How to choose a training provider for high-quality eLearning

Firstly, let’s look at what Continuing Professional Development (CPD) accreditation actually is. According to The CPD Certification Service, accredited CPD training courses means the learning activity has reached the required Continuing Professional Development standards and benchmarks. The learning value has been scrutinised to ensure integrity and quality. The CPD Certification Service provides recognised independent CPD accreditation compatible with global CPD requirements.  

When it comes to the L&D needs within an organisation, making sure the quality is high across all courses and specific areas can be tricky. Whilst it is not the only indicator and other factors should also be taken into consideration, having accredited CPD online training courses indicates that it meets the required standards for quality and relevance.  

It’s important for CPD training courses to be accredited because it ensures the content is relevant and up to date. For mandatory training, it will need to be kept updated in line with the latest regulations which is particularly crucial. 

For financial services providers authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) there is no room for training errors. Similarly, areas like Health and Safety present a legal and moral obligation for stringent training. Tools such as automated reminders and refresher training should be readily available to help keep on top of any updates within CPD training courses.  

CPD accreditation is a mark of quality that assures that the training offered meets specific standards. To find the best CPD courses, it's important to look for training providers who meet certain criteria. This will likely include the quality and breadth of their eLearning content, receiving and including input from subject matter experts, and the effectiveness of the training.  

With the rise in remote working, it’s no surprise that online training has vastly taken over in-person or classroom training. It's important for the learning content provided to cover all specific needs which can be far easier done with eLearning.

Benefits of this style of training can include: 

• interactive content 
• assessments 
• real-life examples  
• video tutorials 
• interactive quizzes 
• gamified learning elements 

Using these methods through eLearning is the most effective way for organisations to deliver impactful CPD online training courses to all of their employees. 

Acquiring new skills that are relevant to their roles through undertaking CPD training courses will benefit employees in a variety of ways beyond compliance and regulatory training.

This could include: 

• Career progression 
• Upskilling and improving performance 
• Greater job satisfaction 
• Keeping up to date with industry trends 

Not only will eLearning and online training courses positively impact employees, but by investing in their growth and development, organisations can cultivate a stronger and more motivated workforce. It will also help to encourage a continuous culture of learning.  

When considering how to choose a training provider, it's important to ensure they provide engaging and credible content that can be delivered on a variety of topics to a large number of employees. Delivered in bitesize chunks, it should be able to be taken at the convenience of the learner and easy for them to understand.  

To help make the right choice, below are seven questions to ask when looking at specific providers of CPD training courses and finding the best training courses for your organisation: 

1. Has the content been created in collaboration with subject matter experts and/or endorsed by credible authorities e.g. RoSPA?
2. Do you provide a range of different learning formats that are accessible for all abilities and meet the modern learners’ needs?’
3. Is mandatory learning for topics such as Governance, Risk and Compliance updated in line with the latest regulations?
4. Has your eLearning content been recognised by industry leaders? For example, Access Learning has maintained the title of ‘Core Challenger’ in the 2023 Fosway 9-Grid for Learning Systems. 
5. Do you have a proven track record of delivering targeted training, with customer testimonials and case studies to back this up? At Access Learning, we have a large catalogue of happy customers using our LMS and eLearning content – an example being Pepper Money. (Read the customer success story)
6. Does your eLearning offer data and reporting metrics such as training completion rates which can be analysed and used within an L&D strategy?  
7. Can you guarantee accredited CPD training courses? 

Being able to offer credible and effective online training is an absolute must for every organisation, so understanding how this can be guaranteed is vital. The best CPD accredited providers will be able to meet the needs of your organisation and provide tailored, specific eLearning.  

At The Access Group, our wide range our eLearning course content is all CPD accredited and industry recognised. Our digital eLearning courses include: 

• Governance, Risk and Compliance 
• Financial Services 
• Health and safety 
• Cyber awareness 
• Workplace soft skills 
• Mental health and wellbeing 

All our Abintegro Career Development content is also CPD accredited.

Our comprehensive learning solution gives your business what it needs to fulfil your eLearning needs with targeted, high quality and engaging content.