ICP-PD-102 - Recertification Requirements CPD
ICP-PD-102 - Recertification Requirements CPD
ICP-PD-102 - Recertification Requirements CPD
Introduction:
Beginning in 2022, ICP will include Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours, as part
of new recertification requirements for API 510, API 570, and API 653. These will be applicable
for 3 certifications coming up for renewal on or after January 1, 2023. The new CPD
requirements are in addition to existing recertification requirements for continued inspection
experience and the Web Quiz required every 6-years or every other recertification.
The new CPD recertification requirements will be phased in over 3 years, according to the table
below. Find your recertifying year in the table below to see how many CPD hours are needed.
Recertifying
Number of CPD Hours Required
Year
Examples:
• Joe Inspector has an API 510 certification expiring in June 2023. Joe would need to
include a minimum of 8 CPD hours earned between June 2020 and June 2023 (with
documentation) with his recertification application.
• By the same standard, Jill Inspector has an API 570 expiring in March 2024. Jill would
need to submit a minimum of 16 CPD hours earned between March 2021 and March
2024 (with documentation) with her recertification application.
• In 2025, all recertifications in that year and going forward will need to include a total
number of 24 CPD hours earned within the previous 3 years (with documentation) with
their recertification application.
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Table of Contents
Introduction: ............................................................................................................................................... 1
Phased Implementation Plan: ................................................................................................................ 1
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Hours........................................................................... 5
Defining CPD hours .............................................................................................................................. 5
CPD Carry Over .................................................................................................................................... 5
Industry Related Topics for CPD .......................................................................................................... 6
Continuing Professional Development Requirements Overview: .......................................................... 7
Determining CPD Hours for Recertification Applications: ................................................................ 7
Third-Party Training.............................................................................................................................. 9
Approved Third-Party Training: ........................................................................................................... 9
Continuing Education Units .................................................................................................................. 9
Verification of Approved Training : ..................................................................................................... 9
Employer-Provided Training ............................................................................................................... 10
Verification of Employer-Provided Training:..................................................................................... 10
College/University Courses .................................................................................................................. 10
Verification for University Courses: ................................................................................................... 10
Participation in industry events ........................................................................................................... 11
Verification for participation in industry events: ................................................................................ 11
Technical Committee Service: ............................................................................................................. 11
Verification for Participation in Technical Committee Service:......................................................... 11
Webinars:............................................................................................................................................... 12
Verification for Webinars: .................................................................................................................. 12
Verification for API Sponsored Industry Events ................................................................................ 12
Presenting/Speaking ............................................................................................................................. 12
Verification for Presenting/Speaking: ................................................................................................. 12
Technical Papers ................................................................................................................................... 12
Verification for Technical papers: ...................................................................................................... 13
Technical meeting in the Certificant’s company ................................................................................ 13
Verification for technical meetings within the Certificant’s Company .............................................. 13
Patent ..................................................................................................................................................... 14
Verification for Patent credit............................................................................................................... 14
Verification and submission of CPD Hours: .......................................................................................... 14
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FAQs .......................................................................................................................................................... 16
Appendix A: Sample API CPD Activities Forms ................................................................................... 19
Technical meeting ................................................................................................................................. 19
Participation in industry events ........................................................................................................... 20
CPD Submission .................................................................................................................................... 21
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Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Hours
For ICP, one CPD hour is defined as one contact hour of an activity in an industry-related topic
as defined below. An “activity” is an umbrella term that ICP has deemed, in consultation with
industry experts, to be acceptable for recertification purposes. Acceptable activities include
training, publishing technical papers, participation in industry conferences, and other activities as
outlined in this document.
No activities under 50 contact minutes may be submitted to ICP for CPD credit. ICP does not
grant partial hours of CPD.
Examples:
• For example, a one-day activity that begins at 8 am and ends at 5 pm. With a one-hour
lunch break this is considered 8 contact hours and ICP will accept it as 8 CPD Hours.
• If that day-long activity includes multiple small breaks, at least 50 minutes of every hour
needs to be spent doing the activity.
Participation in CPD related activities may be in-person or virtual. However, all must have the
required documentation.
A Certificant that completes more than the required hours for a recertification period may carry
over a maximum of 12 CPD hours to the next recertification period.*
Examples:
• A Certificant in API 510 is expiring in 2024 and completes 25 CPD hours prior to their
expiration date. 16 CPD hours will be applied to the 2024 recertification and 9 CPD
hours can be carried over and applied to the 2027 API 510 recertification period.
• A Certificant in API 570 is expiring in 2024 and completes 30 CPD hours prior to their
expiration date. 16 CPD hours will be applied to the 2024 recertification period and 12
CPD hours can be carried over and applied to the 2027 API 570 recertification period.
