The CPD Standards Office
THE ULTIMATE
GUIDE TO
BECOMING CPD
ACCREDITED
By the CPD Standards Office
Visit: www.cpdstandards.com
Email: [email protected]
Tele: 0203 745 6463
ABOUT THE COURSE
WHAT EXACTLY IS
CPD?
CPD is an acronym for Continuing Professional Development and involves
professionals and individuals seeking methods to develop new and current
skills and knowledge with the acquisition of education necessary to
perform excellently within specific areas.
CPD adopts a multi-dimensional approach to long-haul career
development.
CPD is used to describe the never-ending learning process, programmes
or activities professionals, businesses or even organisations engage in to
continually develop these skills.
This ensures worldwide market standards are met, which is an advantage
in a competitive marketplace.
CPD, depending on the country or region involved, can be known by
different terms. It can also possess different guidelines and procedures as
to accreditation and certification.
It is therefore necessary to note that these terms may be used
interchangeably but they are generally concerned with a structured
approach to all-time lifelong learning.
CPD is extremely flexible and combines numerous approaches to learning.
Different educational experiences, such as training workshops, e-learning
programmes, best practices and idea sharing, conferences, events,
seminars and private research are employed to promote suitability to
clients.
The main purpose for this service is to help individuals and professional
bodies upgrade their practices.
The CPD learning landscape has dramatically changed since the COVID
pandemic started, which means that many professionals can now use a
variety of digital and mobile learning to achieve their CPD, including
webinars, live-stream events, Zoom, MS teams training sessions, podcasts,
structured videos on Youtube etc.
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THE CPD STANDARDS OFFICE
WHO NEEDS CPD?
Across the UK workforce, CPD is Regulatory bodies are established to
expected of individual professionals in ensure that the public receives services of
most sectors. the required standard, so CPD is taken
very seriously.
It is generally governed by sector-specific
professional bodies or regulators.
For example, you would not want to see a
doctor who has not undertaken any CPD
Employers also increasingly expect their
training for 20 years, or an accountant who
staff to undertake CPD, and are
is not up to date on tax regulations.
increasingly measuring colleague
performance through CPD schemes
Employers will often support CPD, and
may even contribute to CPD plans.
Anyone who is a member of a
However, the onus is very much with the
professional body has their CPD
individual to source CPD training activities
requirements laid out for them by the
that meet their personal learning needs
body, rather than by their employer.
and objectives.
There are currently over 2500 professional
For training and learning providers, this
bodies, institutes, and membership
offers a great opportunity to help
associations nationally in the UK. They
individuals enhance their careers.
represent all industries and professions,
and all have CPD policies known as CPD
By having a formal CPD accreditation,
schemes.
your training activities will have a much
stronger appeal.
The combined membership of these
bodies is approximately 6 million, which is
15% of the workforce.
To put it simply, 1 in 7 people are required
to do CPD, so the market is substantial to
become a CPD provider.
Anyone who works within a sector that is
formally regulated (e.g. by the Solicitors
Regulation Authority or Financial Conduct
Authority), is mandated to source,
undertake and record their CPD in order to
maintain their license to practice or
professional qualifications.
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THE CPD STANDARDS OFFICE
CPD ACROSS THE GLOBE
Outside of the UK, CPD extends across the globe and is undertaken in most countries.
The CPD Standards Office accreditation services support all forms of professional
development and CPD schemes globally and have an increasingly international
reputation as the strongest currency in professional development.
Australia & New Zealand Europe
CPD within Australia and New Zealand follows a Within Europe, CPD requirements vary from
similar model to the UK. Many professions are led country to country and are dependent on the
by professional institutes, bodies, and regulators, extent of regulation within each sector.
all with similar CPD schemes and requirements to
their UK counterparts. The CPD Research Project has identified that
there are a larger number of professional bodies
The practice of CPD is highly valued, and as a and institutes within Western Europe, with many
result, there are various training, event and online countries in Eastern Europe slowly beginning to
providers registered with the CPD Standards establish professional bodies and associated CPD
Office who deliver training in this region. requirements within the region.
