CIfA Approved Training & CPD is our brand name for training and CPD approved by us. It is a quality mark as any training or CPD or other learning opportunity carrying the 'CIfA Approved Training & CPD' logo will have been assessed against a set of learning criteria.
CIfA promotes high professional standards and strong ethics in archaeological practice and only training or CPD opportunities which have been quality assured by CIfA can carry this logo.
It is designed to provide appropriate and achievable learning outcomes, mapped to National Occupational Standards and delivered by competent trainers. It will include strong emphasis on developing your CPD portfolio and will offer certification for the purposes of CPD, meeting CIfA’s CPD requirements of 50 hours over two years that will help you to build your knowledge and experience in recognised areas of professional competence.
If you’d like to find out more about CIfA’s Approved Training & CPD scheme, whether you are a learner or a training provider, explore our Careers Kit or contact Anna at approvedcpd@archaeologists.net. See also our guide for learners:
Current CIfA Approved training
- An Introduction to Paleoradiography - Online short course offered via Palaeoimaging.com
- Ethics in Archaeological Practice is a comprehensive online course which you can access at any time. Developed by former CIfA Board members and authors of the recent Routledge book on archaeological ethics, the course contains 8 modules representing nearly 30 hours of structured CPD. Visit the Heritage Innovation website for more information.
- Pushing the Sensors offer online CPD courses in lidar and GIS with continuous enrolment: Introduction To QGIS For Historic Environment Professionals and Making the Most of Lidar. They also run in-person courses at the Shaftesbury Centre, Swindon or at your place of work, please contact Rebecca for more details.
- An Introduction to Recording Waterlogged Wood Join York Archaeology Conservation’s Steve Allen (BA, MA, MCIfA) for the return of his CIfA accredited one-day introductory course on waterlogged wood being run in person across the country in 2026 and early 2027. Price £230 including a light lunch and refreshments.
- How to do archaeology Have you always wanted to know how to do archaeology? This step-by-step course will guide you through what archaeologists do - and how you can get involved! This and other introductory courses can be found at https://digventures.com/courses/ and accessed through subscription to Dig Ventures
- Dig Digital: data management for archaeological archives (Online Course) | DigVentures The Dig Digital online course has been developed in partnership with CIfA and funded by Historic England (Project 9113). It provides a structured learning approach to understanding and implementing CIfA’s Dig Digital toolkit for managing digital data. Hosted by DigVentures’, the course covers a five step approach to managing digital data in archaeological projects – from creating an action plan to implementing it.
If you are an employer or training provider, see below for information about why you should consider CIfA approval for your learning opportunities and what criteria they should meet:
- Assessment for CIfA Approved Training & CPD
- Assessment for providers of field schools and excavation training
- Assessment for archaeological organisation providing employer training schemes
See also our guide for employers and training providers: