PPD is designed to make the work-related element an integral part of your ongoing learning experience.
To work effectively as an IFoA qualified actuary, you need to develop your skills in the workplace.
You will need to submit a minimum amount of credits and formal learning hours annually to be able to sit exams and maintain your student membership. There are three elements to completing PPD:
Each year you are required to submit PPD. You will have a unique date to submit your records by, this is usually the date you joined the IFoA and is known as your ‘annual PPD deadline date’. You will need to submit a minimum amount of PPD per year. There is also an annual requirement to record formal learning activities in addition to the competencies.
For each PPD record, you must complete a detailed log that refers to work-based activities which you have completed. You should select your topic choice from the 30+ competencies available. Those 30+ competencies are split up into three objective categories. The three objective categories set the minimum standards which you need to demonstrate in the workplace:
Each of the objectives contains a range of competencies, including certain mandatory competencies which you must complete before you qualify. You may select which to complete, however, we expect at least one from each objective. Ideally, you will have a range across all three. You may complete the same competency more than once, however, it must relate to a different activity and learning outcome. Each competency carries a value of 1 or 2 credits. These weightings reflect the importance attached to each objective. You will need to complete a minimum amount of credits per year and overall in order to qualify.
Mandatory competencies
There are certain mandatory competencies that you must complete before you qualify. These are the following:
If you do not complete the mandatory competencies, your application will be returned to you for further amendments.
Please note – If you transfer to become an Associate, you would have needed to complete the 4 mandatory competencies listed above however you will not need to repeat the mandatory competencies if you chose to later transfer to Fellow.
Further details on the competencies available, alongside the credit value and appropriate examples, can be found in the objectives and competencies mini-guide.
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1. An activity description |
The description should be a concise overview of the activity you are referencing. You should avoid jargon and abbreviations and it should be able to be understood by someone who is not familiar with your work. There is a limit of 250 characters for the activity description. If you are preparing your draft submission in Microsoft Word, the IFoA recommends using Microsft Office packages from 2010 onwards for an accurate character limit. |
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2. A learning outcome |
The learning outcome is where we expect to see the main body of the submission. It should be a descriptive and self-reflective piece of writing describing what learning or development have taken from the activity and how you will use this in the future. This ‘reflection’ is an important business skill that you need to develop throughout your professional career. There is a limit of 1024 characters for the learning outcome. We would expect to see a learning outcome of between 900 to 1024 characters. The minimum requirement is 600 characters. If you are preparing your draft submission in Microsoft Word, the IFoA recommends using Microsft Office packages from 2010 onwards for an accurate character limit. |
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3. An activity date |
This must be the date you undertook the activity within the PPD year. It is not possible to retrospectively add activities to previous years or edit information once the year has reset. |
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4. Confirmation that you have discussed the PPD record content with your supervisor or line manager |
This is indicated by ticking the appropriate box and is a mandatory requirement of submitting your PPD. We may contact your supervisor for confirmation of the activity you are describing. |
Formal learning
In addition to recording your credits, you will also need to record at least two hours of formal learning and development activities each year. These must be unconnected with the actuarial exams and activities you have completed for CPD. Such activities can include attendance at meetings of local actuarial societies, technical and business presentations, company arranged training and actuarial related seminars.
| Minimum number of months PPD required | Minimum number of credits required | Minimum credits per year | Minimum hours of formal learning activity total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate | 12 Months | 10 | 3 | 2 hours |
| Fellow | 36 Months | 20 | 3 | 6 hours (2 per year) |
| PPD for joiners from 2019 | Minimum number of months PPD required | Number of credits required | Minimum credits per year | Minimum hours of formal learning activity total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate* | 24 Months | 15 | 3 | 4 hours (2 per year) |
| Fellow | A further 12 months of PPD recording after Associate status is confirmed | A further 5 credits | 3 | A further 2 hours |
*Associateship Qualification must be obtained before progression to Fellow. Members may still sit any examination in any order, however, they must achieve the Associate award before Fellow. Once Associate membership is confirmed, a further 1 year (12 months) must be recorded in PPD before an application to Fellow is made. View the 'PPD for 2019 joiners' page for further information
If you are submitting the minimum amount of work experience, you should make sure you wait to submit your final sign-off and work experience documents until the full 12/36 (Associate/Fellow) months have passed.
If the period of time covered in your work experience is less than 12/36 months you will not be able to submit your application earlier, even if you have no further PPD to record. If you have more than the minimum months recorded and you have met the requirements to qualify you may submit at any time.
For Associate, you must have:
For Fellow, you must have:
To submit your Practical Work Experience application final sign off to qualify you will need to:
You can track the progress of your application using Track Progress of My PPD Final Sign-off in the My Account area of the IFoA website.
| Date | Notice |
|---|---|
| Friday 10 January 2025 | Have completed your PPD requirements and a final sign-off form completed and signed by a Fellow of an International Actuarial Association. |
| Friday 21 February 2025 | Resolve any final queries on your documents and have these signed off by us. |
| Friday 28 February 2025 | Sign and return the transfer form that we will send you. |
The ‘Personal and Professional Development (PPD)' is the current work experience scheme that is in place and being implemented by the IFoA. As of 1 September 2018, all students should have started PPD and prior schemes will not be considered after January 2022.
If you have any questions about membership please email us or call us on +44 (0) 131 240 1325. Response times can be found in our membership FAQs.