How do I search and apply for a Continuing Professional Development Course (CPD) at the University of West London?

This guide describes how to search and apply for a CPD course at the University of West London. Full details of how to work through each of the steps below can be found on the relevant pages.

Topic / Page
How do I search for a course online? / 2-6
How do I search for all the CPD courses offered by UWL? / 2-4
How do I search for a specific CPD course? / 5-6
How do I register and apply for a course, if I have not used APPLY previously? / 7-28
How do I apply for a course if I used Apply before? / 29-39
How do I complete the registration process/application process if I saved it part way through? / 40
How can I view the applications I have made/print copies/save copies/upload documents? / 41-42
How can I update my contact details on the system? / 41-42
How can I add additional qualifications/new job(s)? / 41-42
How will I know if my application has been accepted? / 43
Who should I contact if I need help? / 43

Step 1 – Navigate to the UWL site

To search and apply for a CPD course at UWL go to

You will see the page below:

Step 2 – View Courses

If you would like to see a list of all the CPD courses offered by UWL, follow the steps below:

  1. Tick the box named ‘Search CPD Courses’

  1. Clickeither of the ‘Search’ buttons

This action will list all the CPD courses (in alphabetical order)that are currently available, as shown below:

N.B. All the courses have the precursor ‘CPD’

  1. Once you have done this, go directly to step 3(page 7)

If you would like to search for a specific CPD course follow the steps below:

  1. Tick the box named ‘Search CPD Courses’
  1. Enter the appropriate key word e.g. ‘Diabetes’ in the ‘Find a course’ box

  1. Clickeither of the ‘Search’ buttons

The keyword ‘diabetes’ would return the following results:

If there is no course matching the key word you have entered, you will see this screen:

We would recommend you select all the CPD courses (refer to pages 3-4for guidance on how to do this). N.B. The ‘A-Z’ listing suggested in the text above will not work for CPD courses.

Step 3 – Select a Course

  • Click on the title of the course you would like to apply for (or select the ‘show’ button)

Once you have clicked on the title of the course, you will see the following information:

  • start date (month and year) the course is available
  • campus/location it will be delivered on

N.B. If a course only has one intake per year/there is only one intake left for the current academic year, you will only see one start date.

If a course has multiple intakes per year e.g. Mentorship, you will need to click on the start date that you are interested in, as shown below:

N.B the dates of the study days and assessment dates will be available to view once you have selected a start date (refer step 4).

Step 4 – Selecting a Course Continued

  • Click on the start date you require

This will reveal the following screen:

The‘Course Summary’page provides a brief description of the course.

The tab marked ‘Course Detail’ provides:

  • all the study day dates,
  • the assessment date
  • the location the course will run on (i.e. Paragon, Reading, Trust Site)

What do I need to do PRIOR TO APPLYING for this course?

  • Check you can attend ALL the study day dates and that you will be available on the assessment date (especially if the assessment is an OSCE or an exam). If you are not available for ALL the study days AND the assessment date (i.e. you will be on holiday), you will need to select an alternative intake (if available), by using the back button on the browser and returning to step 3.
  • Carefully check the location where the module will be held, ensuring you are making the correct choice.
  • If your organisation is paying for the course, ensure you have received permission from your line manager and Education Lead (you will be asked to confirm this when you start the on-line application process).

Step 5 – Start Online Application

  • Click the ‘Apply Now’ button to start the on-line application process.

If the module only runs once/has one run left in the academic year you will see a screen confirming the module you are applying for, as shown below.

-Click the ‘Continue’ button

-Go directly to step 6,page 13

If a selection of dates are availablee.g. the Mentorship module, you will need to:

  1. Confirm the dateyou are applying for
  2. Click the ‘Continue’ button

Your selection will be confirmed, as shown below.

  • Click the ‘Continue’ button

Step 6– Register

Please refer to Step 6a or Step 6b below, depending on your personal circumstances

IF you have EVER undertaken a course at UWL before (including a pre-registration course), you must NOT register, as a ‘new applicant’, even if you have NOT used ‘APPLY’ previously.Please see below for details.

Step 6a - I have undertaken a module/course previously at UWL (includes pre-registration courses), but have never applied via ‘APPLY’ before

  • Go straight to the ‘Applied Online at UWL before?’ section of the form and enter the email address and password you used to enrol on your last module/course via, ‘My Registry’
  • Click the ‘Login’ button
  • Go to page 29 of this guide
  • If you have forgotten your login details, go to the link below, where you will find a "Forgotten password" option. This will e-mail a new password to you.
  • If you experience any problems, you can call UWL student services on 0208 231 3990.

