CPD Accredited Python Professional Certificate

✓ What is programming?

Understand how programming works and why Python is the ideal starting point.

✓ Python interpreter & Jupyter Notebook

Set up and navigate the tools used to write and run Python code.

✓ Variables & data types

Learn how to store and work with different kinds of data in Python.

✓ Print & input()

Output information and collect user input through the command line.

✓ Basic expressions

Write and evaluate your first lines of Python code using operators and expressions.

✓ Arithmetic, logical & comparison operators

Perform calculations and comparisons to control how your code behaves.

✓ Type conversion

Convert between data types to ensure your code handles information correctly.

✓ Working with strings: methods, slicing & formatting

Manipulate and transform text data using Python's built-in string tools.

✓ f-strings & escape characters

Write clean, readable output using modern Python string formatting techniques.

✓ if, elif & else

Control the flow of your program based on conditions and decision logic.

✓ Nested conditionals

Build more complex decision trees by nesting conditions within each other.

✓ Boolean expressions

Combine conditions using and, or, and not to evaluate true or false outcomes.

✓ Truthy & falsy values

Understand how Python evaluates values as true or false in conditional logic.

✓ for & while loops

Repeat blocks of code efficiently using Python's core looping structures.

✓ break & continue

Control loop behaviour by skipping iterations or exiting early when needed.

✓ Looping over sequences

Iterate through lists, strings, and other data structures with ease.

✓ Basic algorithmic thought

Develop structured, logical thinking to break problems into repeatable steps.

✓ Lists, slicing & mutation

Create, access, and modify ordered collections of data in Python.

✓ List methods

Use built-in methods to sort, append, remove, and manipulate list data.

✓ List comprehensions

Write concise, readable code to build and filter lists in a single line.

✓ Tuples & immutability

Work with fixed, ordered data structures and understand why immutability matters.

✓ def, arguments & return

Define reusable blocks of code that accept inputs and return outputs.

✓ Scope

Understand where variables live and how Python resolves names inside and outside functions.

✓ Recursion

Write functions that call themselves to solve problems through repeated self-reference.

✓ Lambda functions

Create compact, anonymous functions for quick, inline use in your code.

✓ Dict creation & access

Build and retrieve data from key-value pair structures in Python.

✓ Methods: get, setdefault & update

Use built-in dictionary methods to safely read, set, and modify data.

✓ Nested dictionaries

Store and navigate complex, multi-level data structures within a dictionary.

✓ Sets & common operations

Work with unordered, unique collections and perform union, intersection, and difference operations.

✓ Using dictionaries for data processing

Apply dictionaries to organise, count, and process real-world data efficiently.

✓ Classes & objects

Define blueprints for creating structured, reusable objects in your code.

✓ Attributes & methods

Store data and define behaviour within classes using attributes and methods.

✓ __init__ constructor

Use the initialiser method to set up object properties when a class is instantiated.

✓ Encapsulation

Protect and control access to data within a class to keep code clean and secure.

✓ Inheritance & polymorphism

Build class hierarchies and allow objects to take multiple forms through shared interfaces.

✓ Composition

Combine simple objects to build more complex ones without relying on inheritance.

✓ Special methods: __str__ & __repr__

Control how objects are displayed and represented as strings in Python.

✓ Property decorators

Manage attribute access with getters and setters using Python's @property decorator.

✓ Magic methods

Use dunder methods to customise how objects behave with operators and built-in functions.

✓ try / except / else / finally

Handle errors gracefully and keep your programs running when something goes wrong.

✓ Custom exceptions

Define your own error types to make code more readable and easier to debug.

✓ File reading & writing

Read from and write to files to persist and share data outside your program.

✓ JSON processing

Parse and generate JSON data – the standard format for APIs and web applications.

✓ NumPy arrays

Create and work with powerful multi-dimensional arrays for numerical computing.

✓ Vectorised operations

Apply operations across entire arrays at once for fast, efficient data processing.

✓ Pandas Series & DataFrame basics

Work with labelled data structures to organise and analyse real-world datasets.

✓ Slicing & filtering data

Extract and filter specific rows and columns to focus on the data that matters.

✓ Simple aggregation

Summarise datasets using totals, averages, counts, and other statistical measures.

✓ Complete revision of course materials

Consolidate everything covered across the programme and prepare to apply your skills with confidence in your portfolio project and beyond.