For Australian training providers
CPD accreditation for Australian training providers
Published 1 September 2026 · 6 min read
Australian training providers occupy a specific position in the global CPD market: your regulated qualifications are ASQA-registered and sit inside the Australian Qualifications Framework, but a lot of the training the market actually buys — short courses, workshops, professional-development programmes — sits outside that regulated system entirely. That's where an independent CPD mark earns its place. Here's what CPD accreditation means for an Australian provider, what it doesn't, and how AssuredCPD's UK-issued mark works if you're based in AU.
The short version: AssuredCPD is a UK-based independent CPD accreditation body. We assess non-regulated CPD courses from providers based anywhere in the world — including Australia — against a published Standards Framework, with a decision in five working days and public pricing. What that gives an Australian provider is a UK-issued, independently verifiable CPD mark and a directory listing. What it isn't: an ASQA registration, an AQF qualification, or automatic recognition by any specific Australian professional body.
How CPD sits alongside ASQA and the AQF in Australia
The Australian training landscape has two clearly separate systems, and it's worth being precise about which one CPD accreditation belongs to.
Regulated qualifications: nationally recognised training in Australia sits inside the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), delivered by Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) that are regulated by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). If a course leads to an AQF qualification — a Certificate III, Diploma, and so on — it's inside this system and subject to ASQA oversight.
Continuing Professional Development: most of the ongoing learning working professionals do — short courses, industry workshops, technical updates, ethics refreshers, webinars, in-house modules — is not an AQF qualification and is not regulated by ASQA. This is the CPD layer. It's assessed for quality by independent CPD accreditation bodies rather than by a government regulator. AssuredCPD works in this layer.
The two systems don't compete — they cover different work. A course that leads to a Diploma of Business belongs in the AQF system with an RTO. A three-hour update on the latest workplace-safety amendment, or a two-day workshop on presentation skills, or a self-paced compliance module doesn't — and that's the material CPD accreditation exists to quality-check.
Why an Australian provider might want a UK-issued CPD mark
Three reasons come up regularly:
- Non-AQF credibility. Corporate buyers, HR departments, and professional-body members increasingly ask "who says this course is any good?" An AQF qualification answers that with ASQA. A CPD short course needs a different answer, and "independently assessed against a published standard" is a stronger answer than "we designed it ourselves."
- Cross-border learners. Australian providers routinely sell into UK, EU, and Asian markets. A UK-issued CPD mark travels well in those markets in a way an Australian-only mark does not, particularly for online courses whose learners can be anywhere.
- Documentation for members' own CPD returns. Members of Australian professional bodies typically log their CPD hours annually — sometimes required to keep registration current. Courses with a documented framework score, justified hours, and a verifiable certificate reference are easier for members to submit as evidence than courses without.
Who this is for — and who it isn't
| Good fit | Not a fit |
|---|---|
| Non-AQF short courses, workshops, and webinars | Courses that lead to a nationally recognised AQF qualification |
| Digital learning delivered to a global audience | Regulated vocational training that needs ASQA approval |
| Corporate in-house training programmes seeking external quality assurance | Higher-education courses subject to TEQSA |
| Coaching, consulting, and professional-development programmes | Any course where the provider wants government endorsement |
Whether members of a specific Australian professional body — CPA Australia, Engineers Australia, the state law societies, RACGP, AHPRA-registered health practitioners, MFAA, real-estate institutes and so on — can log our-accredited courses towards their required CPD hours is a decision each body makes for itself. Most Australian professional-body CPD schemes accept structured learning from a range of sources provided the learner can document the outcomes, the hours, and the relevance to their scope of practice. Our assessment provides exactly those elements, but the final call always sits with the professional body a learner belongs to.
How it works from Australia, practically
The process is identical to a UK application:
- Submit your course materials via our application form. Everything is online — no in-person meeting, no time-zone dance.
- A named assessor reviews the course against the Standards Framework: aims and structure, learning outcomes, delivery and accessibility, assessment of learning, CPD-hour justification, and currency.
- Decision within five working days of a complete submission, in writing, with reasons. If the deadline is missed, the assessment fee is refunded.
- On accreditation, you receive the AssuredCPD mark for the course, a public listing in the provider directory, and every learner certificate carries a code anyone can check on the verification page.
Time-zone note: our team is UK-based, so acknowledgement of a submission from Australia may arrive during the following UK working day. The five-working-day assessment clock starts on receipt of a complete submission.
Pricing
The same public prices apply worldwide — there's no international-provider surcharge and no per-certificate fee. All figures are in GBP:
- Single course: £350 first year, £245 renewal
- Membership (5–50 courses): £975 to £3,330 per year
- Free resubmission within 60 days of a Partially met decision
- No lock-ins, no application fees
Full pricing on our pricing page. Approximate AUD equivalents move with the exchange rate; the invoice is in GBP.
What we're honest about
Three things worth being explicit about, because they matter to a fair choice:
- We are not a government body, in Australia or the UK. We do not issue AQF qualifications and are not a substitute for an RTO.
- We are not connected to ASQA, TEQSA, or any Australian professional body. Where a specific AU professional body accepts our-accredited courses for members' CPD, that's the body's own decision and not something we can guarantee in advance.
- We are UK-based. Correspondence, assessment, and support run on UK working hours. All contracts and invoices are UK jurisdiction and in GBP.
These aren't caveats to hide — they're the reason our mark means what it means. An independent, published, checkable standard is a specific kind of credibility, distinct from government regulation, and the two are complementary rather than interchangeable.
FAQ
Can Australian training providers be CPD accredited by AssuredCPD?
Yes. AssuredCPD is a UK-based independent CPD accreditation body, and we assess courses from providers based anywhere in the world provided the course is delivered in English and the provider owns or is licensed to deliver the material submitted. What accreditation gives an Australian provider is a UK-issued, independently verifiable CPD mark on their course, alongside listing in our public provider directory.
Is AssuredCPD accreditation the same as ASQA registration or an AQF qualification?
No, and this matters. ASQA (the Australian Skills Quality Authority) regulates Registered Training Organisations delivering nationally recognised AQF qualifications. AssuredCPD does none of that. We accredit non-regulated CPD short courses, workshops, and other professional-development learning. Our mark is a separate credibility signal from an AQF qualification and is not a substitute for one.
Will my CPD accredited course count towards CPD hours for members of Australian professional bodies?
That depends on the body. Most Australian professional bodies — CPA Australia, Engineers Australia, the state law societies, RACGP, AHPRA-registered health practitioners, MFAA, real-estate institutes and others — set their own CPD rules and accept learning from a wide range of sources, provided the learner can document the outcomes, hours, and relevance. AssuredCPD's assessment gives learners the documented outcomes and justified hours those bodies typically ask for, but the final decision on whether a course counts always sits with the professional body.
How much does CPD accreditation cost for an Australian provider?
The same as for any provider. AssuredCPD publishes all prices in GBP on its pricing page — £350 for a single course in the first year, memberships from £975 per year for up to five courses. There are no per-certificate fees, no minimum contract, and no separate international-provider surcharge.
Do I need to be based in the UK to be accredited by AssuredCPD?
No. Accreditation is on the course, not the country. Australian providers, or any provider outside the UK, can apply on the same terms. Course materials must be submitted in English, and the provider must own or be licensed to deliver them.