Approved
Usually the strongest claim. It means a regulator, or a body acting under law, has approved the provider or the activity for that profession's CPD. Migration agent CPD in Australia works this way: OMARA approves the providers. If a profession has an approval scheme, that approval is what counts.
Accredited
In formal education, accreditation has a legal meaning: an accredited course leads to a recognised qualification. In CPD the word is used far more loosely, by private bodies with their own criteria. Ask who did the accrediting and what they checked.
Endorsed
A professional association or college has looked at the activity and is willing to put its name beside it for its members. Endorsement usually applies to one profession and often to one event.
Verified
The word we use. It means we checked the provider's process against a published standard: who writes, who reviews, how hours are set, how understanding is checked and when content expires. It is a claim about how the activity was made. It is not a claim that a regulator has approved it.
Who made this claim, what exactly did they check, and when does the check expire?
Three questions that cut through the wording
- Who made this claim, and can I find them?
- What exactly did they check, and is that written down in public?
- When does the check expire?
Source: OMARA, Completing CPD to re-register. Checked 05 October 2026.
