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Short answer: To run CPD certificates well, issue each one with the activity, CPD hours and date, give it a credential ID and QR code so employers can verify it, set a validity period where your scheme requires renewal, and send automatic reminders before it lapses.
Continuing professional development keeps professionals current, and CPD certificates are the evidence. Learners show them to employers, upload them to membership portals and present them again at renewal time. As a result, making them verifiable and easy to renew saves everyone time.
Key takeaways
- Record CPD hours or points as a field on the certificate.
- Make every certificate checkable by QR or ID.
- Also use validity periods and reminders for anything that needs renewing.
- Let learners download their own certificates.
What should a CPD certificate include?
- The learner’s name.
- The activity or course title, and the provider.
- CPD hours or points awarded.
- The completion date (and expiry, if relevant).
- A unique credential ID and a QR code.
How do you issue CPD certificates efficiently?
- First, create a CPD category with fields for hours and activity type.
- Then design the template once.
- Next, import attendees from your booking spreadsheet after each session.
- Finally, email certificates automatically with the PDF attached.
How do you handle renewals?
For renewals, give the category a validity period – say 12 or 36 months – and set reminder rules at 60 days, 30 days and one week before expiry. Each reminder is a natural invitation to book the next course, so renewals become a source of repeat bookings rather than admin.
More for providers: digital certificates for training providers and bulk issuing from a CSV.
Tracking CPD hours across courses
Many professionals need a set number of CPD hours each year, so they collect certificates from several courses. Therefore, record the hours as a clear field on every CPD certificate. In addition, use consistent activity types, such as webinar, workshop or self-study, so learners and employers can add up hours easily.
- Record hours or points as a number, not free text.
- Use the same activity types across all courses.
- Show the date of the activity, not just the issue date.
- Include your provider number if a scheme requires one.
CPD certificates for webinars and online events
Online events often have hundreds of attendees, so manual certificates are impractical. Instead, export the attendance list from your webinar platform, keep only people who attended long enough, and import them as a batch. As a result, every attendee receives a verifiable CPD certificate within minutes of the event.
Making CPD certificates easy to verify
Membership bodies and employers check CPD claims more and more. So give every certificate a QR code and keep the verification page simple. Also, show the activity, hours and date on the result, because those are the details reviewers actually need.
In addition, the W3C Verifiable Credentials Data Model is a useful, independent reference if you want to read further.
Frequently asked questions
QDo CPD certificates expire?
The learning does not, but many schemes require a set number of hours per period or periodic renewal. Therefore, use expiry only where your scheme or regulator requires it.
QCan employers verify a CPD certificate?
Yes. Because the record lives on your site, scanning the QR code or typing the ID on your verification page shows the activity, hours, date and status.
QCan learners download their certificates again?
Yes. With a licence, holders also get PDF, JPEG and PNG download buttons on their verified result.
Ready to try it?
Issue CPD certificates that employers can verify and learners renew on time. Try CertiQR free for 7 days.
Can one learner have many CPD certificates?
Yes. Each activity gets its own certificate and ID, and you can search all of a learner’s certificates in the admin.
Can CPD certificates show accreditation logos?
Yes. Add the logo to your template background, as long as your accreditation allows it.
We build CertiQR, the WordPress plugin for issuing certificates and verifying them with a QR code. We write about credentials, verification and running a certificate programme.
