ICE introduces 3 mandatory CPD themes to improve public safety

The ICE has introduced three mandatory continuing professional development (CPD) themes that all professionally qualified members must integrate into their CPD plans.

From 2026 onwards, they are required to undertake CPD activity relating to at least one of the following themes every year:

• ethical and professional behaviours, including the ICE Code of Professional Conduct
• safety and risk management
• sustainable development, including decarbonisation and the application of nature-positive solutions

All three topics must be covered within a three-year rolling period, with qualifying members stating how they engaged with these themes in their CPD records.

This new policy follows a consultation with the membership, which ran between May 2023 and March 2024.

Why have some CPD themes become mandatory?

Through its mandated CPD themes, the institution is aiming to enhance public safety and foster more responsible practices across the construction sector.

The move stems from the ICE’s 2018 In Plain Sight report, published in response to the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire.

It recommended identifying and communicating risk-related topics for members to study as part of their annual learning and professional development.

The report also called on members to continuously demonstrate their competence in safety risk management.

The ICE’s Building Safeguards report, published in 2025, tested In Plain Sight’s recommendations against evolving challenges. It proposed new actions, including:

• Ensuring that all members understand common causes of risk and failure and can apply this knowledge to their work.
• Embedding into members and the wider industry a stronger discipline of seeking and applying lessons from failures, near misses and precursor events.

The institution then established a safety risk advisory group to oversee delivery of Building Safeguards’ recommendations.

Initiatives such as expanding the Inspiring Engineering Excellence conference and relaunching the ICE Knowledge Hub have already been implemented.

‘A significant step forward’

“Introducing safety and risk management as a mandatory CPD theme represents a significant step forward in keeping the communities we serve safe,” said Dr Ohis Ilalokhoin.

An ICE trustee, Ilalokhoin chairs the institution’s Learning Society Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the themes.

“Together, these three topics will help ensure that professionally qualified ICE members will continue to be well-rounded engineers capable of delivering the infrastructure the world needs,” he added.

The updated CPD framework and Knowledge Hub

The ICE’s updated CPD framework sets out the three mandatory themes, alongside four additional recommended ones:

• delivery excellence
• energy
• transport
• water

Under each of these seven themes is a sample of recommended learning content that members are advised to engage with as part of their CPD.

This content is available to members online via the ICE Knowledge Hub, which was relaunched in June 2025 to improve its accessibility in response to user feedback.

The platform provides a wealth of CPD resources. This includes extensive material on the mandatory themes, such as in-depth case studies of major infrastructure failures.

“Through the CPD framework and Knowledge Hub, members should have access to what they need to comply with the new mandatory themes,” said Professor Tim Broyd, ICE Past President.

“There is a tremendous variety of formats available on the hub. I would encourage members to explore these resources and incorporate them into their CPD plans for the year.”

Broyd is chair of the ICE’s Professionalism Panel, which sets the framework and reviews CPD content on the hub.

Further guidance

For detailed information on how to meet the new CPD requirements, please read the relevant FAQs section on the ICE website, the CPD framework and the updated CPD guidance.