Continuing professional development (CPD) is the ongoing learning that registered professionals are required to complete to keep their registration current. Most South African professional bodies operate a CPD system, and providers exist to deliver the training that satisfies it.
The requirement that matters when choosing a provider is not its entry criteria — these are generally minimal — but whether the specific activity is accredited or recognised by your own professional body. Unrecognised training earns no points, however good it is.
Entry Requirements at a Glance
Entry to CPD training is usually open to the professionals it serves.
- Current registration with the relevant professional body or council
- The professional qualification underpinning that registration
- Payment of the course or subscription fee
- Access to a computer and internet, where delivery is online
- No formal academic entry requirement in most cases, since participants are already qualified
- Confirmation that the activity is accredited or recognised by your body, which is the requirement that actually matters
Academic and Minimum Admission Requirements
CPD requirements differ by profession, and each body sets its own. Educators fall under the SACE continuing professional teacher development system. Health professionals fall under HPCSA requirements. Accountants, engineers, lawyers, natural scientists and financial advisers each operate under their own body’s framework.
The measurement differs too. Some bodies count points or credits over a cycle, others count hours, and most distinguish between structured activities, unstructured learning and ethics-specific content. Confirm your own body’s current requirement rather than assuming it resembles another profession’s.
Accreditation is activity-specific. A provider being generally reputable does not mean a particular course counts. Ask for the accreditation or activity number issued by your body, and verify it with the body before paying. This is the single most common way professionals waste money on CPD.
Keep your own records. Bodies audit CPD compliance, and the responsibility for evidence sits with the individual professional, not with the provider. Attendance certificates, activity numbers and dates should be kept for the full retention period your body requires.
Subjects, APS and Qualification Requirements
Most South African universities calculate an Admission Point Score (APS) from your best six 20-credit NSC subjects on a seven-point scale, giving a maximum of 42. Life Orientation is excluded at most institutions, and level 1 subjects generally do not count. Each university publishes its own APS table and programme minimums, revised annually, so confirm the figure for your intake year with the institution itself.
APS has no application to CPD, which concerns professionals who have already qualified.
What counts, beyond formal courses. Most bodies recognise a wider range of activities than people realise: conference attendance, presenting, publishing, formal study, structured reading, mentoring and committee service often carry credit. Reviewing what already counts can reduce what you need to buy.
Employers frequently fund CPD, and some run in-house accredited programmes. Ask before paying yourself — this is standard practice in most professional employers.
Shortfalls have consequences. Failing to meet CPD requirements can lead to registration being suspended or lapsing, which in regulated professions means you may not practise. Track your position through the cycle rather than discovering a gap at the end of it.
Beware of providers marketing “accredited” training without naming the accrediting body. The claim means nothing without the specific body and activity number, and it is easy to check.
Documents and Application Requirements
Requirements are light, but the records matter.
- Proof of current professional registration
- Your professional registration or membership number
- Proof of payment of the course fee
- The activity or accreditation number issued by your professional body
- Attendance certificates or completion records for every activity
- Your own CPD log or portfolio, in the format your body requires
Selection, Intake and Eligibility Considerations
CPD providers generally offer rolling enrolment rather than fixed intakes, which suits working professionals but also removes the deadline that would prompt you to check accreditation first.
Plan the cycle rather than the course. Working out what your body requires over the full cycle, what you already have, and what activities you can access free through your employer or association usually reduces the cost considerably.
- Confirm your own body’s current CPD requirement and cycle
- Verify the activity’s accreditation number with your body before paying
- Ask your employer what it funds or provides in-house
- Check what non-course activities already count towards your requirement
- Keep certificates and records yourself for the full retention period
- Track your position through the cycle rather than at the end
- Treat “accredited” claims without a named body and number as meaningless
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CPD?
Continuing professional development — ongoing learning that registered professionals must complete to keep their registration current. Each professional body sets its own requirement.
How do I know a course counts?
Ask for the accreditation or activity number issued by your professional body and verify it with the body before paying. A general claim of accreditation is not enough.
What happens if I do not meet my CPD requirement?
Registration can be suspended or lapse, which in regulated professions means you may not practise. Track your position through the cycle.
Do I have to pay for CPD?
Not always. Employers frequently fund it, and many bodies recognise conference attendance, presenting, publishing and mentoring, which can reduce what you need to buy.
CPD requirements, cycles, accreditation processes and recognised activities are set by each professional body and are revised. Confirm current requirements directly with your own council or institute.