FREE CPD Accreditation – does it really exist? Some thoughts and guidance
Get CPD accredited for FREE - does it really exist?
The CPD Certification Service has over 27 years’ experience working across all industry sectors providing CPD accreditation as an international professional membership body. Established in 1996, our purpose is to drive excellence in CPD accreditation by helping CPD providers with the guidance and knowledge to deliver training courses and events to the highest standards, against an industry-leading CPD assessment framework.
A guide to CPD Accreditation
CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development and describes learning activities that a professional completes to develop and enhance their capabilities. CPD enables learning to become conscious and proactive, rather than passive and reactive.
CPD combines different types of training such as eLearning, workshops, seminars, conferences and events all focused for professionals to improve their work abilities.
The CPD Certification Service have 25 years experience providing recognised CPD accreditation for organisations ranging from small consultancy firms to large training providers, multi-national corporations, conference & events organisers, universities, further education colleges, local authorities, councils and Government departments.
This article provides some simple guidance on the possible risks and concerns surrounding getting accredited for free CPD accreditation.
Our thoughts on 'FREE' CPD accreditation
Cheap and easy is not often considered a sustainable suitable alternative for quality and reliability. Industry recognised CPD accreditation gives organisations and learners peace of mind when investing their time and money into training resources.
When it comes to training course accreditation, the process should be thoroughly tested against industry recognised benchmarks and standards. It takes time and effort to assess a training course and to make sure value-add is provided to the learner.
If your training courses have free CPD accreditation, has it really been assessed or did you just get a free logo? How will this attitude reflect on your business by your potential clients?
We do not want organisations not be fooled by marketing spin that claims to provide free CPD accreditation. There is a view there is no such thing as getting accredited for 'free' CPD accreditation, and you should be dubious of such free offers. There is a common saying; “you get what you pay for”.
Is “Get CPD Accredited for FREE” just marketing?
There has been a minor surge of new companies using marketing terminology such as “FREE CPD Accreditation” and “Get CPD Accredited for FREE”. In many instances where there is advertising of ‘free accreditation’ you will find later hidden fees when you actually need to accredit your courses or events.
Possibly you maybe spending more than when you originally joined, or are buying a relatively new logo that may not even have industry trademarks in place. Furthermore, we have noticed some new ‘free accreditation’ websites copying and pasting content from our main CPD website.
It is always worth doing some due diligence as your business brand is important. Do you know how much value you are adding to your company by marketing your free CPD accreditation?
Does 'FREE' accreditation risk your business?
Has free CPD accreditation obtained recognised validation? How can you get CPD accredited for free if training courses and events need to be assessed to the highest standards of learning? Who is paying for the quality assessments and further support? Are courses and events being approved without review?
Consider the advantages and disadvantages of free CPD accreditation. Align your business to the best support you can get. What message are you portraying to your target audience if you charge them for training and events but use free CPD accreditation.
The risks involved aligning to cheap and free alternatives sometimes do not outweigh the benefits. Quality standards can decrease, service and support may fall aside, and trustworthiness can be questioned at times.
CPD Accreditation FAQs
Why become an accredited CPD provider?
Organisations become a CPD provider in order to meet more of the right target audience, distinguish from market competitors, increase delegate bookings for courses and events as well as create and maximise new business opportunities.
How are training and events assessed?
The accreditation process takes an impartial and objective overview of the structure and value of training materials to ensure full conformity to international CPD industry benchmarks and guidelines. CPD is reviewed and assessed against the universally accepted and structured checklist which The CPD Certification Service has developed over the past 25+ years.
What is accredited CPD training?
External validation demonstrates to attendees the steps taken to deliver the highest possible training standards. The CPD Certification Service provides independent CPD accreditation compatible with international requirements. Our CPD symbols are recognised in over 100+ countries and offer professional bodies, institutional associations, educational providers and consumers reassurance that further learning achieves the qualitative standards required by all parties.
How much does CPD accreditation cost?
Organisations wishing to embrace CPD can display their commitment through membership of The CPD Certification Service. The CPD Service provides a range of cost effective CPD fees and subscriptions to suit your budget. Membership levels are determined by an initial dialogue resulting in recommendations for your most effective routes to market. CPD Providers are able to utilise key features of CPD membership to help support business, marketing and training objectives.
Testimonials
Membership of the CPD Certification Service shows our commitment to excellence and to providing CPD for our staff.
CPD is widely recognised within the NHS to enable healthcare individuals to maintain training levels and enhance their professional development. NHS Supply Chain uses CPD to work with our colleagues in the wider NHS and share knowledge and expertise.
The majority of our customers ask whether our courses are CPD approved and recognise the importance of having courses reviewed by The CPD Certification Service.