Please do not register as a ‘New applicant’ as this will result in two student numbers being allocated to you and may cause problems at enrolment

Step 6b – I have never undertaken a module/course at UWL before

You will see the screen below:

This is a once only registration process, please follow the steps below.

  1. Click the ‘Register’ button
  1. Complete the fields below (those marked with a red asteriskare mandatory)

The email address you provide at this stage will be used for all correspondence.

N.b. date of birth cannot be entered manually - click on the calendar icon.

  1. Click the ‘Register’ button

The course you are applying for will be listed below under ‘Applications’:

  1. Click ‘Start your Application’

Step 7 – Personal Details

You will see the screen below. The personal information you have already entered will have been pre-populatedon the form (‘Email Address’ and ‘Personal’details).

  • Complete the contact address field:
  • You MUST select the ‘UK Address’ button first (which will allow you to enter your postcode)
  • Type in your postcode
  • Clickthe‘Find UK Address’ button
  • Selectthe correct address and the box will be populated with this information
  • Click the ‘Save’ button
  • Enter your contact number and click the ‘Save’ button
  • Enter your mobile number and click the ‘Save’ button
  • Enter your permanent country of residence and yournationalityby selecting from the drop down menu (these fields are mandatory)
  • Enter the NHS Trust you work for, by selecting from the drop down list. This is a compulsory field and must be completed even if you are paying for the course yourself.

N.B. If you work for a non-NHS organisation select the‘Not listed’option on the drop down menu.When this is selected, an additional box will appear which will enable you to manually insert the name of your organisation, as shown below:

  • Enter your NMC pin number (if you are a nurse/midwife). If you are an AHP there is space on the following page to enter your professional registration details (please do not enter them here)
  • Select the appropriate answers to the ‘Ethnicity’(mandatory),‘Disability’(mandatory) and ‘Care’ questions from the drop down menu.
  • Click‘Save and Continue’at the bottom of the page to continue to the next screen (step 8).

ORclick‘Save and Continue Later’ if you would like to complete the application at a later time.

Step 8 - Qualifications

You will see the screen below. This section asks you to detail your academic qualifications starting with the most recent first.

N.B. If you are awaiting the result of any examination, or you are still studying a course, please type 'pending' in the Actual results/grade box. If you were unable to complete your studies for any reason, please type “Incomplete” in the Actual result/grade box.

  • Complete the red asterisked mandatory fields
  • Click the‘Save Qualification’ button

N.B. If you undertook your education in the UK you will need to select either ‘England’, ‘Scotland’, Wales’ or ‘Northern Ireland’ from the drop down menu.

The start date and end date cannot be entered manually, click on the calendar icon by the side of these fields and select the appropriate year, month and day.

The information you have entered will now appear in the table titled ‘below is a list of qualifications the University has on record for you’. An example is shown below:

  • Repeat this process for each qualification you hold, until they are all listed in the table. The information can be edited and removed at this stage, however once you have completed the registration process these functions will no longer be available.
  • Click the ‘Save Qualification’ button
  • At the bottom of this screen there is space for Allied Health Professionals to enter their professional registration details. If you are a Nurse/Midwife there is no need to re-enter your NMC details again.
  • Click‘Save and Continue’ to continue to the next screen or click‘Save and Continue Later’

Step 9 - Employment

You will see the screen below. This section asks youto tell us about your current role/your most recent role if you are not currently employed/working.

  • Complete the red asterisked mandatory fields

Job title – please state this accurately e.g. Staff Nurse, Senior Staff Nurse, Sister/Charge Nurse, Matron, Physiotherapist etc.

Organisation – please state the name of your employer during this period of time.

Description of duties and responsibilities – this can be very brief.Your organisations education lead and the module leader need to be assured that you are working in a clinical area that will enable you to achieve the learning outcomes of the module you are applying for. As such it would be helpful to tell us a little bit about the clinical area you work in and the patient groups you care for on a day to day basis.

