Halfway through the CPD cycle: slow and steady wins the race
The General Optical Council (GOC) is encouraging GOC registrants to review their progress and carry out and log Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activity regularly as the 2025-27 CPD cycle reaches its halfway point.
Analysis of CPD data from the end of June 2026 shows that 43% of registrants – just over 10,900 - are currently ‘on track’ with their general points total at this stage of the cycle, meaning they have achieved at least half of their general points requirement.
The data also shows that nearly four in five registrants have completed a personal development plan (PDP), although around 5,300 registrants are still yet to do so, despite a mandatory PDP form being introduced on MyCPD for this CPD cycle.
With 18 months remaining in the cycle, the GOC is encouraging registrants to review their progress and take steps now to ensure they remain on track to complete their CPD requirements by the end of 2027.
Experience from previous cycles shows that many registrants complete a large proportion of their CPD activity towards the end of the cycle. However, spreading learning and development activities throughout the cycle can help registrants get more value from CPD and avoid a last-minute rush to complete their requirements.
Registrants who have not yet completed a PDP are asked to do so over the summer. A completed PDP can help registrants identify development priorities, plan future CPD activity and track their progress over the remainder of the cycle. Reflecting that development plans can change, PDPs can be updated at any time on MyCPD.
Steve Brooker, the GOC’s Director of Regulatory Strategy, said:
"Reaching the halfway point of the cycle provides a useful opportunity for registrants to reflect on the progress they have made and consider what they still need to do by the end of 2027.
It’s encouraging that slightly more registrants have reached at least half of their general points requirement than at the same stage in the last cycle. Experience shows that ‘slow and steady wins the race’ – it’s better for registrants to undertake and log their CPD activities regularly throughout the cycle rather than face a last-minute rush to complete their requirements at the end of the cycle.
The PDP is an important tool that helps registrants identify learning needs and plan their professional development. We would ask anyone who has not yet completed a PDP to do this on MyCPD over the summer.
Self-directed CPD can be a valuable way of supporting professional development and accumulating points. Activities such as reading professional journals, attending webinars, undertaking further study, teaching and volunteering are some examples of the many things that can count towards self-directed CPD points – the key test is whether they contribute to learning that can be applied to professional practice."
Registrants can access guidance and resources on CPD, PDPs and self-directed CPD on the CPD pages of the GOC website.
