We have tried a few accreditation services, and The CPD Group are the best by far. They have a very modern online submission portal, which makes the process very user-friendly. They go through your course materials thoroughly, making sure that you are a subject matter expert or that you have the resources of the subject matter expert to verify your work. Unlike some other providers your details go on an independent CPD register, allowing your clients to verify that your courses are approved. Our CPD approval has already raised our profile with clients, and got us over the line when bidding against our competitors to supply our training to new customers. Each course approval gets its own individual approval number, which can be referenced back to the independent CPD register. This is a great way of demonstrating your compliance by including the number and logo on your certificate. Unlike other providers, I was able to talk to a real person (Andy) who helped guide me through the joining and submission process. If you were considering going for CPD approval, I highly recommend The CPD Group. But be warned, You need to be prepared and have all your learning materials and other relevant documentation in order. If you have everything in order, the process can be quite quick.

I have applied for accreditation and am very impressed with the staff dealing and information that has been provided. I hope i am in for a good run.

Been a journey with the CPD Group. Unfortunately they had to carry a frustrating cross I had with another provider. Nonetheless they are very simple people, cordial and yet professional. With the amount of time they invested and spent on my company, if I am billed to that effect, I am sure I will not be able to pay. I look forward to a long term business relationship with them. Excellent service / Excellent customer support/ Excellent Prompt Communication. (From Finland)

I approached this service after consulting "The CPD Register" and seeing that they had top-rating on that website. However, after my dealings with them I have to agree with the other 1 star ratings here. Given my negative experience I wondered how The CPD Group could have achieved such a high rating so I returned to The CPD Register and found that, not only is The CPD Group rated way above the others, but many of the others are harshly criticised. I did a little digging and it turns out that The CPD Register isn’t any kind of official body but is actually just a website which is solely owned by the boyfriend of the owner of The CPD Group. The owner's boyfriend lists various reasons for denigrating The CPD Group's competitors and, amazingly, he actually has the cheek to list "conflict of interests" as a reason not to trust them. Where is there a clearer conflict of interests than this? The hypocrisy is staggering.

