Ten online courses, designed specifically for busy Parliamentarians and clerks with the support of more than 50 experienced Parliamentarians, clerks and external experts from across the Commonwealth, are currently available through the CPA's online learning portal.

All courses are FREE for CPA Members. Once our exclusive member access period concludes, paid options will be available for non-CPA Members. 

CPA Parliamentary Professional Development Certificate (awarded to those that complete all the courses)

• Induction for New Parliamentarians
• Legislative Process
• Scrutiny, Accountability and Oversight
• Representation, Advocacy and Education

CPA Parliamentary Service Professional Development Certificate (awarded to those that complete all the courses)

• Basic Principles of Parliamentary Procedure
• Committee System
• Administration and Management of Parliaments
• Building Relationships
• Strategy, Business Planning and Monitoring and Evaluation

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To register your interest in upcoming courses, please complete the form at the bottom of the page and you will be notified when they are launched.

Public Accounts Committees

The course is aimed at Chairs, Members and support staff of Public Accounts and equivalent committees. It aims to increase basic financial understanding and knowledge of their role within their committee.

The course uses exercises, case studies and a series of snapshots (practice, procedural and research) drawn from across the nine CPA regions to highlight aspects of history, practice, research and procedure relevant to the work of public accounts committees.

It will cover topics including:

• origin and history of the Public Accounts Committee
• role and remit of the Public Accounts Committee
• roles and responsibilities of the Auditor-General and Supreme Audit Institution
• the work of a Public Accounts Committee
• effective questioning

The course has been co-created by the CPA HQ Secretariat, CPA UK and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

This course is now live on the CPA Parliamentary Academy.

Climate Change and Parliamentary Action in Small Jurisdictions

Through their oversight, lawmaking and representative responsibilities, Parliamentarians can ensure that climate change is being prioritised by the executive, support coordination and dialogue among stakeholders and even drive change directly themselves.

The aim of this course is to help Parliamentarians in small jurisdictions understand how to use their position effectively to help advance climate action. 

It will explore topics including:

• the basics of climate change science
• the international climate change regime and domestication of international climate change commitments
• the role of legislation, budgeting and government oversight in parliamentary action on climate change
• the financial and budgetary implications of climate action and sources of climate finance
• the different local stakeholders involved in climate action 

Effective Women's Parliamentary Caucuses (WPCs) – Key Characteristics

This course will introduce the main methods used to establish women parliamentary caucuses, based on experiences from Parliaments across the Commonwealth and beyond. It will explore how institutions have garnered support, challenged resistance and taken advantage of a window of opportunity to successfully establish their women parliamentary caucus.

Modules will cover issues including:

• bipartisanship
• the organisation of a caucus
• internal communication
• focus and objectives
• soft power and outreach
• funding and durability
• male allies

Making Parliaments Accessible to Persons with Disabilities

This course will provide Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff with knowledge of how an effective Parliament can adjust facilities and processes to be as accessible as possible for persons with disabilities (PwDs).

The course will highlight the importance of considering accessibility for PwDs in the criteria by which parliamentary effectiveness and inclusivity is measured.

The course will cover the following topics:

• the importance of accessibility for an inclusive world
• what does it mean for a Parliament to be accessible
• making parliamentary buildings accessible
• accessible communication strategies
• from a Parliament to a country: scaling-up accessibility 

A further 3 online CPA Parliamentary Academy online courses will be launched later in 2022. These courses will complement the existing curriculum. All courses will remain FREE for CPA Members.

• Speakers and Presiding Officers of Parliament
• The Sustainable Development Goals: Parliaments’ role in their implementation
• Chairing a Parliamentary Committee

To sign up for existing courses: Register for the CPA Parliamentary Academy. Once your information has been verified, you will be provided with an online account log-in. It can take between 24-36 hours to set-up the account. Incomplete forms may take longer to process so please ensure you verify that you are a Member or employee of a CPA Branch.

To express your interest in upcoming courses: Complete the form at the bottom of the page and you will be notified when they are launched.

Interested in upcoming courses but want to get started now? Sign up and complete our existing courses ahead of the launch!

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