Many CPD Standards providers operate within
Africa various European countries and are active in
delivering training provision to European
Across the African continent, CPD is an emerging professionals.
practice with many individuals and professionals
keen to undertake CPD for ongoing educational
purposes.
The CPD Standards Office has some providers
who deliver in this region, with a number based in
South Africa.
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THE CPD STANDARDS OFFICE
America Middle East
CPD in the United States of America often There is a rising demand for CPD training within the
uses slightly different language to describe Middle East. Over the past decade, the Gulf region
the practice of CPD e.g. CE – Continuing has increasingly focused on delivering high-quality
education and increasing standards of
Education, CPE – Continuing Professional
professionalism and competence.
Education, CME – Continuing Medical
Education, or CLE – Continuing Legal The CPD Standards Office has accredited providers
Education. who are based in the Middle East but largely
deliver into the UK e.g London Training Excellence,
Similar to the UK, there are stringent as well as providers who have developed a course
in the UK and deliver it into specific areas of the
requirements for professionals to undertake
Middle East e.g. Jasper Alliance.
CE within different sectors, with over 4000
professional bodies, institutes, and regulators There are huge opportunities for the delivery of
across the country. CPD training into this region, particularly in
regulated sectors as there is strong value placed
It is a rather complex area as each of the 52 on those learning structures that reflect practices in
States has different CE requirements in place the UK.
for regulated areas e.g. lawyers in Alaska
have to undergo 4 hours of CPD a year,
whereas lawyers in Ohio have to undertake
24 hours of CE over 2 years.
The CPD Standards Office has various
providers who are either based or
headquartered in the USA e.g. Rosetta Stone,
Pinnacle Performance, and Columbia
Business School, New York.
WHAT MAKES CPD DIFFERENT FROM
CONVENTIONAL LEARNING?
Continuing Professional Development is different from conventional learning in its
approach to long-term professional development.
It is a continual process of ongoing enhancements and improvements which are done
as it appeals to the trainee at their own pace with a flexible approach. However, CPD still
encompasses a wide variety of academic and professional activities.
It’s important to not mistake CPD as a qualification, instead, it is all of the bitesize chunks
of learning that keep qualifications up to date and prevent them from becoming
obsolete.
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THE CPD STANDARDS OFFICE
WHY IS CPD IMPORTANT?
CPD has now started to become an important factor in determining who gets hired in the
professional field. Employers do not only focus on academic qualifications nowadays.
They also make these decisions based on the level of professionalism applicants exhibit and
advancements made in career paths. Engaging in ongoing improvement provides individuals
with the skills necessary to stand out from the crowd.
It makes individuals more experienced, dutiful and capable of handling various tasks to their
client’s satisfaction and to meet and excel company standards and can make individuals
masters of their field.
CPD can take different forms – the one you choose depends on your discretion – all aimed at
long-term professional development.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF
CPD?
Dedication to continual professional Individuals who engage in CPD also
development helps individuals to offer perform better at tasks, improving
unique services/cutting-edge performance and productivity. They are
competencies in their workspace. It more likely to be recommended for
distinguishes such professionals from complex tasks because of their broad
colleagues and competitors. knowledge.
Our research shows that people who Organisations that support CPD benefit
undertake CPD have a greater level of from a well-rounded and well-trained
confidence at work, and are more likely to workforce.
be promoted or secure a new role.
Enhancing work skills through CPD
prepares individuals for career change and
makes them eligible for promotion
because of extraordinary expertise.
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THE CPD STANDARDS OFFICE
HOW TO GET CPD ACCREDITED
As earlier stated, CPD Standards offers accessible CPD accreditation services which are
affordable. The CPD accreditation process is recognised internationally by authorities in
the US and UK (across the globe)
Getting accreditation for CPD courses is a primary step to offering training, seminars,
workshops and conferences. Without CPD course accreditation, certificates earned by
professionals may not be recognised internationally.
FIRST STAGE – HOW TO GET CPD COURSE
1 ACCREDITATION
Our CPD consultants will work with you to ensure that your training is
suitable for CPD accreditation and guide you through the whole process.
