CPD Courses vs Webinars: What Every Training Provider Needs to Know

A question we hear regularly from training providers who are new to CPD accreditation: What's the difference between a CPD course and a CPD webinar? On the surface, it's easy to see why the confusion arises. Both deliver learning. Both can take place online. Both earn learners CPD credits. But at The CPD Group, courses and webinars are distinct activity types, and understanding what separates them is important for getting your accreditation right and ensuring your learners receive the correct recognition for their development.

What is a CPD Course?

A CPD course is a structured learning program built around defined outcomes and a logical progression from start to finish. It is designed to take a learner through a subject in a deliberate way with the intention of developing the learner's knowledge, skills, or competence in the particular subject area. It typically includes some form of assessment or knowledge check to confirm that learning has taken place, but this is ot alway the case.

Courses can take many forms - classroom sessions, workshops, online e-learning modules, or blended programmes. What they share is a structured learning journey with a clear point of completion. The length can vary considerably, from a couple of hours to several days, but regardless of duration, the emphasis is always on purposeful, evidence-based learning.

When we accredit a CPD course at The CPD Group, we assess it against our A.C.C.R.E.D.I.T.E.D Framework. This covers everything from the accuracy and relevance of the content, to the accessibility of the learning, to the expertise of the author, to how learner progress is tested. Every course submitted to us is reviewed individually against each of these criteria - and it is that rigour that gives providers and learners alike confidence that the standard has been properly met.

What is a CPD Webinar?

A CPD webinar is a video-based learning session delivered online. It might be live, pre-recorded, or on-demand, and could take the form of a presentation, a panel discussion, or an expert interview. Webinars can - and often do - cover complex, detailed subject matter and are intended to inform, update, or raise awareness rather than to develop measurable competence. A specialist sharing their expertise on a technical topic, walking through a process, or presenting the latest thinking in their field is delivering real, substantive learning.

Think of it this way. An experienced surgeon could deliver a webinar explaining how they approach a complex procedure - the thinking behind it, the stages involved, the decisions made along the way. Someone watching that webinar would come away having genuinely learned something. They would understand the process better, gain valuable insight from an expert, and be better informed than they were before. That is meaningful CPD.

What a webinar cannot do, however, is fully equip that learner to perform the procedure themselves. The format, by its nature, shares knowledge and builds understanding - but it does not take the learner through the level of step-by-step detail, progressive skill-building, and assessed competence that would be required to actually develop that capability. That is where the course comes in.

When we accredit a CPD webinar at The CPD Group, we carry out a thorough accreditation process that assesses the quality of the session and the expertise of those delivering it, ensuring it meets the high standards we apply across all of our accredited activities. Once accredited, providers receive a unique accreditation number and a bespoke QR code that attendees scan at the end of the session to download their CPD certificate and log their credits.

Where the Confusion Comes From

The shift to online delivery is the biggest source of confusion. When all learning takes place on a screen, the visual difference between a structured course and a live webinar can feel minimal. Both can include video. Both can be accessed remotely. And because both earn learners CPD credits, providers sometimes assume the two are interchangeable. They are not - the credits are calculated differently and reflect the different nature of the learning taking place.

The distinction, in most cases, comes down to structure and intent. A course is built around a defined curriculum with progressive learning and assessed outcomes. A webinar is built around a focused session where the primary vehicle for learning is presentation, discussion, and expert insight.

Can a Webinar Become a Course?

Yes - but it's important to be clear that this isn't simply a case of repackaging existing content. For a webinar to become a CPD course, it needs to go through meaningful development work. The level of detail needs to increase significantly. The content needs to be structured into a progressive learning journey. Supporting materials need to be developed. And a formal assessment process needs to be built in to evidence that learning has taken place.

A webinar, by its nature, is a focused session. It covers a topic, shares expert insight, and provides learners with valuable knowledge in a time-bound format. A course, on the other hand, requires a deeper level of learning - one that takes the learner through a subject progressively, builds on knowledge at each stage, and in many cases includes a way of assessing that learning has genuinely taken place.

So while a recorded webinar can absolutely be the starting point for a CPD course, the journey from one to the other involves adding structured learning outcomes, developing supporting materials, building in assessments or knowledge checks, and ensuring the content has the depth and detail required to meet CPD course standards. It is a development process, not simply a format change.

The reverse is also true. A subject that has been developed into a full CPD course can be distilled into a focused webinar - perhaps covering a single key theme as a standalone update or an introduction for professionals already working in the field. Used thoughtfully, the two formats complement each other and allow providers to offer learners different levels of engagement with the same subject matter.

Why Getting This Right Matters

Getting the distinction right affects how your learners evidence their development. A learner who completes an accredited CPD course receives recognition for structured learning with demonstrated outcomes. A learner who attends an accredited CPD webinar receives recognition for their participation in a quality-assured expert session.

Both are valuable - but they tell a different story on a CPD record, and for professionals reporting their development to employers, regulators, or professional bodies, that distinction can matter.

At The CPD Group, we work with providers to ensure every activity is correctly categorised and accurately represents the learning it delivers. If you are unsure which category your activity falls into, or want to discuss your accreditation options, our team is always happy to help. Visit thecpd.group to find out more.