Making professional development easier than ever
At PD able, we’ve been busy in the first quarter of 2026 improving our platform for employers who want a smarter way to manage their staff’s professional development.
Our focus has been simple: make professional development management easier, faster, and more accessible for organisations of all sizes, from small businesses to large institutions.
Here are some of the key improvements we’ve launched this year.
Free professional development management for small teams
One of the biggest changes in 2026 is our new free tier for small organisations.
We realised that many small businesses want to support their staff’s professional development but often lack the tools or budget to implement a proper system.
That’s why organisations with three users or fewer can now use PD able completely free.
Even better, this isn’t a stripped-down version. Small teams receive the same fully featured professional development system used by larger organisations, allowing them to:
- Record staff professional development activities
- Track professional development plans and goals
- Manage competencies and learning records
- Store certificates and documentation
- Monitor team progress
It’s a simple way for small organisations to experience what a modern CPD management system can do.
Rapid staff onboarding
Another major improvement is our Rapid Onboarding Link, designed to make staff sign-ups incredibly fast.
Employers can now onboard dozens or even hundreds of staff members in minutes using a single secure sign-up link.
PD System Owners have already been using this feature very successfully when launching new professional development systems across large teams.
To make things even easier, we’ve added a self-service wizard that allows employers to generate their own Rapid Onboarding Links instantly.
Previously our team created these links manually. While the turnaround was fast, this new feature puts the control directly in your hands so you can onboard staff whenever you need to.
Single Sign-On (SSO) for seamless access
We’ve also introduced Single Sign-On (SSO) for employers.
SSO allows staff to access PD able directly from internal systems such as an organisation’s intranet or staff portal, without needing a separate login.
Setting up SSO typically involves a short collaboration between your IT team and the PD able team to connect the systems securely. Once configured, the experience for staff becomes completely seamless.
From the staff perspective, they simply click a link and are automatically logged into their professional development platform.
The result:
- Less login friction for staff
- Higher engagement with professional development
- Easier adoption across teams
Ready-made professional development systems
Traditionally, organisations implementing a professional development platform needed to design and configure their system first before anyone could start using it.
We’ve simplified that process.
Employers can now join one of our pre-built professional development systems and start inviting staff immediately.
This removes the overhead of building a system from scratch while still giving employers powerful tools to manage their teams.
Employers can:
- Monitor staff professional development records
- Review staff development plans and goals
- Manage professional development budgets
- Upload learning resources for staff
- Create recommended training activities
- Bulk approve attendance for group learning events
- Assign roles for supervisors, finance staff, or training managers
A smarter employer dashboard
We’ve also introduced a dynamic checklist within the new Employer Dashboard.
This onboarding checklist guides employers through the key steps needed to set up a successful professional development environment.
Some items are essential for system setup, while others are recommended improvements that can help organisations get even more value from the platform.
The goal is simple: help employers launch a fully functioning professional development system from day one.
What’s Next
2026 has already brought some exciting improvements for employers using PD able, and we’re continuing to develop new tools that make professional development management even more effective.
Our goal is to make it easier for organisations to support their staff, track progress, and build a culture of continuous professional development.