Consultations are made as to which training courses are suitable for
Continuing Professional Development. This decision is made with informed
research based on the career spread of the target population. CPD
consultants and trainers advise on the structure of the training programme.
We take the time to understand how you deliver your learning, who are
your preferred delegates, or target market, and what the key objectives of
the training programme are.
The course accreditation process is practical in nature. It has been
developed continuously in recent years and is focused on providing world-
class standards of structured CPD learning for delegates and attendees.
Once these requirements are fulfilled, the next stage is how to get training
CPD accredited.
SECOND STAGE – HOW TO GET YOUR TRAINING CPD
2 ACCREDITED
Having applied successfully to become a member of the CPD Standards
community, you achieve your accreditation by submitting your courses,
coaching programmes or online learning portfolio directly to the
Assessment Team who starts the accreditation process.
As part of the process, your learning materials are required for review – for
example, slides, handouts or access to online provision.
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The CPD Assessments Team then evaluates the learning materials, reviews
the structure, and provides advice to help in development of CPD training
courses. Other elements of learning such as educational content, structure
and learning objectives are defined too.
CPD learning experiences are rated against standards assessment criteria
to ensure that they meet requirements for accreditation as a course.
Training should meet these necessary benchmarks for approval. If they
don’t, the CPD Assessments team provides details based on course
assessment.
The CPD assessment process normally takes up to 6 weeks but maybe
quicker depending on the size and duration of the learning material.
When completed successfully, you are now a formally accredited CPD
provider.
FINAL STAGE – WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOUR LEARNING
3 PORTFOLIO IS ACCREDITED?
Now you are an accredited CPD Standards provider, you and your
organisation are eligible for a ‘CPD Certified’ certificate of achievement and
authenticating digital trustmarks, which are a visual confirmation that your
learning material is compliant with industry standards, knowledge,
regulations and guidelines.
The CPD trustmark can be used on accredited training materials and
marketing communications, and other official CPD documents as well as
the ‘CPD Certified’ symbol.
You will also be provided with a formal CPD certificate template to issue to
delegates completing the accredited learning experiences, which they can
then use in a professional CPD record for their professional body or
employer.
Furthermore, a description of the accredited portfolio is listed in the CPD
Courses Catalogue where information is given about the training in detail,
subject to whether it is available for the general public.
This accredited training will be added to the specific Continuing
Professional Development Member Directory profile too.
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THE CPD STANDARDS OFFICE
BENEFITS OF GETTING TRAINING
COURSES ACCREDITED
Gaining accreditation for training courses provides an endorsement for your business or
organisation with the resulting effect of greater profile recognition, improved quality of
training and services.
It also comes with access to experienced CPD experts who provide expert advice and
solutions.
CPD experts also help to continuously improve the educational offering and supervise
the quality of service rendered. Accredited CPD partners provide quality educational
support and enhance the level of training you offer.
WHAT ARE THE CPD FEES TO
BECOME ACCREDITED?
We provide a variety of membership Your advisor will ask you a variety of
subscription options to suit your business predetermined questions to really get a
whether you are a sole trader or a multi- greater understanding of your business
million pound business. offering and work with you to select the
best membership level.
The accreditation fees will be determined
during your initial conversation with one of Once you have established the correct
our accreditation advisors, on this call they subscription model and accreditation cost,
will discuss the best cost-effective CPD we will support you to complete the
subscription to suit your business needs. application process and the next steps to
becoming an accredited CPD provider.
There are no hidden fees, additional costs
for accreditation, or charges for the
number of certificates issued. There is one
subscription fee due each year.
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THE CPD STANDARDS OFFICE
HOW LONG
DOES MY
ACCREDITATION
LAST FOR?
Your membership commitment with The CPD
Standards Office is for a minimum of two years.
After the first two years, you are then
contracted on a 1 year rolling basis.
You only pay the accreditation costs for the first
year and then will be sent a separate invoice for
every year after that.
We are flexible in our approach to the
accreditation fees, offering either as a 10x
monthly direct debit or billed on an annual
basis. Members also get a discount of 15% on
their second year as part of our loyalty scheme.
