What Foundation for Professional Development does

Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) is a South African private higher education institution founded in 1997 and headquartered in Pretoria, operating as a non-profit registered under Section 54(1)(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1997. FPD delivers SAQA-accredited qualifications across NQF Levels 5 through 8 — Higher Certificates, Advanced Certificates, and Postgraduate Diplomas — alongside short learning programmes, CPD compliance services for HPCSA-registered professionals, and an internationally certified Advanced Management Programme co-developed with Alliance Manchester Business School. Its underlying platform is a module-based online learning management system with six annual intake dates, asynchronous study materials, and digital assessment tools, delivered directly through the FPD online portal.

The institution serves four primary customer segments: healthcare professionals seeking CPD compliance and career advancement, educators requiring pedagogical and online teaching qualifications, public health and NGO professionals needing monitoring and evaluation capacity, and healthcare practice managers. Beyond tuition-bearing programmes, FPD generates revenue from hosting flagship healthcare conferences (African Nursing Conference, SA Mental Health Conference, SA AIDS Conference), Research Ethics Committee services chaired by Dr Margot Uys, outsourced payroll services, and system strengthening consultancy delivered through an Innovation Cluster that also houses FPD's epidemiology research unit.

FPD has accumulated 607,507+ alumni across 110+ countries over nearly three decades, with over 90% alumni recommendation rates. Strategic partnerships with PEPFAR (HIV research) and Alliance Manchester Business School (executive education) anchor its institutional positioning. The organization holds registrations with DHET, SAQA, and CHE since 2002, added QCTO Skills Development Provider accreditation in 2024, and operates a subsidiary FPD Fund for philanthropic fundraising. Founder Gustaaf Wolvaardt serves as CEO and Managing Director.

Name

Foundation for Professional Development

Legal name

Foundation for Professional Development

Website

https://foundation.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Foundation for Professional Development is a South African private higher education institution founded in 1997 that delivers SAQA-accredited Higher Certificates, Advanced Certificates, and Postgraduate Diplomas — plus CPD compliance, conferences, and research services — to healthcare professionals, educators, and public health practitioners across 110+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Higher Education and Continuing Professional Development

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Professionals (Teacher/Administrator CE, CPD) (EDAAALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Project, Process & Quality Certification Prep (PMP, PRINCE2, Lean Six Sigma, ITIL) (EDANAIAE), Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF), Clinical Research Support (CRC/CTA) (EDAOAJAO)

Keywords

• Professional higher education
• Continuing professional development
• Health management training
• Monitoring and evaluation courses
• Online postgraduate diplomas

Headquarters

HQ city

Pretoria

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees - Online Programmes: Revenue from SAQA-accredited higher certificate, advanced certificate, and postgraduate diploma programmes delivered online. Students pay per module as they progress through the qualification.
2. Conference Services: Revenue from organizing and hosting healthcare and professional conferences including African Nursing Conference, SA Mental Health Conference, and SA AIDS Conference
3. Short Learning Programmes: Non-credit bearing short courses and CPD programmes for professional development

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) is a South African private higher education institution that delivers SAQA-accredited online qualifications — Higher Certificates, Advanced Certificates, and Postgraduate Diplomas — in health management, education, monitoring and evaluation, and management, alongside an internationally-certified Advanced Management Programme with Alliance Manchester Business School. It monetises per-module tuition, hosts healthcare-focused conferences (African Nursing Conference, SA Mental Health Conference, SA AIDS Conference), sells CPD compliance services for HPCSA-registered professionals, runs short learning programmes, and offers research ethics review, payroll, and health systems strengthening consultancy.

