Which of the following statements about Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs is true?

The fundamental justification for the existence of professional regulatory bodies like ASET is the protection of the public. Because technology, codes, safety standards, and engineering practices evolve at a rapid pace, a professional's knowledge can quickly become obsolete. An obsolete professional is an incompetent professional, and an incompetent professional poses a severe risk to public safety. Therefore, a purely "voluntary" CPD program (Option B) is insufficient, as it allows complacent individuals to fall behind. To fulfill their statutory mandate, professional associations must implement a mandatory program of CPD activities (Option C). This requirement ensures that every single regulated member actively maintains, upgrades, and broadens their technical and ethical competency throughout their entire career. Compliance must be tracked, reported, and audited (contradicting Option A) to ensure that the public can continually trust the protected designations (like C.Tech. and C.E.T.) to represent current, safe, and effective professional practice.