Accreditation
Is Autability training formally accredited?
Yes, some of our courses have external accreditation.
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Our training is currently going through an accreditation process with one of the most prestigious Continuous Professional Development (CPD) organisations in the UK. CPD Standards assess and accredit courses, programs and schemes all over the world. They work with companies such as the BBC, The Times newspaper, NHS and large-scale companies who deliver the finest standards in training and education. You can read more about them here.
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To see which of our courses are accredited and which are going through the assessment process, look for the logos next to each course on our program list.
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If you're a professional and want tailored courses for your role, pop over to our Professionals page and sign up for our professionals area, In The Workplace.
What does CPD accreditation actually mean?
There are lots of CPD companies out there who offer accreditation status. However, some companies ensure that a more rigorous assessment process takes place, meaning it is harder to receive the official accreditation badge. When purchasing a course or program that is accredited, always ask who the assessing company are and what process the organisation have had to go through in order to obtain the status.
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CPD Standards have a thorough 6 weeks assessment process for courses. In order for Autability to achieve this high-level accreditation, we have had to:
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Submit written assessments for each course (some up to 5000 words)
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Prove that any professionals (in our case psychiatrists and consultants) who have overseen our course are genuine
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Demonstrate that our courses are easy to follow with a professional layout
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Show that our course aims are met in each of our courses
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Prove that we make changes to our courses based on participant feedback
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Display a range of different media in our training such as written articles, images and videos.
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Our courses each go to an academic panel made up of appointed high-level professionals who assess and evaluate our work, eventually assigning a certain number of CPD points to our courses. An accreditation from CPD Standards is an assurance to you that our courses are of the highest standard.
How will Autability courses being accredited help me?
Taking an accredited CPD course over a non-accredited course has several advantages:
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Any parent or family member who takes an accredited course can add the achievement to their CV. This shows that they have completed a high standard course and gained important knowledge on their chosen subject.
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Parents and family members who take accredited courses can show professionals that they have up to date knowledge that is of a professional standard.
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Employers often set targets for employees to obtain a certain number of CPD points each year, as a way of showing they are committed to keeping their staff highly trained within their field.
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Companies often have budgets for employees to take part in CPD accredited courses and you are more likely to receive funding for an accredited course than one without accreditation.
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See return on investment when you spend money on a course that is going to further your personal development, professionally or at home, as you receive a certificate with formal accreditation attached to it. Gain something other than just knowledge.
Why are your courses so cheap?
Going through the assessment for CPD Standards accreditation is a costly process and Autability will pay a membership each year. Many companies pass that cost on to their customers and participants, sending the costs of accredited courses well into hundreds of pounds per course. Here at Autability, we have made a promise to keep the cost of our learning programs as cheap as possible, as we believe that anyone should be able to access this knowledge and information if they need it. We are not a not-for-profit company or charity; however, we do put our community first wherever we can.
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Our courses are amongst the cheapest on the market, however this accreditation will show that they are also of the highest standard. At Autability, low price does NOT mean low standards.
Will all your courses be accredited?
Currently we have decided that not all our courses will become formally accredited. This is to keep costs low and allow us to release cheaper more informal courses as needs and ideas arise. Our aim is that any course that takes 6 hours or more will become accredited. We may release courses before they have been formally accredited, however that does not mean you will miss out.
What happens if a course I have already taken becomes accredited?
All participants who have taken a course before it becomes accredited will be offered the chance to re-read any parts of the training which are changed for FREE. They will then be given an accredited certificate after they have completed the course. If no changes are made, accredited certificates will be automatically released to all participants. This means that you don’t need to wait for our courses to become accredited, gain that knowledge you need now!
To see which of our courses are accredited or undergoing the accreditation process, check out our program list here.