Product overview

Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) operates a multi-product education platform offering accredited qualifications across undergraduate certificates, advanced certificates, and postgraduate diplomas. The core portfolio includes 6 certificate programmes (Higher Certificates in Management, Practice Management, and Early Childhood Care and Education at NQF Level 5; Advanced Certificates in Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Health Management at NQF Level 6) and 5 postgraduate diplomas (in Distance Higher Education, General Practice, Health Professions Education and Leadership, and Monitoring and Evaluation), plus an internationally-certified Advanced Management Programme with Alliance Manchester Business School. Supporting services include Rapid CPD Compliance for HPCSA professionals, conference hosting (African Nursing Conference, SA Mental Health Conference, SA AIDS Conference), Research Ethics Committee services, payroll services, and system strengthening consultancy. The institution is registered with DHET, SAQA, and CHE since 2002, and accredited by QCTO as a Skills Development Provider.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Higher Certificate in Management An NQF Level 5, 120-credit Higher Certificate for working professionals and aspiring managers, covering digital literacy, project management, operations, financial strategy, and change resilience. Delivered online with module-based payments.
• Higher Certificate in Practice Management An NQF Level 5, 120-credit Higher Certificate for healthcare and practice administrators covering financial and practice management, strategic marketing, customer relations, and operational efficiency. Delivered online.
• Higher Certificate in Early Childhood Care and Education An NQF Level 5 Higher Certificate for educators preparing to work in early childhood development settings, focused on early learning and development practice.
• Advanced Certificate in Management An NQF Level 6 Advanced Certificate covering leadership, strategy, and financial management for business environments. Delivered online with module-based payments.
• Advanced Certificate in Monitoring and Evaluation An NQF Level 6, 120-credit Advanced Certificate (SAQA ID 91831) covering M&E fundamentals, logic models, programme monitoring, data quality, and evaluation, for project management effectiveness.
• Advanced Certificate in Health Management An NQF Level 6 Advanced Certificate focused on operational and strategic management in healthcare settings, healthcare leadership, and ethics.
• Postgraduate Diploma in Distance Higher Education A Postgraduate Diploma equipping educators with pedagogical tools and online teaching skills, aligned with educational technology and distance learning.
• Postgraduate Diploma in General Practice A 130-credit Postgraduate Diploma providing advanced medical knowledge for general practitioners, including financial and operational efficiency in healthcare.
• Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professions Education and Leadership A Postgraduate Diploma covering education leadership, curriculum innovation, change management, and health professions education.
• Postgraduate Diploma in Monitoring and Evaluation A Postgraduate Diploma focused on programme monitoring, implementation, managing data, and evaluation results utilisation.
• Advanced Management Programme with Alliance Manchester Business School An internationally-certified executive leadership programme covering strategic transformation, corporate accountability and governance, strategic financial management, and critical thinking, co-delivered with Alliance Manchester Business School.
• Rapid CPD Compliance A CPD points tracking and HPCSA compliance service that continuously updates CPD points for health professionals to maintain statutory registration.
• Short Learning Programmes Flexible non-credit-bearing short courses and CPD programmes offering professional development and skills enhancement outside full qualifications.
• Conference Services Conference and webinar hosting services delivered through a dedicated Conferences Department, including the African Nursing Conference, SA Mental Health Conference, and SA AIDS Conference, with online booking and dedicated conference services.
• Research Ethics Committee Services Research ethics review services for research proposals, including initial application review, annual renewal, and protocol deviation/SAE reporting, run by the FPD Research Ethics Committee.
• Payroll Services Outsourced payroll management services offered to organisations via FPD's Other Services portfolio.
• System Strengthening Projects Healthcare leadership and health systems consultancy and capacity-development projects across African regions, including HIV research and public health capacity-building work.

Quantifiable outcome

• 607,507+ alumni trained across 110+ countries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Alliance Manchester Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership for the Advanced Management Programme (AMP). Alliance Manchester Business School academically leads and certifies the programme. FPD delivers the programme locally in South Africa.
• PEPFARmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPEPFAR partners with FPD for HIV research and public health programmes. FPD has worked in the HIV field for more than two decades promoting community awareness, strengthening healthcare services, and building public health capacity.
• DHET (Department of Higher Education and Training)coreOthersFPD is registered as a private higher education institution in terms of Section 54(1)(c) of the Higher Education Act, 1997
• SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority)coreOthersFPD qualifications are registered with SAQA, ensuring national recognition and credit accumulation
• CHE (Council on Higher Education)coreOthersFPD is registered and accredited by CHE as a private higher education institution
• QCTO (Quality Council for Trades and Occupations)coreOthersFPD is accredited by QCTO as a Skills Development Provider (SDP). Accreditation Number: 07-QCTO/SDP180825105627
• Various Project Partners and SponsorsminorOthersMultiple unnamed project partners and sponsors supporting FPD programmes and research initiatives. Logos displayed on homepage.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• University of South Africa (UNISA): UNISA is Africa's largest open distance learning university with hundreds of thousands of enrolled students. It competes with FPD in the distance higher education category for adult learners seeking accredited qualifications, though UNISA is a public institution with broader scope.
• Coursera: Coursera is a global online learning platform partnering with top universities to offer courses, certificates, and degrees. It represents the broadest competitive threat to FPD's healthcare CE programmes as South African employers increasingly accept international credentials for CPD compliance.
• edX: edX is a global online learning platform founded by Harvard and MIT offering university-level courses and professional certificates. It competes with FPD for healthcare and management professional development learners globally, with growing acceptance of its credentials in Africa.

Direct peers

• Regent Business School: Regent Business School is a private higher education institution in South Africa offering accredited management and leadership programmes. It competes with FPD's postgraduate diplomas in management, monitoring and evaluation, and executive education segments.
• World Continuing Education Alliance: WCEA is an international CPD provider and platform specifically focused on continuing education for healthcare professionals across Africa and other emerging markets. It is the most directly comparable international peer to FPD's CPD compliance and healthcare professional education business.
• South African College of Applied Psychology (SACAP): SACAP is a private higher education institution in South Africa focused on psychology, counselling, and coaching qualifications. It overlaps with FPD in the professional development and applied education space for working professionals in regulated fields.
• MANCOSA: MANCOSA is a South African private higher education institution specializing in management and business qualifications delivered through distance learning. It directly competes with FPD's management and postgraduate diploma programmes for working professionals seeking accredited qualifications.
• Independent Institute of Education (IIE): IIE is the largest private higher education institution in South Africa, operating multiple brands including Varsity College and Rosebank College. It competes directly with FPD in SAQA-accredited qualifications across health, education, and management verticals, and is the most directly comparable PHEI peer.
• Oxbridge Academy: Oxbridge Academy is a South African distance learning provider offering accredited certificates and diplomas through online delivery. It competes with FPD in the same online higher certificate and professional development categories at similar price points.

Regional players

• African Leadership University (ALU): ALU is a pan-African higher education institution with campuses in Mauritius and Rwanda focused on developing African leaders. It targets a similar African professional development market to FPD's postgraduate diploma offerings, though with a more selective, leadership-focused positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FPD_SA
• Facebookfacebook.com/FPDZA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fpdevelopment

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Foundation for Professional Development