The big difference from a CPD course is the level. Outcomes, assessment, credit and learning hours all have to match a level on the MQF, the RQF, the CQFW or the SCQF, and the reviewer checks that they do. So we design to the level before we write content. Then we build the materials, the assessments and the quality assurance records that a submission has to show.
What changes when a course has to carry a level
| Built for CPD Certification | Built for qualifications accreditation | |
|---|---|---|
| Outcomes | Clear and checkable | Clear, checkable and written to the descriptors for one framework level |
| Size | CPD hours from real learning time | Total learning time and credit, worked out unit by unit |
| Assessment | A knowledge check or reflective task | Assessment designed to the level, with marking criteria, internal verification and standardisation |
| Evidence | Materials, trainer details, certificate | Programme specification, level mapping, assessment strategy, quality policies and staff records |
| Who decides | A CPD certification body | MFHEA in Malta, or an awarding organisation recognised by the regulator for that UK nation |
What we build
Programme specification
The document a reviewer reads first: aims, level, credit, entry requirements, units and how they fit together.
Level mapping
Every outcome set against the level descriptors, so the reviewer can see why the programme sits where it does.
Assessment
Tasks, marking criteria and model answers, plus the plan for internal verification and standardisation.
Learning materials
eLearning, live session plans, workbooks and reading lists, built with a subject expert from your sector.
Tutor guides
What each tutor needs to deliver and assess a unit the same way, wherever and whenever it runs.
Quality records
The templates and logs that show your quality assurance is working, ready before the first learner enrols.
How a build runs
Route and level
Which body, which framework and which level, decided from your market and your learners before anything else.
Design
Units, outcomes, credit and the assessment strategy, mapped to the level and signed off by you.
Build
Materials, assessments, tutor guides and quality records, written with a subject expert.
Initial quality assurance
A mock review against the body's published criteria by someone in our team who did not build the programme.
Maintenance quality assurance
Internal verification, standardisation and the yearly review that keep the approval in place.
Starting from something you already run
Many of the programmes we build began life as a CPD course or an in-house programme. That is a good place to start, because the subject is already proven with real learners. The work is in the level. We usually rewrite the outcomes, add assessment that can be marked against criteria, and extend the content where the level asks for more depth or more independent study.
If you are not sure which framework or level fits, our guides on MQF and EQF levels and RQF levels are a sensible first read.
We are a consultancy, not a regulator or an awarding organisation, and we do not award qualifications. Approval rests with MFHEA or with the awarding organisation and the regulator it answers to. What we control is how ready the programme is when it gets there.
Common questions
Which framework will my programme be built to?
The one your market needs. For Malta and an EU-readable level it is the MQF, which is referenced to the EQF. In the UK it is the RQF for England and Northern Ireland, the CQFW for Wales and the SCQF for Scotland.
Can you turn our CPD course into a qualification?
Often, yes. Expect real work on the level, the assessment and the size of the programme. A one-day course rarely becomes a qualification without growing.
Do you write the assessments as well?
Yes. Assessment is where most submissions run into trouble, so we write the tasks, the marking criteria and the verification plan as part of the build.
Can one programme be built for more than one framework?
Sometimes. We map the overlap so you are not paying twice for the same work, and we tell you plainly where two versions are needed. Our article on dual UK and Malta accreditation covers when it is worth it.
Does a build guarantee approval?
No. Nobody can honestly promise that. We build to the body's published criteria and test the programme against them before submission, which is as close as anyone can get.
FreeCourse diagnostic
Send us one course. We'll tell you what it needs, free.
Share one course or programme you already run, or the slides and notes behind it. After a short first call, we review it at no charge and send you a written note on what it needs and which package fits, within a few working days.
- One course or programme, reviewed by a named person
- A written note on what it needs
- The package that fits, so you know where to start
- No charge and no obligation
Get in touch
Tell us about the programme you want to build.
Send a short note on the subject, who it is for, where you want to sell it and any deadline. We will come back with the framework, the level we would aim for and what the build involves.
Prefer to write instead?
Send an enquiry
Takes about a minute. It reaches us directly.
We use what you send here only to answer your enquiry. See the privacy notice.
Last reviewed 14 October 2026. Apollo Accreditation is a consultancy. It is not a regulator, an awarding organisation or a CPD certification body, and it does not award qualifications itself.