A Guide to Understanding CPD Accreditation

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) has become an invaluable resource for both individuals and organisations across all industry sectors. With ever increasing competition and rapid changes in technology and the working environment, a commitment to CPD ensures the development of skills and knowledge crucial to continued growth and success.

CPD Accreditation makes sure that courses or training are assessed and checked to the highest standard, and offers assurance to professionals that they will get the most out of any learning. Being CPD accredited creates a discernible advantage from others in the market, providing a sign of quality and credibility. This article will give an overview to understanding CPD accreditation, including the key benefits and how to become an accredited CPD provider.

What is CPD?

CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development and is the term used to describe the learning activities professionals engage in to develop and enhance their abilities. At its core, CPD is about the individual and their commitment to ongoing lifelong learning. It encourages looking forward and identifying opportunities to learn something new, refresh existing knowledge, improve skills, or simply keep up-to-date with the latest developments within a particular profession or industry. 

The increase in Continuing Professional Development has been driven by a requirement for a system of measurable performance and transparency. ‘Professionalisation’ in response to legislation, consumer needs and general socioeconomic trends highlights a necessity for visibility and accountability across sectors. In many traditional sectors, it is mandatory for professionals to regularly record and complete CPD as part of their commitment to their professional body.

Understanding CPD accreditation

External validation demonstrates the steps taken to deliver the highest possible training standards. Organisations look to become recognised CPD providers to present their knowledge and expertise in the form of structured and accredited CPD. The accreditation process takes an impartial and objective overview of the structure and value of learning materials to ensure full conformity to Continuing Professional Development guidelines.

Established in 1996, The CPD Certification Service has over 27 years’ experience providing CPD accreditation. We work with organisations from all industries, ranging from small consultancy firms to large training providers, multi-national corporations and small businesses, conference & event organisers, universities, further education colleges, local authority and Government departments.

CPD Providers are able to utilise key features of membership to help support business, marketing and training objectives. Accreditation can apply to a number of core learning activities, which includes training courses, workshops, seminars, eLearning, conferences, and educational events. All learning is assessed and certified against the universally accepted and structured checklist which The CPD Certification Service has developed for over 25+ years.

Once learning materials have been successfully reviewed and approved by our experienced Assessments team, an organisation will receive a ‘CPD Certified’ certificate of achievement, demonstrating it meets the required standards, knowledge and guidelines. The ‘CPD Certified’ symbol can then be used on the approved materials, as well as delegate certificates of attendance. Our authoritative CPD Member and CPD Certified symbols offer reassurance to participants and attendees that materials achieve the qualitative standards required by all parties.

What benefits does CPD accreditation provide?

There are numerous benefits that come from CPD accreditation. One of the main reasons an organisation will look to obtain CPD accreditation is to meet more of the right audience, increase training bookings and event attendance. Recognised CPD accreditation provides an endorsement for an organisation and can be used to obtain new clients, as well as generate interest for events and courses.

CPD accreditation also means an organisation will be seen as an authority in the industry. This will not only help to gain new customers, but the established expertise means more can potentially be charged for products and services. This opens up possibilities for increased revenue and profitability.

The process of gaining CPD accreditation through The CPD Certification Service will enhance the standard of training as quality of learning materials will be raised through access to experienced CPD experts, providing advice and a framework to help continuously improve an educational offering. By becoming a CPD member, organisations also gain access to a large network of accredited providers. They’ll be able to share their own expertise, as well as receive input from a much broader community. Through networking, this can open up new business opportunities and potential customers.

As well as direct appeal to audiences and customers, CPD accreditation will also prove attractive to potential employees, making it easier to find the right individuals for job positions and attract a higher level of candidate. A commitment to CPD in an organisation ultimately leads to higher staff retention rates, as employees feel there are opportunities to develop – thereby avoiding the costs of high staff turnover.

Read case studies from our members

We have been asking our members how they have implemented CPD accreditation for their training courses and events. If you would like to find a range of helpful and informative examples for your industry, you can visit our member case studies page. The case studies are direct feedback from our current members and provide more insight into the value and benefits of gaining CPD accreditation.

What is myCPD Portal and how does it work?

myCPD Portal is a free CPD online record tool that helps manage and log Continuing Professional Development learning for any ongoing CPD requirements. It can be used to set annual CPD targets, track progress, and store certificates for training and events attended. Easily download training records for your employer or professional body.

Becoming a CPD accredited training provider

The CPD Certification Service has members in over 100 countries and our CPD providers benefit from the ability to promote themselves as part of an international community where quality is both recognised and assured.. We provide different membership levels to suit needs and budgets determined by an initial free informal consultation. Our expert and friendly CPD team will discuss the structure of your training, how it is delivered, and the key learning objectives and outcomes for your activities. Our team can explain CPD membership, the benefits of becoming a CPD provider, the accreditation process and features of membership included.

Along with the benefits of accreditation, we provide a number of other complimentary services to support a fully holistic CPD provision. These include having licence to use our CPD Member logo on company marketing materials, and the ‘CPD Certified’ symbol on approved CPD course materials. All CPD accredited courses are listed in the Course Catalogue and there is the ability to publicise certified events on the CPD Event Calendar. In addition, we offer full administration of delegate CPD certificates post activity.

We hope this article was helpful. Thousands of CPD events, conferences, training courses, e-learning programs, workshops and seminars are formally submitted to The CPD Certification Service to be registered as CPD accredited every year. Becoming a CPD provider and certifying your training materials follows a simple process.

For more information about how to become accredited and the accreditation process, please use the contact form or call us on +44 (0)208 840 4383.