CQI branch hosts webinar on membership grading
Jane Wright, PCQI, Quality Director at Pharma Quality Services Ltd, discusses the latest webinar on CQI membership grades hosted by the CQI’s Derby and Nottingham branch.
The CQI’s Derby and Nottingham branch hosted its recent webinar on 9 June, which focussed on the CQI’s grading structure and how to progress through the organisation’s membership grades. The online session was arranged by Suzanne Hill, CQP FCQI, Chair of the Derby and Nottingham branch, and James Mayers, Member Journey Manager at the CQI.
During the webinar, Mayers provided a detailed description of the membership grades along with the requirements and processes for each to move through each of them. Following this, Mayers went on to explain about the CQI’s mentoring programme for members, including additional information on how to become a mentor and a mentee at the same time, as well as the possibility of having more than one of each. In addition, the CQI’s change in moving from paper-based, to online applications was also explained to delegates in the session.
Thirty-three delegates attended the webinar, including the CQI’s CEO Vincent Desmond. During the proceedings, Desmond presented Samantha Jackson, Quality Assurance at Uniper, UK, with her Chartered Quality Professional certificate.
The branch has recently celebrated two membership achievements with Samantha Jackson upgrading to Chartered Member of the CQI, and Hill, who has recently achieved Fellow status.
Membership poll
The session employed the use of the “Mentimeter” app, allowing attendees to respond in real-time on questions throughout the presentation, and for the results to be displayed on screen for discussion.
The “Menti poll” software failed once on the question of whether attendees felt they were currently at the correct CQI grade. The attendees submitted their responses through the chat function. According to the results, over 40 per cent of respondents who entered their responses, said that they felt they were at the wrong grade, while 80 per cent of respondents explained that they would benefit from a support group for the membership upgrade process.
Preferences for timings of events were also polled and showed that early evenings were favourited by delegates, followed by lunchtimes.
“The main event focussed on the requirements for each grade and how to progress,” said Hill. “Although there is plenty of information and guidance on the CQI’s website, hearing James talk through the requirements made grade progression seem so much more achievable.”
Whilst the Covid-19 pandemic and associated restrictions have brought some businesses to a standstill, the need for social distancing has resulted in an increase in the number of events being hosted online. When the restrictions are over, The CQI’s Derby and Nottingham branch hopes that on-site events will be complemented by webinars to continue helping members with their Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
Forthcoming events include webinars on Quality of Leadership: The Direct Impact on Safety, which will take place on 15 September, and Quality in the Pharma Industry, which will be held on 22 October.
For more information on upcoming events, visit: quality.org/events-calendar