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- 1What counts as free CPD?
- 2Where to find free structured CPD
- 3The free CPD most people overlook: your own workplace
- 4Reading, journals and open access research
- 5How to tell if free CPD is worth your time
- 6Building a year of free CPD
- 7Make free CPD count: record it properly
- 8Free CPD for teams and employers
- 9Frequently asked questions
- 10Related reading
Paid courses are only a small part of good CPD. Most of what changes your practice - feedback from a colleague, a webinar from your professional body, a case you worked through with your team - costs nothing. The catch is that free learning is easy to forget and hard to evidence. This guide covers where to find genuinely useful free CPD, how to judge whether it is worth your time, and how to record it so it stands up when you need it.
What counts as free CPD?
CPD (continuing professional development) is any learning that keeps you safe, current and effective in your role. Most professional bodies care about two things: that the learning is relevant to your practice, and that you can show what you took from it. Very few require every activity to be paid for, certificated or delivered by an approved provider.
That means free CPD usually includes:
- Structured learning - webinars, online short courses, conferences and workshops that cost nothing to attend
- Workplace learning - shadowing, mentoring, peer observation, case reviews and stretch projects
- Self-directed learning - reading journals, guidance and research, then reflecting on how it applies to you
- Teaching others - delivering a briefing, mentoring a new starter or writing guidance for your team
Always check your own body's rules. Some set a minimum number of "participatory" or "verifiable" hours, and some cap how much reading can count. If you are not sure, our guide to what CPD is and how it works explains the common models.
Where to find free structured CPD
Your professional body or regulator
If you pay a membership or registration fee, you are already paying for a programme of free learning. Most bodies run webinars, regional events, guidance updates and recorded talks for members. These are usually the most relevant learning you can get, because they reflect what your own standards expect. Put a reminder in your calendar to check the events page on the first working day of each month.
Awarding organisations and sector bodies
If you teach, assess or quality-assure qualifications, awarding organisations run free standardisation events, briefings on specification changes and assessment updates. Sector bodies, trade associations and unions do the same for their members. Because they come straight from the source, they are often the quickest way to stay current on changes that affect your day-to-day work.
Government and public sector learning
Government departments, regulators and public bodies regularly publish free guidance, e-learning and recorded briefings. Statutory guidance updates (for example on safeguarding, data protection or health and safety) are worth reading in full when they change, and reflecting on what they mean for your setting is good CPD in its own right.
Free online courses
Many reputable providers offer free courses or free access tiers, including universities' open learning platforms. Some charge for a certificate but let you study the content for free. Before you start, check who wrote the course, when it was last updated and whether it matches a real gap in your practice, not just a topic that looks interesting.
Free course of the month from WorkplaceHero. Each month one of our online courses is free to take, with a certificate of completion you can add to your CPD record. These are CPD courses, not accredited qualifications.
Webinars and recorded events
Suppliers, charities, regulators and industry associations run free webinars constantly. Recorded versions count too, as long as you engage with them properly - pause, take notes and reflect afterwards rather than leaving it running in another tab. Follow a handful of the most credible organisations in your sector and the events will come to you.
The free CPD most people overlook: your own workplace
The richest free CPD is usually already happening around you. You just are not recording it.
- Shadowing a colleague in a different role or a more experienced practitioner
- Peer observation - watching someone else's practice and having them watch yours, then discussing it
- Mentoring and coaching - both receiving and giving it
- Case reviews and team debriefs - especially after something went well or badly
- Stretch tasks - leading a project, writing a policy or covering a new responsibility
- Delivering training - preparing a team briefing forces you to understand a topic properly
- Supervision and 1:1s - where you discuss practice, not just workload
These activities are often more relevant than any course because they are rooted in your real work. The research on learning consistently points the same way: we remember and apply more when we practise, get feedback, test ourselves and revisit ideas over time, rather than only reading or watching. Workplace learning gives you all of that for free.
Reading, journals and open access research
A growing share of professional journals, research summaries and sector reports are open access. Your local library card may also unlock free digital magazines, e-books and journal databases. Reading counts as CPD when it is purposeful: you chose it to answer a question about your practice, and you can say what you will do differently as a result.
A simple rule of thumb: if you cannot write two sentences about how it applies to your work, it was background reading, not CPD.
How to tell if free CPD is worth your time
Free does not always mean good. Before you commit an hour, run through four quick questions:
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Is it relevant to my role or my next step? | Relevance is the first thing most professional bodies check |
| Who produced it, and when? | Out-of-date guidance can do more harm than no guidance |
| Is it trying to sell me something? | Sales webinars can still be useful, but weigh the bias |
| What will I be able to do afterwards? | If you cannot name an outcome, pick something else |
Building a year of free CPD
You do not need a big budget to build a balanced CPD year. A realistic plan for most people looks like this:
- Monthly: one professional body webinar or event, logged the same week
- Quarterly: one free short course on a gap you identified in supervision or appraisal
- Ongoing: record workplace learning as it happens - shadowing, mentoring, debriefs, stretch tasks
- Twice a year: review your record, look for gaps and set one or two development goals
Spread across a year, that easily adds up to the 30 or so hours many professions expect - without spending anything. For ideas, see our list of 100 CPD activities that count and our guide to CPD for remote and hybrid workers.
Make free CPD count: record it properly
Free learning rarely comes with a certificate, so the record matters more, not less. If you are ever audited, a well-written entry is your evidence. Each entry should cover:
- What you did - the activity, who ran it and the date
- How long it took - be honest; most bodies want actual time, not scheduled time
- Why you did it - the gap or question it addressed
- What you learned - one or two specific points, not a summary of the content
- What changed - how you applied it, or what you will do next
A structured reflection model makes this much quicker. Gibbs' reflective cycle works well for experiences such as a difficult conversation or a case review. Our guide to recording informal learning properly walks through real examples, and our CPD evidence examples show what good looks like.
Log it in under 90 seconds. The free WorkplaceHero CPD Log records what you did, how long it took and what changed. It is free, it works on your phone, and your record stays yours when you change jobs.
Free CPD for teams and employers
If you manage a team, free CPD is one of the easiest ways to build a learning culture. Team meetings, briefings, peer observation and lunch-and-learn sessions are all valid development - the problem is that they are almost never recorded. WorkplaceHero lets managers log a team activity once and add it to each person's own CPD record, so a town hall or training briefing becomes evidence for everyone who attended. See Passport for Teams for how it works.
Frequently asked questions
Does free CPD count the same as paid CPD?
In most professions, yes. What matters is relevance and reflection, not price. Some bodies set rules about the type of activity (for example a minimum of participatory hours), so check your own requirements.
Do i need a certificate for free CPD?
Usually not. A clear record of what you did, how long it took and what you learned is normally enough. Where a certificate is available, keep a copy alongside your entry.
Can reading count as CPD?
Yes, when it is purposeful and you reflect on how it applies to your practice. Some bodies limit how many hours of reading count towards your total.
Is WorkplaceHero's free course of the month accredited?
No. The free course of the month is a CPD course with a certificate of completion you can use as evidence. It is not an accredited or regulated qualification. If you need a recognised qualification, see our qualifications.
How many free CPD hours should i aim for?
It depends on your profession. Many expect around 30 hours a year, but requirements vary widely. A monthly webinar, a quarterly short course and regularly recorded workplace learning will cover most people comfortably.
Related reading
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