EMS Auditor Courses and Other Delights: A Buyers Market

Gabriele Crognale

Introduction

Thinking we had reached a writers block for ideas to report on From the Front Lines, some recent experiences lend themselves well as a case study for the many choices available to individuals seeking additional training in ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 matters.

Our focus this month is to provide our readers with a wide a selection as possible to help them make the right choice for their needs and (possibly) limited budgets.

As far as we know, the only EMS and QMS courses that are accredited by ANSI-RAB are the Lead Auditor courses provided by RAB-accredited course providers that can be found on the RAB website (www.rabnet.com).

At last count, there are over 20 such course providers with more in cue as this field matures. Our focus in this article is not to review these providers, but to provide readers with an informational database of additional course providers, some of which may be in you own back yards.

These additional groups, from non-profits such as ASQ and various local quality groups, to local community colleges and universities usually provide courses to supplement the lead auditor training courses provided by the RAB-accredited folks.

What can you receive, and is there value in these additional venues, you may ask? A quick review of several of these providers show that implementation and internal auditing courses are listed, sometimes at reduced costs to members.

Other groups have initiated various collaboratives to provide ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 implementation assistance to a select group of participants at a somewhat reduced cost, such as is the case with several emerging programs in Massachusetts.

The key to each of these alternative service providers is whether their times, dates and cost per participant are of value to the person or persons from an organization who had a need to take a particular course or workshop. That is where you have to do your homework and decide what option is best for you.

The Choices: Heinz 57 Varieties

Let's look at some considerations a potential course participant may need to evaluate as they decide "einy-meanie-minie-moe" in choosing their course provider.

In some organizations that are looking to put in place a comprehensive EMS program with a solid auditor bench, their decision makers may decide to invest sizable budget amounts within a specified time horizon to get this program moving. For such folks, they may decide to go with a RAB-accredited course provider for the whole package: implementation, internal auditor and lead auditor, especially if they are comfortable with the firm and/or instructor chosen to provide the training.

They may also see value in having their staff venture off-site to a public offering to hone their skills. The added benefit to an off-site public offering is the possibility of learning through the interaction of other course participants. You will get no argument from me on that point. There is also some value in having such courses offered in chunks of time to minimize staff disruption.

If, however, organizations may be strapped financially somewhat, or are not being forced to flash-track their EMS program, they may want to consider taking one type of course, such as the lead auditor course, from the RAB-accredited folks, assimilate that knowledge, and perhaps look at the alternatives for a slower paced opportunity to hone up on EMS skills, such as implementing their EMS program or internal auditing, which does not need to be offered through a RAB-accredited course provider.

With these alternate service providers, courses or workshops could be offered over 2, 3 or more days, either on-site or in a public setting, such as a sponsor company or a university, or be offered as an accredited continuing ed course one night a week for 8 to 10 week or so.

Of course, each purveyor would have a different time schedule and offering format, and the prospective course participant would have to determine whether such dates, locations and times would suit their needs.

One group that offers such courses is ASQ, depending upon the focus of their regional chapters. One such chapter with which we are familiar is www.asqmv.org. Their member company employees have the opportunity to sign up for these courses at local sponsor companies at a reduced rate, although their courses are very reasonably priced.

Another venue is the college and university system that includes private and community colleges, as well as various collaboratives. Some of the colleges with which we are familiar that offer these services include: www.tri-c.cc.oh.us, and www.merrimack.edu. Again, where such offerings can provide value are whether the offering times, locations and dates are convenient, and whether the mix of participants are varied to provide the nucleus of value-added class interaction.

One key item that should be inherent in any course offering choice, is that it is the instructor, or in many cases, the facilitator, who makes or breaks the class or workshop offering. If the instructor teaching the class materials is not aptly qualified with real-world experience to teach the class, you will not receive value for the course(s) you take, regardless of the tuition paid. It does pay to do your homework and try to review their work if possible.

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