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*Note: Carry over applies from certification period to certification period of the same program
rather than what is applicable to other certification programs coming up for renewal around the
same expiration date.
Topics considered relevant by ICP must be directly related to fields of inspection and related
mechanical integrity assurance, with examples including subject shown below. The list below is
not intended to be all inclusive.
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34. Refining unit inspection
35. Refractory inspection
36. Remote inspection techniques (e.g., drones)
37. Risk-Based Inspection (RBI)
38. Statistical Analysis
39. Tank Design
40. Technical Writing
41. Upstream/offshore topsides inspections
42. Welding inspection
43. Welding Processes
REMEMBER: These are topics. Actual field inspection time as part of the normal work
responsibilities cannot be used for CPD hours.
Once fully implemented, API 510, API 570, and API 653 Certificants must complete 24 CPD
hours for every 3-year recertification period.
Activity criteria:
All CPD activities must meet one of the Industry Related Topics and may be applied to API 510,
API 570, and API 653.
For each recertification period, it is recommended that Certificants’ CPD hours be in a minimum
of two different activities.
Certificants should complete their CPD hours throughout their three-year recertification period
and avoid front or back loading their hours.
All CPD activities below should meet one of the Industry Related Topics listed above.
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• Receive documentation of attendance that
identifies duration of training.
College/University Course Quarter credit hour: Maximum of 30
• Receive a passing grade CPDs
• Directly applicable to inspection and Semester credit hour: Maximum of 45
inspection technologies CPDs
Participation in industry events 50 minutes per hour = 1 CPD hour
• Includes seminars, workshops, conferences,
or webinars
• Meetings must be a minimum of 50 minutes
in duration for CPD credits to count
Technical committee service 50 minutes per hour = 1 CPD hour
• Includes API committees and other industry
organizations technical committees
o Includes activities for ICP programs
Activities to maintain ASNT SNT-TC-1A will not be accepted for CPD hours.
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Third-Party Training
ICP does not have a list of “approved” trainer’s courses or providers. Certificants must ensure
that the following criteria are met to be considered for CPD hours:
Continuing education units (CEUs) are an internationally recognized unit of measure for
professional education and training. In accordance with International Accreditors for Continuing
Education and Training (IACET), through the ANSI/IACET 2018-1 Standard for Continuing
Education and Training, 1 CEU is equivalent to 10 contact hours. Therefore, ICP will recognize
10 CPD hours for 1 CEU.
Lack of IACET accreditation does not preclude training from being accepted as valid CPD hours
by ICP. ICP will grant CPD hours based on contact hours-only.
Certificants must provide ICP with documentation of registration and completion or mastery of
the training course either as a certificate or a transcript. Certificants must also provide ICP with
the number of contact hours attended, and the public website of the provider.
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Employer-Provided Training
An employee may choose to provide in-house training or bring a third-party expert to train
employees in Industry Related Topics. ICP will accept CPD hours for such trainings equivalent
to contact hours attended.
Certificants must provide ICP with documentation of completed training, which includes the
name of the company, name of the Trainer, the trainer’s company if they’re a third-party,
summary of training, and number of contact hours. If the Trainer does not provide an official
certificate or transcript, the Certificant shall use the API CPD Activities form, found on the
website, and have the Trainer complete it.
College/University Courses
Certificants must provide a transcript with their name, education institution, identification of
whether this was a “quarter” or a “semester” course, and final passing grade. If the course title
does not show a direct linkage to an Industry Related Topics, Certificants should provide a copy
of the class syllabus.
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Participation in industry events
Relevant technical or professional organizations include, but are not limited to:
To be accepted by ICP, the meeting must last at least 50 minutes, which is equal to (1) ICP CPD
hour.
Certificants will provide ICP with a copy of their registration or other documentation as proof of
attendance. If the industry meeting does not collect attendance, the Certificant may use the API
CPD Activities form, found on the website, and ask the speaker, presenter, or a panelist to
complete the form.
Certificants will provide ICP with proof of attendance in the form of an attendance sheet, or
confirmation of attendance from the sponsoring organization, that will detail hours of
participation. If the sponsoring organization does not collect attendance, the Certificant may use
the API CPD Activities form found on the website and ask the host/chair to complete the form.
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Webinars:
Certificants may watch webinars on Industry Related Topics and receive CPD hours for the
duration of the webinar. The webinar must be a minimum of 50 minutes to be granted 1 CPD
hour.
Certificants will provide ICP with proof of registration for the webinar.
Certificants may not complete the same webinar for two different recertification periods.
Certificants may have the opportunity to participate in API sponsored industry events, such as
API’s State of American Energy, for CPD hours. In those instances, API/ICP will send out an
invitation to all certified individuals with registration details.
