The Institute of People Development (IPD) is committed to an ongoing process of achieving and maintaining its status as a "centre for learning excellence". Its primary aim is to enhance the quality of workplace learning provision through the development of adult educators and skills development practitioners.

The Institute strives to be a "change agent" by:

• Providing qualifications in occupationally-directed education and training practices (OD-ETDP) to adult educators and skills development practitioners.
• Offering recognition of prior learning (RPL) services to experienced educators and trainers so as to acquire a certificate or diploma qualification.
• Conducting research projects designed to generate best practice products and processes through a continuous professional development (CPD) programme.
• Taking information about the IPD to the wider public through seminars, media releases, on-line resources and communities of practice workshops.
• Making available its upmarket learning facility and resources in Midrand to its clients and stakeholders for the purposes of high quality learning provision.

The IPD provides unit standards and whole qualifications based learning programmes as well as professional consulting services to industry training authorities as well as public and private training providers across Southern Africa. IPD has full institutional accreditation through the ETDQA under the South African Qualifications Authority.