What is CPD?

What is CPD?

CPD is a term that is commonly used across many different industries in relation to learning, but what does it mean, exactly? Continue reading to find out and learn some more about other terms related to CPD.

CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development. It is used to refer to the various ways in which professionals stay up to date on the various skills, knowledge, ideas, and concepts in their industry. Taking part in CPD not only helps you to be better at what you do, but it can also open more doors for you in your career, as you are demonstrating that you take a proactive approach in bettering your knowledge.

What are some examples of CPD?

CPD is anything that develops your professional skills and knowledge. This can take the form of an in-person training course, an online webinar, or something as simple as listening to a podcast in your chosen specialism. Take a look at the graphic to see some more specific examples to help better your understanding!

What are CPD credits?

When talking about CPD, you will often hear aboutCPD credits. Every CPD activity you partake in, whether this be an online course, seminar, or lecture, will come with a certain amount of CPD credits. CPD credits are simply a way of measuring the amount of CPD you have completed. The number of CPD credits attached to an activity is typically the number of hours you will spend on it. If a classroom course takes 5 hours to complete, you will receive 5 CPD credits that you can add to your CV or professional portfolio.

What is CPD accreditation?

If you’re looking for a CPD activity, it is important to look for activities that have received CPD accreditation. If an activity is accredited, it means that a CPD accreditation body like The CPD Group have assessed it to make sure it meets the required CPD standards. This is important as it ensures that you will receive high quality learning that has been externally assessed. Accreditation bodies like us also accredit Trainers, Events, Providers, Employers and more, so if you are taking part in CPD of any kind, be sure that it's accredited to ensure quality!

How do I find great CPD?

You’ve decided that you’d like to take part in some CPD, but where do you start? You could begin by asking your employer if they have any recommendations – or perhaps your employer already has a CPD scheme in place. (In this case, they should apply to be a CPD Employer!) You could also ask others in your industry if they have any suggestions via online forums or networking sessions. You’re also able to search The CPD Register, which is a independent directory of all things CPD accredited: activities, providers, trainer and events! 

Looking for CPD Accreditation?

We accredit a wide range of CPD activities, so take a look at the different types of accreditation we offer to find what suits you best:

• CPD Courses
• CPD Webinars
• CPD Edutorials
• CPD Audio Podcasts
• CPD Video Podcasts
• CPD Accredited Events
• CPD Trainers
• CPD Employers

Every activity we accredit is assessed individually against our A.C.C.R.E.D.I.T.E.D Framework and listed on The CPD Register, where you can verify its accreditation status before you commit.

How to become an accredited CPD Provider

We hope this article was helpful. The CPD Group is the first CPD accreditation organisation to be certified by The CPD Register, working with over 13,000 approved providers across 170+ countries and 100+ industries. Every course, webinar, event or podcast we accredit is assessed on its own merit, never as part of a blanket approval.

If you're delivering training, running events, hosting a podcast, or creating any learning content that offers genuine professional development value, we'd love to help you get it accredited. Visit our Become a CPD Provider page or contact our team for a friendly chat about what we can do for you. If you're a learner looking to track, store and verify your own CPD, create your free CPD Passport - it connects directly to The CPD Register for instant verification of your accredited learning.

We hope you've learnt a bit more about what CPD means, but if you do have any further questions, our friendly team are always happy to help!

Email us: info@thecpd.group

Call us: 0208 3966 340