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AIFST Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program

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Enhancing your professional profile and future proofing your career pathway

Ongoing education is a major focus for AIFST, in keeping with the organisations' key priorities of grow, learn, connect and champion.
AIFST supports the continued growth of the Australian food industry by building the skills, capacity, and networks of food industry professionals.

In a competitive and changing world, food scientists and technologists must stay at the cutting edge of new developments throughout their careers. It is no longer possible to rely on basic studies or on-the-job training to provide professional advice and service to our employers, customers, and clients. Modern businesses rely on skilled professionals who are competent in their profession, remain current in their knowledge, and manage and embrace change. Today, food scientists and technologists are increasingly responsible for developing their own careers.

A well-planned CPD program can assist both food industry professionals and their employers to better determine and map career development opportunities to assist with succession planning, employee development, and wider staff training needs.

AIFST aims to support the structured delivery of skills, knowledge and capability building within the food industry by providing CPD program certification requirements and participation. This will assist by providing better career pathways and recognition for members.

Click here to view the AIFST Continuing Professional Development Program Webinar.

CPD allows you to enhance your future

A Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program is a self-planned, structured program for developing your professional skills. The program is designed with clear objectives; requires your active participation; extends your professional knowledge and capabilities, and allows you to engage in a broad range of activities which will increase your career options.

The program reflects the professionalism of the members, improves their professional standing and enhances their employability by formalising and documenting CPD activities.

The voluntary program is designed to encourage members to maintain the currency of skills and knowledge, will provide recognition of experience and interests and align food scientists with other well-respected professions. The CPD program is intended to provide recognition of these activities and skills by formalising and recording the process in a straightforward and transportable way. This program allows you to design your own CPD so that you can take charge of your career development.

The competence of members is vital to the development and credibility of food science practitioners and a CPD program allows a formalised documentation of skills and reflects the professionalism of the members.



Eligible Activities

The program is based on two types of activities, core and supporting and requires a minimum of 20 units in total per membership year.

Core activities are those which involve gaining knowledge and skills in areas directly related to food science and technology. Supporting activities involve gaining knowledge and skills in areas necessary to undertake your role which may not be directly related to food science and technology, assist in enhancing your career opportunities or provide people or self-management skills.   

A complete CPD program for one year should consist of a minimum of 10 Core CPD units. The remaining units can be a combination of Core and Supplementary activities.

Eligible activities include:

  • Formal education courses
  • Conferences and meetings
  • Virtual or online activities
  • Employer-sponsored in-house courses
  • Presentations and papers



  • Individual learning activities
  • Mentoring activities
  • Webinars
  • Working groups
  • Service to the Institute




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