  • Click the ‘Save Experience’ button

The information you have entered will now appear in the table titled ‘below is a list of work experience the University has on record for you’. An example is shown below:

  • Repeat this process if you would like to tell us about previous posts you have held (not mandatory). The information can be edited at this stage, however once you have completed the registration process this function will no longer be available
  • Click the ‘Save Experience’ button if you add any additional information
  • Clickthe ‘Save and Continue’button to continue to the next screenOR click‘Save and Continue Later’ if you would like to complete the application at a later time

Step 10 - Funding

You will see the screen below. This section asks you tell us about how your course will be funded.

If you are paying for your coursefollow the steps below:

  • On the drop down menu select ‘I am paying for my course’
  • Clickthe ‘Save and Continue’button to continue to the next screen (step 11, page 25)OR click‘Save and Continue Later’ if you would like to complete the application at a later time

If your employer is paying for your coursefollow the steps below:

  • On the drop down menu select ‘My employer is paying for this course’

If your employer is a NHS Trust in North West London or the Thames Valley, the screen is very likely to become pre-populated with the details of your Trust Education Lead (who will need to approve your application and agree to fund it, prior to it being processed by UWL).

This information correlates with the name of the Trust you entered during step 7 of the application process (as such it’s important this is entered correctly). For example, if a member of staff had entered Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust during step 7, they would see this pre-populated screen (the fields in grey are pre-populated and cannot be amend by the applicant):

The contact email and telephone have been removed for the purposes of confidentiality, but would be pre-populated on the screen.

N.B. if your Trust has education leads for different services within the organisation e.g. Surgery, medicine, ITU, you will need to select the appropriate lead to authorise your application, from the options listed on the page (not demonstrated here).

  • Enter the name of your line-manager (mandatory field)
  • Tick the box titled ‘Manager’s Consent’to confirm that you have sought permission from your line manager to apply for this course. If you have NOT sought permission, leave this box empty and select the ‘Save and Continue Later’ button and speak to your line-manager, prior to proceeding any further with your application
  • Click the ‘Save and Continue’ button to continue to the next screen (step 11, page 25) OR click‘Save and Continue Later’ if you would like to complete the application at a later time

If your employer is a non-NHS organisation or you are employed by an NHS organisation who doesn’t have a CPD contract with UWL, we will not have your education leads details in our system and this screen will not be pre-populated. In this case you will need to:

  • Complete the fields below:
  • You must enter the name of your line-manager (mandatory field)
  • Tick the box titled ‘Manager’s Consent’to confirm that you have sought permission from your line manager to apply for this course. If you have NOT sought permission, leave this box empty and select the ‘Save and Continue Later’ button and speak to your line-manager prior to proceeding any further with your application
  • Click the ‘Save and Continue’ button to continue to the next screen OR click‘Save and Continue Later’ if you would like to completethe application at a later time

Step 11 – Additional Information

You will see the screen below. This is not a compulsory field. You may find it helpful to provide any further information that would be useful to your Education Lead when considering your application (if your employer is paying for the course) or the module leader. If you are interested in commencing a pathway e.g. BSc (Hons), PgCert, PgDip, MSc it would be helpful to identify this here.

  • Click the ‘Save and Continue’ button to continue to the next screen ORclick‘Save and Continue Later’ if you would like to complete the application at a later time

Step 12 - Convictions

You will see the screen below. Answer the mandatory question by selecting the appropriate answer:

  • Click the ‘Save and Continue’ button to continue to the next screen OR click‘Save and Continue Later’ if you would like to complete the application at a later time

Step 13 – Application Summary

You will see a summary of the information you have submitted during the application process. An example is provided below (not fully populated to maintain confidentiality):

  • Tickthe ‘Declaration’box, at the bottom of the screen and then click ‘Proceed’

Step 14 – Thank you

You will see a screen thanking you for your application. The course you have applied for will be listed below (blank in this example):

Print/Save button – this will produce a PDF copy of your application form. You can choose to print this or save it (as required by your Trusts’ internal processes).

Upload Documents – some courses require you to upload documents. This can be done via this facility.

  • Click the ‘Log off’ button at the bottom of the screen

You have now completed the registration and application process. If you registered as a ‘New Applicant’, the next time you apply for a CPD course at UWL you will be able to select the ‘Applied Online at UWL Before’ option on the login page (refer to page 29-36 of this guide).

Applied for a CPD Course at UWL before using this ONLINE System?

If you have applied for a CPD course at UWLbefore:

  1. Enteryour email address and password
  • Click the‘Login’ button