Continuing Professional Development
Check out our new, CPD Approved Professional Development Calendar!
CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Continuing Professional Development
Working towards your CPHR Designation is a process of continuous growth and learning. To maintain your status as a human resources expert, CPHRs are required to:
- Participate in professional development activities to stay on top of human resources best practices.
- Be a member of CPHR Alberta – pay your membership dues each year to keep your CPHR Designation in Alberta. Your membership dues are issued at the beginning of January each year.
- Complete the Good Character Attestation and adhere to CPHR Alberta’s Code of Ethics and Standard of Professional Conduct so CPHR Alberta can uphold the promise of the CPHR Designation to stakeholders and the public. Learn more here.
CPD ACTIVITIES & YOUR CPD LOG
What Counts as Continuing Professional Development?
CPHR Canada wants CPHRs to have an in-depth knowledge of human resources – this means learning in a variety of ways. Some suggested forms of professional development include attending events, attending courses or self-directed learning, leadership activities, volunteering, academic research, contributing to publications, and significant work projects.
To learn more about activities that count towards your CPD Log, review the CPD Handbook, or send us an email.
Adding CPD Activities in Your CPD Log
To record CPD activities:
- In your Member Portal, select "Continuing Professional Development Log".
- You will then have the option to either create a new process or click to open a pending application.
- In your log, you have five categories to record professional activities under.
- Click 'add' to put in new activities and 'save' to save the information.
- If you notice an error, click 'edit' to open that activity again and after editing, click 'save'.
- You are able to save activities throughout the year until you are ready to submit in December.
- If you attend a CPHR Alberta event, you do not need to record this activity. CPHR Alberta events are automatically added to your log.
Important Notes
- To submit your log, click 'submit > complete' in the summary page of your CPD log in the Member Portal .Can't find this? Contact us.
- Submit your log before January 14th of each year to avoid a late fee. The CPD log you submitted is for your CPD activities from the previous calendar year.
- Your CPD summary page will show all items that are needed each year to submit. When all requirements have been met, you will see a button to submit your log.
- CPHRs need minimum of 10 CPD hours every year and 60 CPD hours over each rolling three-year period to recertify.
- There is an option to extend your submission deadline to February 15th, but you are charged a $50 + GST late fee. Contact us to request a short-term extension.
Questions? Contact registrar@cphrab.ca
CPD Log Exemptions
Leaves of Absence
If you are taking a leave of absence CPHR Alberta will grant you CPD exemption hours. The amount of CPD exemption hours granted is dependent on the type and term of leave. Refer to the CPD Handbook for more information on this. Contact us if you have additional questions.
CPD Log Audit
CPHR Alberta accepts your CPD log as long as you have submitted the minimum required activities. Refer to the CPD Handbook if you’re not sure about these requirements.
Your CPD activities are only verified if you are selected for a CPD Log Audit. CPHR Alberta does an annual audit of 3% of CPD Logs submitted each year. We do audits to verify the completion of logged activities, and to abide by national standards established by CPHR Canada. Make sure you keep supporting documents after you submit a CPD Log. You can keep scanned versions on your computer or simply upload it with your CPD log each year
For more information on CPD Log Audits and supporting documentation, refer to the CPD Handbook.
Questions? Contact registrar@cphrab.ca
CPD Pre-Approval Application
To help support Continuing Professional Development needs of our growing population of Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHRs), and in recognition of the quality of some of the HR professional development programs offered throughout Alberta, we offer the CPHR Alberta CPD Pre-Approval Program. Learn more about the program details and eligibility criteria here.
This form will be used by our Professional Standards team to review your learning event for Pre-Approved Continuing Professional Development hours. In order to ensure your event is reviewed in a timely manner, please ensure all fields have been completed. If you have applied for CPD Pre-Approval with us in the past with the same organization, please just note your Name, Company name, email, and phone number.
The CPHR designation is structured around a Competency Framework. In order for professional development events to be pre-certified for CPD hours, your event will need to cover at least one of the competencies in this framework.
Self-paced / self-directed / distance education programs are eligible for credits equivalent to the minimum number of hours required to complete the event work.
How to Submit
To submit a CPD pre-approval application, please contact registrar@cphrab.ca
CPD Approved Professional Development Calendar
Business community offerings to support your continued learning.
September 2025
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8am Workplace Investigation Fundamentals
10:30am It’s a Matter of Time: The latest on monitoring, time theft, and productivity in a digital world
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10:30am National Health & Safety Conference 2025
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12pm Bridging Care and Coverage: A physician’s view on Technology, Trust, and the Future of Health Care
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7:30am CTRN invites you: Fueling Leadership: Global Trends in Executive Compensation Across the Energy Sector
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10:30am Mental Health & Workplace Investigations – Part 2: Applied Lessons from the Field
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8am Workplace Investigation Fundamentals
3pm The Evolution of the Workplace: Embracing Change, AI, and a Shifting Workforce
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7:30am Navigating the Toughest HR Issues: Workplace Toxicity and Disability Return-to-Work
8am Conducting Trauma-Informed Workplace Investigations
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FAQs
Audit FAQs
Can I be audited more than once?
