From 6 to 89: The Rapid Expansion of CPD Accreditation Organisations

From 6 to 89: The Rapid Expansion of CPD Accreditation Organisations

What the growth of an unregulated market means for training providers, learners, and professional standards.

In early 2023, The CPD Register identified approximately 6 CPD accreditation organisations operating. By December 2024, that figure had risen to over 40. As of February 2026, the number at 89.

That is a fourteenfold increase in under three years, in an industry with no mandatory regulation, no standardised assessment criteria, and no central oversight body. This blog sets out what that growth looks like, why it matters, and what training providers and learners can do to protect themselves.

Why Are So Many New CPD Accreditation Organisations Entering the Market?

The CPD accreditation market is open to anyone. Unlike regulated sectors where entry requires registration, qualifications, or adherence to a defined framework, there is no equivalent requirement for organisations wishing to offer CPD accreditation. The result is a market that has expanded rapidly, driven largely by commercial opportunity rather than professional necessity.

Millions of UK professionals engage in CPD each year. Our research found that 80% of learners verify the accreditation status of a course before purchasing it — meaning that the "CPD Accredited" label carries real commercial weight for training providers. Where there is demand for a credential, there will be organisations willing to supply it, and the growth figures reflect exactly that dynamic.

This is not to suggest that all newly established CPD accreditation organisations are operating poorly. Some may apply rigorous processes. But without any requirement to publish assessment criteria, demonstrate independence, or submit to external scrutiny, there is currently no reliable way for a training provider or learner to know — and that absence of accountability is precisely why The CPD Register exists. We became a certification body specifically to address this gap: to set a published standard for CPD accreditation organisations, certify those that meet it, and give the market a reliable reference point. For more on how to evaluate a CPD accreditation organisation, see our guide: How to Choose a CPD Accreditation Provider.

What the Numbers Tell Us

The scale of growth becomes clearer when set against the timeline:

• Early 2023: approximately 6 CPD accreditation organisations in the UK
• December 2024: over 40 CPD accreditation organisations identified by The CPD Register
• February 2026: 89 CPD accreditation organisations now operating in the UK market

To put this in context: the number of CPD accreditation organisations has grown faster than almost any other part of the professional training sector. The CPD training market itself — already worth billions annually — has expanded steadily, but this rate of growth in CPD accreditation organisations is disproportionate, and it is happening in a vacuum of standards.

It is also worth noting that not all of these 89 CPD accreditation organisations will survive — and some are already dissolved whilst continuing to trade. Others will rebrand or cease operations without notice, leaving training providers holding accreditations that are no longer valid and learners with certificates linked to organisations that no longer legitimately exist. This is one of the most common issues we encounter via our report function, and it is a risk that grows in proportion to the size of the market.

The Quality Problem

Our research project, conducted in preparation for a Doctorate of Professional Studies at Middlesex University, gathered data from training providers and learners on their experience of CPD accreditation. The findings on process consistency are particularly instructive.

Among training providers who held accredited activities:

• 25% were required to submit only a sample of their courses — or in some cases, nothing at all — for assessment
• 13% obtained accreditation in under one week
• 12% received no feedback on their submitted materials
• Fees varied from under £500 to over £5,000, with no consistent relationship to the rigour of assessment

These figures describe the landscape as it existed when there were far fewer CPD accreditation organisations operating. With 89 now in the market, the variation in standards is likely to be wider still. The "CPD Accredited" label, as it stands, tells a consumer very little about how a course was assessed, by whom, or against what criteria. For a detailed look at the warning signs, see: Choosing CPD Accreditation? Watch Out for Misleading Claims.

One specific practice that has grown alongside the wider market is self-accreditation — where a training provider establishes a separate entity to accredit its own courses. We have written about this in detail here: The Self-Accreditation Problem.

What This Means for Training Providers

For training providers, the proliferation of CPD accreditation organisations creates both opportunity and risk. More CPD accreditation organisations means more choice — but it also means a more crowded and confusing marketplace where the value of any given accreditation is harder to communicate to potential customers.

Our research found that 80% of training providers reported CPD accreditation had a positive impact on their business, and half said it directly supported the marketing of their activities. That commercial value depends, however, on the accreditation being recognised and trusted. As more CPD accreditation organisations enter the market with varying standards, the risk is that the credential becomes diluted.

Training providers also told us they wanted protection from those "faking CPD accreditation" — a concern that becomes more pressing as the number of CPD accreditation organisations grows and the ability to distinguish between them becomes harder. If you are a training provider currently evaluating accreditation options, our step-by-step guide covers what to look for: How to Get CPD Accreditation for a Course.

What This Means for Learners

For learners, the expansion of the market creates a significant information problem. Our research found that while the majority of learners regard accreditation as essential or very important, only 33% consistently knew which CPD accreditation organisation had accredited the training they attended. Nearly half said they sometimes knew, and 19% rarely or never knew.

This means that most learners are using the presence of an accreditation label as a quality signal, without being able to evaluate the CPD accreditation organisation behind it. In a market of 89 CPD accreditation organisations — ranging from established, certified bodies to newly formed organisations with no published criteria — that is a meaningful gap in consumer protection.

Learners can take practical steps to protect themselves. Our guide covers the key questions to ask before purchasing any CPD-accredited training: How to Choose CPD Accredited Training: Essential Questions to Ask Before You Buy. And if you want to verify whether a certificate you hold is genuine, see: How to Verify a CPD Certificate is Genuine.

The Role of The CPD Register

The CPD Register is the UK's certification body for CPD accreditation organisations. We do not directly accredit training courses. Instead, we set and enforce standards for CPD accreditation organisations — certifying those that meet our criteria and publishing a ranked directory so that training providers and learners can make informed choices. You can view our current list of Certified CPD Accreditation Organisations at: CPD Accreditation Organisations.

We distinguish between Certified CPD accreditation organisations — those that have met our published standards — and those that have not. For a full explanation of what that distinction means and why it matters, see: CPD Accreditation Body Comparison: Certified vs Non-Certified Organisations.

Our standards require that certified CPD accreditation organisations maintain a physical office, publish their assessment criteria, issue individual accreditation numbers for each course, and submit to our ongoing review process. These are not onerous requirements — they represent a baseline of transparency and accountability that any credible CPD accreditation organisation should be able to meet.

Is Regulation the Answer?

Our research found that training providers and learners alike called for greater standardisation. Respondents described wanting accreditation to be "more rigorous and regulated," for CPD accreditation organisations to "partner with government," and for "clearer frameworks" across the sector.

Whether formal government regulation is the right mechanism — and what form it should take — is one of the central questions the ongoing DProf research at Middlesex University will seek to address. The preliminary finding from this phase of the research is that the current absence of any regulatory framework is creating genuine harm: to training providers who invest in accreditations that carry little weight, to learners who cannot evaluate the quality of what they are purchasing, and to the credibility of CPD as a professional standard.

The growth from 6 to 89 CPD accreditation organisations in under three years is not inherently a problem. A larger market can, in principle, mean more competition, more innovation, and more choice. But without a shared standard of quality, it also means more noise, more confusion, and more risk. That is the challenge the CPD sector now faces. Read our research project in full.

If you have concerns about a CPD accreditation organisation or training provider, you can submit a report at thecpdregister.com/report. To view our directory of CPD accreditation organisations, visit thecpdregister.com/cpd-accreditation-organisation-ranking.