UPDATED REVIEW I have worked with CPD Group since only a few months after the company was formed. I was once proud to have CPD logo in my centre. Mick Judge was the director at the time and any resources that I submitted were handled carefully. Any other user that submitted my resources had to have my approval first. I have now lost count of the times my resources, lesson plans, SOW have been used and abused with the accreditation of CPD Group. I have always been under the agreement that it was £10 per course I wished to accredit. But I have been charged far more than that. I have tried my hardest to communicate with CPD using their WhatsApp, Facebook, email and even their accounts department. This has gone on for months, with no response. I publicly commented on their post and other commenters agreed they had been in the same position. CPD group responded to say I can use their communication channels (which I did) and said that they had been trying to contact me regarding an outstanding PMU course on their portal. I was no way submitting another course with them so I had been working with another company. Whilst still trying to resolve the issue, being overcharged. I'm not talking weeks, I'm talking MONTHS. And not a single thing back from them! Even proof of agreement would have helped, but they can't show this as they know I have NEVER agreed to such high costs. I have now cancelled my direct debit and will most likely have to use legal channels to get a refund. There's a lot that can be said about CPD Group, they're poor customer service, false advertising and sharing private data with third parties without permissions. If you are new training company looking to work with them, be extremely careful. They are not the CPD Group that they once were, their standards have dropped massively. Sad to see what was once a great reputable company, go so bad! UPDATED REVIEW; IF YOU ARE CHANGING PAYMENT TERMS THEN YOU NEED TO LET YOUR CUSTOMER KNOW! THAT IS THE TERMS OF DIRECT DEBITS- YOU ALSO FAIL TO SEND INVOICES ON TIME OR EACH MONTH. AS A BUSINESS OWNER YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS. CAN'T STAND STILL SHOULD STILL BE LEGAL AND ABOVE BOARD. In regard to PMU- as stated I wasn't putting another course with you as you have FAILED to respond to any of my emails, messages for MONTHS regarding why you were overcharging me! So it taking so long was absolutely no issue of mine as I had it approved elsewhere. In regard to your ACCREDITATION that you boast so much about. You mention the importance of course work not being abused. Yet do so anyway. YOU OVERCHARGED ME EVERY SINGLE MONTH BY OVER £50!!!! And will not discuss this at all. And as for sharing private data- this shows the underhanded of your company! You take client data from CPD GROUP and share with CPD register. CPD REGISTER is owned by the partner/spouse of CPD Group owner. Regardless of this you can't share details between companies. It's a data breach. You also bang on on the CPD register how good CPD GROUP is and how it's always number one. Which is completely biased. How can you measure your own standards and then have the audacity to mark another companies standards. It's embarrassing that you go to these levels to make yourselves seem the 'best'. So no- your company hasn't improved. It's just a sales based gimic with no standards in regards to education. The 'wish' version of accreditation. Again- anyone looking for accreditation, avoid this company. Anyone with this company being over charged and ripped off. Cancel your direct debit and do a charge back through your bank. If you receive spam emails without permission go to the ICO and if you're concerned that your course content has been plagiarised and CPD Group have allowed this. Speak with ASA as CPD group claim they check for plagiarised content in there 'framework' please see at the end of this review taken from their website; CPD GROUP- I HAVE EMAILED YOU FOR MONTHS. YOU HAVE ONLY RESPONDED TO THIS REVIEW BECAUSE IT IS PUBLIC. HOW ABOUT YOU RESPOND TO ONE OF MY NUMEROUS EMAILS REGARDING THE OVERPAYMENT AND WE CAN GO FROM THERE??? Intellectual Property We cannot emphasise enough how important it is that you own or are licensed to use the materials you are offering. The Accreditation and Compliance Team check that the content has been truthfully and legitimately produced, looking out for clear indications of plagiarised content. Again it’s important you adhere to professional writing standards by including references where you have used other people’s work and have been granted access to do so. Where you have been given permissions to use other’s work, we will ask to see evidence of this. If you’re not sure about the rules of Intellectual Property, we have some handy information to clarify this under “Resources” in your CPD account.

really disappointed in the service and trying to withdraw before i take matters further, slow communication slow accreditation poor customer care. be careful

I recently checked your CPD Group Accreditation website before I purchased a Teeth Whitening course, because I trusted that your company checked your listed businesses thoroughly. As far as I am concerned this is a step that anyone wanting to purchase a course would take to ensure the authenticity of a course. You state that you look at companies as a whole to ensure that they are CPD ready and that your accreditation and compliance team provides a full assessment of organisations and policies. More importantly you proudly state that you want to raise the CPD standards and quality within the industry! I am highly doubting your process as I have purchased an online course from a provider that is listed on your site at a home address not a business address. Their business address is not stated on your site or theirs and also a business owner's name is not mentioned anywhere. In this case you have allowed not only illegal training but clearly a scam business to profit by using your logo to deceive people into thinking that they are legitimate, because of this I have purchased a course, products and equipment that I cannot legally use and the business have refused to refund my money. I assume you didn't check their cancellation policy, which goes against the supply of services and goods act 1982. The fact that they don't state an address on their website, the fact that they send out whitening gels without listed ingredients, therefore making all of their students salons illegal and insurance void, not to mention that fact that they have in their coursework an area that is not allowed to be taught by a non dentist professional. Your COO states in the home page video that you check coursework, however you have allowed one of your providers to advertise and sell an illegal method of teeth whitening. I would like to draw your attention to the content on your website regarding the regulations surrounding the official training qualification required to qualify as a CPD Trainer. The website explicitly states that this qualification is a prerequisite for your accreditation. Below is the relevant section from your website: It's important to note that none of the trainers using your CPD logo for teeth whitening training possess any formal training that aligns with the mentioned criteria. Do I need an official training qualification to qualify as a CPD Trainer? *The short answer is yes; it is highly recommended that you have a formal training qualification to become a CPD Trainer. For us to provide you with trainer accreditation, we need evidence that you have adequate experience and qualifications to offer an excellent learning experience to your students. We strongly advise completing a formal training qualification before applying for CPD Trainer accreditation.* What do you mean by "Formal Training Qualification"? *By a formal training qualification, we mean a qualification that has been regulated and approved by a specialised government body like Ofqual. Although CPD courses are excellent for refreshing skills, they are not accepted as sole proof of training expertise. A formal training qualification is a prerequisite.* *An example of a formal training qualification is the Level 3 Award in Education and Training or AET, an OFQUAL regulated, globally recognized assessment. This course qualifies the holder to undertake teaching or training in the United Kingdom.* Are there any exceptions? *While rare, we may accredit a trainer without a formal training qualification if they demonstrate years of experience in their field, backed up by strong evidence such as positive learner reviews and other forms of training.* What else is required to become an accredited trainer? *In addition to a formal training qualification, we require trainers to submit relevant training and qualifications, proof of experience (CV or Resume), policies, evidence of Professional Indemnity Insurance, and may request a reference. The trainers are also required to provide a copy of their ID and a selfie for identity verification.* I have raised my concerns with your team, I hope you investigate the matter further and learn from it and remove this business from your website.