If you are randomly selected for CPD Audit more than once in three years, CPHR Alberta will not complete the second audit. Members will only be audited once every three years at the most.
What is the CPD Audit?
Each year 3% of submitted CPD logs are randomly selected for audit by CPHR Alberta. During this audit, CPHR Alberta will work with you to verify that the hours you recorded in your annual CPD log were completed as recorded.
When does an audit occur?
CPHR Alberta begins the audit in April each year.
What exactly is being audited?
CPHR Alberta will only be looking to verify the hours you recorded on your most recently submitted CPD log. This means you will only have to confirm the hours you recorded in the previous year.
How can I support the hours that are being audited?
To support the hours being audited, you will need to provide supporting documentation for each activity which outlines the time, date, duration and successful completion of each activity. Some examples of supporting documentation include signed volunteer time logs, work project confirmation forms, transcripts, certificates of completion etc. Please review the CPD Log Handbook for a more detailed list of valid supporting documents.
How do I know if I’m selected and approved?
If you are selected for audit you will be sent a Notice of Audit to the email we have on file for you. You can always review emails that CPHR Alberta sends to you by logging in and scrolling down to see Message History Report.
I was notified that I’ve been audited, what do I do now?
Now that you know you’ve been selected for audit, simply login to your Member Profile and click on your Continuing Professional Development Log and open the log that is listed as “Audit”. Read the instructions and then go through the menu to find each activity you recorded in your most recent CPD log. For each activity recorded, you will see the option to add a file (supporting document) in the Audit Info Column. For each activity, EXCEPT self-directed learning and CPHR Alberta Events, upload a file that supports completion of that activity in the space provided. Once you have uploaded all necessary documentation, you can Submit to Staff Review for CPHR Alberta to review all documents.
How can I prepare in advance for the possibility of being audited?
When you record your activities and hours in your CPD log each year, you have the ability to upload supporting documentation at that time. If you upload documentation confirming your hours when you submit your CPD log, your log will be ready for Audit and can be reviewed and completed very quickly and easily.
How much time do I have to complete the audit?
You have 90 days from the time you received your Notice of Audit to complete the audit. CPHR Alberta will send you reminders to complete your audit on time.
CDP FAQs
How do I maintain my designation?
Please refer to the Continuing Professional Development page for detailed information about maintaining your designation.
How do I complete the CPD Log?
To complete the CPD Log, login to your Member Profile and click on “Continuing Professional Development Log”. Click “create new process” to enter activities. Once all your activities have been entered, click “summary” to submit. Find a detailed guide here: CPD Log Guide
My account shows my log is complete.
Completed logs may be for previous years. Ensure that you do not have pending logs or the option to create new process.
I am a senior HR manager and many of the professional activities that I take are business rather than directly HR related. Would they count towards my CPD Log?
In order to be a strategic partner in an organization, general (or “non-HR”) business knowledge is essential. As such, when professional development activities are evaluated in this log, the applicability of the activity to an HR professional’s role in the business community is taken into consideration. It is the responsibility of the HR professional to indicate in the log how this activity has contributed to his/her professional development.
What are my options if I am going on maternity leave, short-term disability or long-term disability?
CPHRs can request a CPD log submission extension or exemption when taking a leave. A letter from the employer indicating the length of the absence from work is required to grant the extension or exemption. For more details on how CPD Log Submission exemptions work, refer to the CPD Log Handbook.
What happens to my designation if I am unable to meet the minimum CPD Log submission requirements due to unforeseen circumstances?
CPHR Alberta can offer extensions in certain circumstances. Please refer to the CPD Log Handbook for more information, or contact us.
How is the rolling 3-year calculated?
View the chart
Is there a cost associated with submitting a CPD Log to maintain my designation?
No, however, if a CPD log is submitted late it is subject to a $50.00+GST late fee.
How do I see hours I have recorded for the 3 years in my log
When you open your CPD page, navigate to summary of CPD. This page will display the total number of hours you have recorded in your rolling 3-year period. Please see CPD Log Guide for more details.
How do I know I have met all requirement to submit the CPD log
On your CPD page, select “Summary”. This page will show if all requirements have been met. If everything is complete, the system will give you the option to Submit>Complete.
What registration number do I use for the CPHR Canada ethics course?
Use your CPHR number to register for the ethics course. Log into your member portal and click on “My Profile”. The CPHR number can be found in the member details section on this page.
How often do I have to complete the Ethics Training Requirement?
Every 3 years. If you met the ethics requirement in 2022, you would have to complete it again by 2025.
What happens if I do not meet the Ethics Training Requirement?
You will be given an opportunity to complete it – a grace period. If after the grace period, you are not able to meet the requirement, your designation will be revoked.
