an Annual Return will result in your being removed from the designation scheme. You will be subject to one or more reinstatement rules to be re-admitted to the scheme.

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Annual Return: How do I make an annual return and by when do I need to make it?

Members must make their annual return by 31 January. Please see here for recorded demonstration on how to make an annual return.

All required hours must be completed by 31 December. Hours completed in January will count for that year rather than the previous year.

Follow the steps below to submit your annual return:

  • Log into IOB Learn www.iob.ie

  • Click on Access CPD

  • Click GO beside the designation you want to make a return for

  • Your Required and Recorded hours will automatically appear under the Annual Return section

  • Read the Declaration and click the check box

  • Pay special attention to any warnings that may appear (e.g. if you are short in hours)

  • Click on Submit button to make a return

  • An annual return receipt will be sent to the correspondence section and to your email address as held on our records

  • If you hold more than one designation you must make a separate annual return for each designation.

We will contact you via email and text when the annual returns process opens. A letter will also be posted to the correspondence section in IOB Learn.

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What happens if I do not submit an Annual Return?

Failure to submit an Annual Return will result in your being removed from the designation scheme and you will be subject to one or more reinstatement rules to be re-admitted to the scheme. Please make a return even if you have not met your requirement. If you subsequently record more hours after making a return you can make an additional return.

Annual Return: If I do not have enough CPD hours completed should I still make my annual return?

Yes. If you have a shortfall in hours you are still required to make an annual return by 31 January. Following the closing of the annual returns process we will contact you in relation to the shortfall.

NB Failure to submit an Annual Return will result in your being removed from the designation scheme. You will be subject to one or more reinstatement rules to be re-admitted to the scheme.

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How many hours do I need to complete by 31 December?

To see what your requirement is, log into IOB Learn and click on your designation(s). Under My Hours for that designation you can see your required and remaining hours. You can see the breakdown of hours recorded by clicking the + button.

The minimum yearly requirement for: • QFAs, APAs, Grandfathers, Registered Stockbrokers, LCOIs and FCOI (Compliance) is 15 hours. • Professional Bankers, Chartered Bankers, Certified Bank Directors and MCI is 6 hours. • CFCPP, CDPO and FCOI (Ethics) is 5 hours. • Personal Insolvency Practitioners is 10 hours.

QFAs, APAs, Grandfathers and Registered Stockbrokers must complete at least 1 hour relevant to each category that they are accredited in and at least 1 hour relevant to ethics.

Professional Bankers and Chartered Bankers must complete at least 3 hours relevant to PB specialist content and CB specialist content respectively, as well as at least 1 hour relevant to ethics.

LCOI, CFCPP, CDPO, FCOIs, Certified Bank Directors and MCIs must complete at least 1 hour relevant to ethics.

Personal Insolvency Practitioners must complete at least 3 ISI Events/ ISI online courses and 1 in ethics.

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What happens if I have a shortfall in hours?

This will depend on your CPD history. If you incur a shortfall for the first time this will be carried to the following year and you will then be required to complete that year’s requirement as well as the shortfall by 31 December. A shortfall warning is also applied to your record and if you fail to meet your yearly requirement again in any of the following 5 years you will lose your designation/CPD membership and be subject to the reinstatement rules as per the CPD guidelines and regulations. If it is your second shortfall in a 5-year period then you will lose your designation/CPD membership and will be put into ‘suspended’ mode until you catch up on the shortfall in hours and pay the reinstatement fee of €100. Suspended members are not included in their firm’s Register of Accredited Persons and are cannot advise/sell under the Central Bank’s Minimum Competency Code (MCC).

How do I access my eCPD modules?

Log into IOB Learn. Click the “Access CPD” card in the CPD tab. You’ll be redirected to the overview CPD page. Click “Go”on the designation card you want to access. This will bring you to the designation page. Scroll down to the eCPD section or click the eCPD option from the top tab. Click on the relevant eCPD card and this will redirect you to the module.

Where do I find the Zoom details for an event I signed up for?

When you register for an IOB event the Zoom details required to access the event will be available in the 'My Upcoming Events' section of IOB Learn. An email with the Zoom details on the day of the event will no longer be sent out. To access the event please follow these instructions: 1. Login to IOB Learn 2. Under the Quick Links section on the left, click on Events 3. Click on My Upcoming Events 4. Click on the event you're registered to and click the Zoom link

How do I get a course accredited for CPD hours?

If you want to have an external event/course accredited for CPD hours you will need to use the online CPD Accreditation Request form.

  • Applications must be made before or within three months of the date the event was held (excluding events held in January 2021 where we will allow five months).

  • For the month of December we will only review events held in December.

Accreditation requests can take up to 15 working days to review. During December and January this can take longer. For further instruction please see the accreditation tab.

We would advise you to first check with your company intranet/training department as the events might have already been submitted to IOB for CPD hours.

Events held annually must be re-accredited each year.

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What does the designation/CPD fee cover?

The designation fee covers the services and supports provided to members of a CPD scheme. Some of the resources include:

  • Online CPD record - to record, track and manage CPD hours and events

  • Access to free online CPD modules via eCPD via IOB Learn

  • CPD annual update manual (counts for up to four CPD hours for certain schemes)

  • Seminars and webinars on topical subjects

  • Accreditation of in-company and external events for CPD hours

  • Management of annual CPD return, audit and other related services

  • Communications such as hours and annual return reminders.

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I have submitted the designation application form. When will this be processed?

Applications for designations will be processed within 10 working days of receipt. Once it is processed you will receive a welcome letter in the correspondence section of IOB Learn.

How do I access the CPD supports to view my CPD hours log, record hours, access eCPD etc?

On the IOB Learn homepage, within the CPD tab, click the “Access CPD” card. This card will redirect you to the overview CPD page. Click on a designation to view and record CPD hours, complete eCPD modules, access CPD downloads and certificates, and submit accreditation requests. See the IOB Learn User Guide for more details.

How do I apply for an adjustment in my CPD hours?

If you are out of work on long term sick leave (2 months or more) or on statutory leave (e.g. maternity leave) you can apply for a reduction in your CPD hours.

Complete the CPD hours adjustment form which you can download here.

Hours are not reduced for career breaks.

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What is the Annual Update Manual?

IOB produces a CPD Annual Update Manual each year for retail financial advisers (QFAs and APAs). As the manual contains some material of relevance to PIPs the ISI have awarded 1 CPD hour to PIPs for reading and assimilating the relevant sections i.e. the Debt Management Services chapter and relevant sections in the Housing Loans chapter.

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How do I access the CPD Annual Update Manual?

Login to IOB Learn

  2. Click on ‘Access CPD’

  3. Select GO beside your designation

  4. See Annual Update Manual in the downloads section on this page

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How do I record the CPD Annual Update Manual once I have read it?

  1. Log in to IOB Learn on www.iob.ie

  2. Click on ‘Access CPD’

  3. Select GO beside your designation

  4. Click ‘Record CPD Event’ and insert the accreditation reference number found in the Introduction Section of the manual and the date and venue and select submit.

A short video demonstrating how to record the Annual Update Manual on your CPD log using your mobile can be viewed here or using your desktop see here.

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