I always thought extremely highly of CPD as it puts trust into a company that you wish to upskill your self in. Sadly a number of companies are slipping through the net due to relevant checks not being done. These companies are advertising cosmetic teeth whitening training academies which is 100% illegal for non dental professionals. Use of barrier gel, mouth retractors, direct application to individuals teeth, mouth and gums and dentistry advise being given are ALL illegal to non dental professionals and are openly being trained to students who have put their trust in these companies. These illegal companies are hiding the illegal activity to students by showcasing that they are CPD accredited. Due to this many individuals across the UK have been practicing illegally and unable to get relevant insurance after investing a lot of money. It is vital that CPD investigate these companies as a matter of urgency to prevent this continuing and that all illegal teeth whitening companies have their accredited status removed. CPD are supporting illegal training by ignoring this. It's important to note that none of the trainers using the CPD logo for teeth whitening training possess any formal training that aligns with the CPD accredited criteria that is state on the website.

I have been speaking to Chris Wright today regarding my renewal of my manuals. Chris Wright has been so polite and gone out of his way to help me today. He has made everything so easy for me. He has even responded to my emails after hours while he was at home. I cannot ask for better service and help. Thank you Chris Wright for everything you have done to help me. To Beauty and Beyond

I cannot recommend Jade enough, she thoroughly helped me throughout my time in accrediting me. Super happy with the service provided, couldn’t recommend enough! CharleyJane’s

I have paid the membership and unfortunately the whole website is disabled

Well, where do I start, CPD Group have been amazing with me as a business, adapting to my changing needs, supporting us with new courses as and when the need arises. The team are so friendly, approachable and will help my business at the drop of a hat. If I ask for support, nothing is too much trouble! I would definitely recommend them.

I wish to leave a good review, but I was lucky to become the one who needs to wait more than a month to get my activities accredited. They promised to review my activities as soon as possible and I do understand that they are very busy, but I'm loosing my time and money while waiting. For this reason I do not recommend The CPD Group

Amazing partner to work with, very helpful and offer lots of support the whole team at Filler Direct cant thank them enough for their hard work.

No regard for data protection laws. Do not trust this company.

Terrible accreditation company does not check whether people have certificates or not in the chosen subjects and even if you report things nothing is done about it…. I dont think they are ofqual registered… Very expensive there are other accreditation company's better and alot cheaper. I guessed this would be your response as a company you are not going to admit you don’t ask to see peoples certificates.

I worked with you for two years and not had any issues through the period. You are fabulous. Thanks you for your support in the past two years and hope you will continue supporting me in the next enrolment.

My company, Westminster College London, has had experience working with other accreditation providers but CPD Group is different and beat my expectations.

Amazing company who I have worked along side for many years

Brilliant company to be accredited with! Wouldn’t use anyone else! 10/10