We check the course against the CPD body's criteria before anything is submitted, and fix what would hold it up. Once it is certified, we review it once a year, and whenever the law or the course changes, so the renewal goes through without surprises. Both rounds are part of our CPD Certification service, not extras.
Initial quality assurance, before submission
The first round is about the course as it stands today. We read it the way the CPD body's reviewer will, using that body's published criteria, and we write down every gap we find.
- Outcomes checked so each one can be assessed.
- CPD hours worked out again from the real learning time.
- Laws, standards and fees checked for the country where the course is sold.
- Trainer and author evidence gathered.
- Certificate template and feedback form checked against the body's rules.
You get a written gap report and a fix list. Most gaps are small: an outcome nobody could test, an hours figure that counts lunch, a law that changed last year. We fix them with you, then the course goes in.
Maintenance quality assurance, every year
Once a year after certification we open the course up again and compare what you teach now with what the CPD body signed off. Anything that has moved goes on a list.
- The course as delivered compared with the course as certified.
- Changes in the law or guidance picked up and fixed.
- A sample of issued certificates checked.
- Learner feedback read, with a note of what changed because of it.
- Sales pages checked against the body's rules for its mark.
You then get a short report, the fixes, and the renewal paperwork.
When something changes mid-year
If something changes in between (a law, a trainer, the outcomes, the hours, the format), let us know at the time. We will ask the CPD body whether it wants to see the change before you sell it.
Where we built the course ourselves, a colleague who did not work on the build carries out the review. The CPD body makes the certification decision, not us.
Common questions
Is quality assurance charged separately?
No. Both rounds are part of our CPD Certification service. The first year of maintenance is in the quote you get after the scoping call.
We already run our own quality checks. Do we still need this?
Your checks are a good start, and we build on them rather than replace them. What we add is a reading against the CPD body's own criteria, by someone who has not been close to the course.
Do you check our marketing as well?
Yes, the parts that mention CPD. Sales pages and certificates have to follow the CPD body's rules for its mark, and they tend to drift between reviews.
And if the yearly review turns something up?
We fix it with you before the renewal goes in. If the change is big enough that the CPD body needs to see it, we tell the body first.
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 course you want certified.
Drop us a few lines: what you want to build or get recognised, who it is for, and when you need it. We will reply with the route, the standards that apply and what the job involves.
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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.