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THE CPD STANDARDS OFFICE
HOW DO I GET MY
ORGANISATION ACCREDITED?
Once you have registered with us and paid your CPD certification cost, you will need to
submit your full application and evidence for assessment.
Our CPD Assessment Team evaluates all of your learning materials, supporting
evidence and reviews the structure of your CPD activity.
After completion of this assessment, you will be provided with advice to help and
support you with the development of your CPD activities to ensure it meets our high
assessment criteria. All of this is included in your accreditation cost.
HOW LONG WILL THE
ACCREDITATION PROCESS TAKE?
There are two options for our assessment process:
Swift Routine
For an additional CPD fee, you can have your full From the day of full submission, it generally takes
CPD Badge and documents within 14 days of full up to 30 working days for you to receive your
application submission. accreditation which includes your CPD Trustmark
as a digital badge, PNG & JPEG, and documents.
This is dependent on the number of activities
submitted. There is no additional CPD fee for the
routine option.
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THE CPD STANDARDS OFFICE
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF
GETTING CPD ACCREDITED
WITH US?
When you become accredited by the CPD This gives you peace of mind as you
Standards Office, you get more than just a exchange best practice and share
mark of accreditation with the CPD logo. contacts with other providers, professional
bodies, universities and other authorities.
You also become part of our CPD
Standards Community, along with over With over 1,400 professional bodies out
1100+ other accredited providers. This there requiring CPD for their members,
community is growing stronger every day, this means there are hundreds of
with its huge range of connections to thousands of potential recipients of your
membership organisations, employers, training.
and universities. It is also supported by the
ongoing work of the CPD Research The demand very much exists for
Project. accredited CPD trainers, and we can help
you access it.
This means that just as your clients and
delegates can be sure that your training,
learning or coaching activities are
independently assessed to the highest
standard, you can also be sure that the
other members of the CPD Standards
Community have been assessed to the
same criteria.
AS WELL AS EXCELLENT NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES, MEMBERS OF
OUR COMMUNITY ALSO BENEFIT FROM:
A globally recognised CPD logo
Verifiable CPD points, which your delegates and be audited on
A dedicated account manager to support you throughout your membership
Member networking events and premium webinars to boost your own CPD
Support with writing your CPD content from our experts
Ability to issue digital certificates using the latest technologies, as well as PDF & CPD
certificates for extra credibility
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THE CPD STANDARDS OFFICE
WHAT IS THE CPD STANDARDS
OFFICE?
Our mission is to support everyone involved in Continuing Professional Development
(CPD) to make it better, easier and more affordable.
We founded the CPD Standards Office as a result of a comprehensive research project
into the quality of continuing CPD provision across the country. Our in-depth research
surveyed over 1000 professionals, and interviewed a range of professional bodies and
regulators.
We discovered that the standards of CPD varied greatly and that too much of the
training provided was of remarkably low quality.
Delegates complained about a “lack of passion” and “courses
pitched at a too simple level”.
By providing independent accreditation, our mission is to
improve the quality of continuing professional development
(CPD) to ensure positive and successful CPD experiences.
We also want to make it more affordable and easier to access
and help CPD providers ensure that they are delivering
consistently high quality training that is inclusive and
collaborative.
Our marks of excellence for training and learning providers
demonstrate to individuals and professionals that the learning
activity is of a very high standard, conforms to CPD best
practice and is appropriate for inclusion in a formal CPD record.
We also pioneer new ways of working into the CPD field, and
have recently introduced a digital certificate service for our
providers using Blockchain technology.
The CPD Standards Office forms part of the Professional
Development Consortium. The Consortium works to build
bridges between stakeholders to increase the benefits of CPD
to individuals and employers. In particular, we encourage the
spread of best practice and the sharing of support.
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THE CPD STANDARDS OFFICE
THE NEXT STEP IN
BECOMING A CPD
MEMBER?
If you want to get CPD accredited and join a globally
recognised community with access to all the
support & guidance you need to deliver up to date,
high-quality training or learning experiences to your
audience, simply click the link below to book a quick
call with one of our CPD specialists who will guide
you through the whole process from start to finish.
Click Here To Start Your CPD Journey
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