What is ISO training and who needs it?

What is ISO training? 

ISO training helps you understand a management system standard and apply it within your organisation. 

Depending on the course and your role, it may cover the requirements of a particular ISO standard, how your specific management system works, your responsibilities within that system, risk, objectives and performance monitoring, document and record control, internal auditing and nonconformities and corrective action. 

We provide in-person and online training for standards including ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 27001, as well as online training for ISO 45001 and ISO 42001.  

Does ISO require formal training? 

When it comes to ISO management system standards, the focus is on competence and awareness. 

You’ll need to determine what competence people need where their work affects the performance and effectiveness of your management system. 

Now, a formal certificate from an official training course can help you demonstrate your team’s competence, but education, qualifications, experience and practical assessments can be just as important.  

Who needs ISO training? 

ISO training isn’t one-size-fits-all across your organisation. Here’s how we might approach a typical business:  

Employees 

Most employees don’t need to understand every clause in an ISO standard. They need to know the parts of your management system that affect their work. This might include:  

• Relevant policies and procedures 
• Their responsibilities 
• The controls they need to follow 
• How their work contributes to your objectives 
• What to do when something goes wrong  

Process owners and managers 

People responsible for individual processes need to understand the ISO requirements that affect their assigned area. They don’t necessarily need to know the entire standard. Their training should match their responsibilities. 

Your procurement manager, for example, may need to understand your supplier approval and monitoring process. Your operations manager may need to understand service controls, records and performance measures.  

Your ISO manager or management system owner 

The person responsible for maintaining your system needs a more detailed understanding of the relevant standard, not just the specifics of your system. They may need to know how to:  

• Interpret its requirements 
• Maintain processes and documented information 
• Monitor objectives 
• Manage risks and opportunities 
• Deal with nonconformities 
• Prepare for certification and surveillance audits  

Internal auditors 

Internal auditors need enough knowledge and skill to assess whether your management system meets its requirements and works in practice. This means they need to understand how to:  

• Plan an audit 
• Ask suitable questions 
• Gather and assess evidence 
• Identify nonconformities 
• Report their findings  

ISO 19011 provides guidance on auditing management systems and auditor competence. A formal internal auditor course isn’t always a specific ISO requirement, but it can provide useful evidence that you’ve developed an auditor’s knowledge and skills. 

You should also consider experience. A new auditor may benefit from shadowing an experienced auditor or carrying out their first few audits under supervision.  

When should you provide ISO training? 

Don’t treat training as a compliance exercise. Consider training your staff any time something changes within your management system. 

This could include implementing a new ISO standard, someone taking on new responsibilities, appointing a new internal auditor or manager, changing processes or controls, identifying repeated mistakes or nonconformities or recognising that people need a refresher. ISO standards are also reviewed every five years and occasionally updated, which should trigger a training session. 

As long as you ensure your team remains competent as your management system changes, and you can demonstrate their competence, that’s what matters.  

What evidence of training should you keep? 

Keep suitable evidence of competence and any training you provide. Depending on the employee’s role, this might include training records, course certificates, qualifications, competence matrices, induction records, previous experience and supervised work or assessments. 

You should also check whether the training achieved its purpose. If you trained someone as an internal auditor, can they now carry out an effective audit? If you introduced a new procedure, are all your employees following it correctly?   

Get your ISO training with ISO QSL 

At ISO QSL, we offer auditor-led courses, flexible online modules, internal auditor training and bespoke training tailored to your organisation. 

Whether you’re preparing for certification, training a new internal auditor or helping your team understand their responsibilities, we can help you choose the right ISO training for your organisation. 

Get in touch with ISO QSL today to discuss your ISO training requirements.