Presenting/Speaking
Certificants who are speaking, presenting, or part of a panel should provide ICP with a schedule
or agenda. This should include the name of the organization and industry event, the name of the
Certificant as a presenter, speaker, or panelist, and a brief content summary with CPD hours
claimed. If such a document does not exist or does not provide all information requested, the
Certificant may have the host/organizer complete the API CPD Activities form, found on the
website.
Technical Papers
A Certificant may receive credit for writing and publishing articles and papers on Industry
Related Topics. The article must be published in a reputable journal or online publication for ICP
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to consider it for CPD hours; ICP will not accept blog posts for CPD credit. ICP will consider up
to 8 CPD hours for research and writing per article.
Certificants who publish an article or paper on an Industry Related Topic must provide ICP a
copy of the article or paper or abstract along with the date and name of publication. If the article
or abstract are available online, a link should be provided. If the article is in a hard copy only: an
image or scanned version of the article should be submitted showing the name of the publication
and the date published.
The Certificant must identify how many hours were spent researching and writing the article or
paper. ICP will grant no more than 8 CPD hours per article or paper.
Certificants may receive CPD hours from attending, presenting, or facilitating technical meetings
within their company or at a contract company. To be considered, the meetings must be at least
50 minutes in duration.
General company safety meetings are not accepted by ICP for CPD hours.
No more than 8 company technical meetings can be applied in any 3-year recertification period.
Verification for technical meetings within the Certificant’s Company
Certificant must provide ICP with a document showing the company name, the topic, and the
duration of the technical meeting. This should be submitted along with the API CPD Activities
form. If the Certificant is a participant, the facilitator of the meeting should complete the form. If
the Certificant is the presenter/facilitator, their direct supervisor should complete the form.
Certificants who attend several company technical meetings must complete the API CPD
Activities form for each date attended. Multiple meetings shall not be on a single API CPD
Activities form.
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Patent
For those involved in the research and development of new technologies for or within their
company, or personal endeavor, ICP will grant a maximum of 24 CPD hours to Certificants who
have a patent issued during their recertification period. The patent must be directly related to an
Industry Related Topic.
Certificant/Inventor must submit official proof from the patent agency for their patent. It must
include the Certificant name as the inventor or co-inventor as well as a description that links the
patent to an Industry Related Topic.
Proof of CPD hours will be uploaded to the Education page on the ICP Portal. It is recommended
that Certificants submit their CPD hours as they are completed. However, they may also be
submitted at the time of their recertification application. See the Appendix at the end of the
document for examples of completed forms and acceptable documentation.
On the Education History page, click “Add Certification” under the section listed as
Certification/Training page in the application or account level. Then select Continuing
Professional Development from the drop down and complete the fields. Make sure to upload the
proof of completion.
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Acceptable Verification Types for Completed CPD hours:
The following are examples of acceptable evidence of CPD hours, Certificants do not have to
provide everything on the list. Acceptable verification types are noted in the relevant CPD
activity areas above and should be reviewed before submission.
• Certificate of completion
• Transcript
• Published article/abstract
• Agenda/program schedule/public web link to program showing proof are acceptable
o Any of the above should document participation with the Certificant’s Name
• Proof of workshop/seminar attendance
o Copy of sign in/attendance sheets
• Proof of registration
o Confirmation email
• Completed API CPD Activities Form (must be completed and signed by Event Host or
Supervisor)
o Download the form prior to event
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FAQs
Q: Does the CPD requirements replace ICP’s requirement for proof of continued
inspection experience or the web quiz?
Q: What if I am a few hours shy of the required CPD hours when my certification expires?
A: Recertifications have a 90-day grace period after your certification expiration date.
You may complete the remaining hours within the 90-day grace period and submit them
to ICP.
A. No. You can apply CPD credit hours across certifications that are expiring within a 3-
year recertification period. If you hold an API 510 and API 653 both recertifying in 2024,
you need 8 CPD hours for each certification each year. If you take a Mechanical Integrity
training course for 8 CPD hours in 2023, these 8 CPD hours can be applied to both the
API 510 and API 653 for those recertification terms.
A: No. While taking training is one way to get CPDs, ICP has several categories that
allows for other ways of obtaining CPDs table listed in Determining CPD Hours for
Recertification Applications.
Q: Does ICP have a list of approved trainers/training courses that grant CEUs?
A: No, ICP does not have a list of approved trainers or courses. When selecting a training
program, Certificants should ensure the following are met:
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4) For one day, or multi-day courses, there should be no more than 10 contact hours
in a 24-hour period
5) CEU equivalent hours should not exceed the time needed to complete the subject
materials.
6) Must evaluate the participant’s knowledge through some assessment mechanism
(i.e., quiz/test at the end of a module or course)
7) Must provide documentation showing completion or mastery of the course
(certificate or transcript)
A: No. There is no requirement that training/CEU courses must be through API-U. API-
U is one of many organizations that offer applicable training course. It does offer in-
person and virtual courses that may be relevant to your certification. Their courses are
IACET accredited and provide a certificate of completion at the end of the course. Refer
to the requirements identified in the CEU’s/Training Section.
Lack of IACET accreditation does not preclude training from being accepted as valid
CPD hours by ICP. ICP will grant CPD hours based on contact hours only.
A: No. Other related industry events, such as those run by AMPP/NACE, ASNT, ASME,
AWS, that are related to your certification(s) are acceptable
Q: If I must complete CPD hours for other industry certifications, can I also submit them
for my ICP certification(s)?
A: Yes. If the activities/training you completed for your other industry certifications are
applicable to your ICP certifications, than you may use those hours for your
recertification requirements.
Example: ICP will accept the 9 yr. recertification bootcamp for CWI certification
Exception: ICP will not accept activities related to maintaining ASNT SNT-TC-
1A
Q: What should I do if my activity is not included in the activities listed in the table above?
A: If you are planning to participate in an activity that does not fit in any of the activity
categories listed above but are Industry Related Topics, email inspector@api.org, with
the subject CPD Additional Related Topic.
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Q: What if I achieved another Industry Related certification?
A: It is possible for you to obtain CPD credit hours from the achievement other Industry
Related certifications. The acceptance and potential number of CPD hours allocated will be
at ICP’s discretion. In order be granted CPD hours, Certificants must provide ICP with the
following:
Credit for other industry certifications will not be granted if Certificants have already
received ICP CPD hours for the related exam preparation course.
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Appendix A: Sample API CPD Activities Forms
Technical meeting
ABC Company is holding an internal corrosion review run by their Senior Inspector Gary U.
Larson. Al Attendit, who is a certified API 510 and API 570 inspector is attending the two-hour
meeting with other inspectors in their company.
Al Attendit prepares the API CPD Activities Form before going into the meeting with all his
information (Certificant Information) and information about the technical meeting (Activity
Information).
After the meeting Al Attendit asks Gary U. Larson to complete the “Verification of Attendance.”
N/A
Verification of Attendance
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Participation in industry events
Sally Ann Wright is attending the 2021 API Storage Tank Conference as a participant. The first
presentation she attends is Neil Inspector’s “STI vs API Tank Inspection and Repair Standards,
what are the differences and when do you use each.” The meeting does not collect attendance on
who comes so to provide the necessary verification for ICP CPD hours, Jane will need a
completed API CPD Activities form.
Before the meeting, she completes the Certificant and Activity Information sections of the API
CPD Activities form.
After the presentation, she asks the speaker, Flo T. Rulf, to fill out the Verification of
Attendance.
Storage Tank systems require proper inspection and maintenance to comply with regulatory and
business obligations. A tank inspector may have more than one choice in inspection and repair
standards when evaluating a storage tank system. In some circumstances more than one
inspection process may work, but one may be more appropriate. This presentation will give
inspectors needed information to apply the most appropriate inspection standard to a particular
storage tank system.
Website link for event (if applicable):
https://www.api.org/-/media/Files/Events/Storage-Tank/2021-API-Storage-Tank-Conference-
Program.pdf?la=en&hash=9ACEA13AA96D0FB4314EB7FCAD7F184A9C8DE025
Verification of Attendance
Flo T. Rulf
Flo T. Rulf
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Printed Name Signature
Position:
Keynote Speaker at API Storage Tank
Conference
Company: Date Signed: October 14, 2021
XYZ Company
*For attendees, the leader of the meeting, host, trainer or supervisor may sign off
For trainers/presenters, the host or trainer’s supervisor may sign off
CPD Submission
After attending their respective meetings, Al Attendit and Sally Ann Wright scan their completed
forms. They then go to https://inspector.api.org and log in to their respective accounts. They can
upload the form and other necessary verification to their account level education history, or their
application education history.
The option for CPD hours is available under the “Certifications/Training” click “Add
Certification.”
Once the window opens, they will select “Continuing Professional Development” from the drop-
down menu.
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Complete all the information in the window and upload all verifications.
For the Technical Meeting, the Certificant must provide documentation showing the company
name, the topic, and the duration of the technical meeting (example a PDF of the Outlook
Invite). This should be submitted along with the completed API CPD Activities form.
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Certificants who “participate in industry events” must provide proof of registration as well as
proof of attendance, either as an attendance sheet or a completed API CPD Activities Form.
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