Certified CPD

Certified CPD operates as both a commercial training provider selling its own courses (subscription-based, enterprise learning, individual courses including data protection and ISO 27001) and as an accreditation organisation that accredits external courses and organisations. The Accreditation page states: "Certified CPD is a UK-registered training provider delivering face-to-face and online professional learning globally. Alongside our own accredited programmes, we formally accredit external courses and organisations that meet our professional, industry, and quality standards."

The "What We Accredit" page identifies external clients accepted for accreditation as including "Online courses and e-learning programmes", "Face-to-face training and workshops", "Blended learning programmes", "Sector-specific professional development courses", "Training providers", "Corporate learning teams", "Consultancies and professional services firms", and "Independent course creators and education businesses".

Under Criterion 8 of our Methodology, we record the factual position: this organisation sells training in the same market as the providers it accredits (sector-specific online and face-to-face professional development courses). CPD Training Providers considering submitting course materials should ask Certified CPD what undertakings it gives regarding the confidentiality and non-use of submitted course materials, what governance separates its accreditation function from its commercial training activity, and whether its accreditation panel has any role in its own course development.

Source: https://certifiedcpd.com/accreditation, accessed 27 April 2026

Certified CPD's published Terms and Conditions are accessible from the website footer. The published terms govern the purchase of courses by individual learners (orders, product availability, pricing, payment methods, refunds, user accounts, account termination, limitation of liability, and changes to terms). They do not address the accreditation service offered to external course providers and organisations.
Specifically, the published Terms do not set out:

The duration of an accreditation grant or any renewal terms
The basis on which accreditation may be withdrawn, suspended, or revoked
Intellectual property provisions covering course materials submitted by training providers for accreditation assessment, including confidentiality and non-use undertakings
Rights of use and restrictions on the Certified CPD logo, badge, or trustmark
Complaints, dispute resolution, or appeal procedures specific to accreditation decisions
Refund or cancellation rights specific to accreditation services
Conflict-of-interest safeguards relating to Certified CPD's parallel sale of its own training courses

The published Terms also reserve the right to "update or modify these Terms at any time without prior notice", with continued use of the website constituting acceptance. While such clauses are common in consumer website terms, the Competition and Markets Authority's guidance on unfair contract terms identifies broad unilateral variation rights as a category requiring particular care, especially where the contract governs a service relationship of more than transactional duration. An accreditation grant is, by its nature, a multi-year service relationship.

Section 4 of the published Terms refers to a Privacy Policy, and a separate Refund Policy is referenced under section 2.1; these have not been reviewed as part of this assessment.

Under Criterion 5 of our Methodology, terms and conditions specific to the accreditation service should be accessible to prospective applicants before they engage. The published terms reviewed do not meet that standard. Training providers considering accreditation with Certified CPD should request the specific contractual terms that will apply to their accreditation engagement in writing, before paying any fees, and should ensure those terms address the points listed above — particularly the IP and confidentiality provisions covering submitted course materials.

Source: https://certifiedcpd.com/terms-and-conditions, accessed 27 April 2026