How to check a provider's material is current and accredited

You've just received a quote from a corporate trainer for your team's compliance course. Before you sign off, you need to know: is their material actually current, and does it hold water if an audit happens? Trainers who cut corners with outdated content or unaccredited offerings expose your business to real risk. Here's how to verify what you're buying.

Check their trainer credentials first

Start with the person delivering the course. Ask for their professional registration number — if they claim qualifications in compliance, occupational health and safety, or tax law, they should be registered with the relevant body. For example, trainers in health-and-safety often hold credentials through professional associations; those teaching skills training may be linked to a SETA. Request the registration number and ask whether you can verify it yourself online. A credible trainer will hand this over without hesitation. If they're vague or say "it's complicated," that's a flag. Also ask how recently they completed continuing professional development — trainers in compliance fields are usually required to keep their knowledge fresh. Find out what training or certification *they* undertook in the last year or two.

Inspect the course materials for accreditation marks

Ask to see samples of the actual training materials — slides, workbooks, or modules your team will use. Look for the name of the body that accredited or approved the content. Some trainers develop their own materials; others license them from a recognised publisher or accreditation body. Neither approach is inherently wrong, but *unaccredited in-house content* is a red flag in compliance training. If the materials are accredited, there should be a logo, reference number, or statement saying so. Ask the trainer to explain what that accreditation covers — does it mean the content is updated annually? Is there a review date? Compliance rules shift; materials from five years ago may miss recent changes. Request proof of the last update or review date. Legitimate trainers keep records and can show you when their course was refreshed.

Cross-check against the actual rules

Before booking, identify the specific regulation or requirement your training must satisfy — whether that's POPIA compliance, occupational health and safety duties, or sector-specific rules. Then ask the trainer how their course maps to that law. They should be able to point you to specific sections of the legislation or guidance that their material covers. If they can't articulate this link, their course may be generic filler rather than targeted compliance training. You can also do a quick sanity check yourself: ask them to name the regulator overseeing the rule (SARS for tax, the Department of Labour for health-and-safety, the Information Regulator for POPIA, and so on). A trainer unfamiliar with that regulator's name, website, or recent guidance is undercooked. If your sector has specific rules, ask whether they've trained others in that industry and what feedback they received about relevance.

Talk to recent clients and trace their certificates

Request contact details for three to five companies or teams that have completed the course in the last year. Call them and ask concrete questions: did the content actually apply to your workplace, did staff feel confident after the training, and if you've had a compliance check or audit since, did the training hold up? Also ask whether they received formal certificates and what body issued them. Certificates should state the course name, competencies covered, the trainer or training organisation, and the date issued. If your referee can email you a copy of their certificate, that's even better — you can verify it looks professional and includes the required details. Ask whether the certificate is still considered current — in some fields, compliance certifications are valid for a set time only (often two or three years), and refresher training may be needed. A trainer who can't point you to satisfied clients or whose previous certificates look shoddy is a poor bet.

Once you've done these checks, you'll have concrete proof that the trainer and their materials are legitimate and current. When you're ready to book, finding a verified trainer on Strove means you've got that extra layer of confidence built in before you even pick up the phone.