CPD requirements and recording are currently being reviewed by both the SRA and the BSB. Both regulators are undertaking consultations on introducing 'competence / professional' statements that will see the focus for CPD switch to meeting standards to practice rather than collecting hours each year. CILEX members have been operating under a similar scheme for the past year.

For solicitors these changes have already started. As of the end of the last training year (ie 31 October 2014), the concept of accredited training has been dropped. What this means in practice is that while solicitors still need to accrue 16 hours of CPD next training year (subject to whether or not they opt early for new training - see Competence based training below) they do not need to accrue 4 of those 16 hours attending live accredited training. Any form of acceptable CPD - such as online courses or listening to a webinar or webcast - will count towards their 16 hours requirement

Barristers can also choose what form of CPD is undertaken but need to accrue at least 4 of those hours from a provider accredited by the BSB: we are accredited.

All of which means is that you can continue to use Employment Cases Update to accrue ALL your CPD hours for the next training year irrespective of whether you are a solicitor or barrister.

**Competence-based training for solicitors
**The SRA has also announced plans to drop hours based CPD from 1 November 2016 in favour of 'competence' based training. Detail of what this entails is still not finalised but in essence a solicitor will need to set themselves training targets each year and then record how they have been achieved, reflecting on how the new knowledge is put into practice. A draft competence statement explaining the new approach has been published and is currently out for consultation.

Solicitors can opt to abide by this new regime from Spring 2015 but an hours based approach will be allowed until 31 October 2016. Rest assured that Employment Cases Update will continue to provide all the CPD hours a solicitor needs to comply with the existing regime until that date. A table summarising the changes is below

**What about barristers?
**There are changes afoot for those regulated by the BSB but we do not yet have as much detail. What we do know is that a new system of training will be in place by the beginning of 2016. Until then barristers will have to complete 12 hours of CPD, at least 4 of which must be through an accredited provider, as they do now.

However the requirement to complete a training record and return it to the BSB has been dropped. Instead spot checks are now in place out and the barrister will have to provide evidence that they have completed the training, though that evidence can be fairly unofficial such as an email confirmation or receipt for a course.