Looking for affordable ISO training for your team? Here’s a list of why this may not be the most cost effective way to certification.
/You’re here so I will be bold and assume no members of your team are trained in the exciting world of ISO standards. In theory, you could rectify this easily by funding the training for a member of staff. Unfortunately, this isn’t always as simple as it sounds. Here’s why:
Training Costs: Training costs differ considerably depending on which company you go with and where you do it. You can go cheap but you potentially run the risk of not getting that certification first time which means paying to do it again.
Training costs can rack up depending on how many ISO standards you are looking to be certified in. Each one is further training. Further time. Further money.
Unfortunately, the training doesn’t end there. All ISO standards are revised every 5 years which means, you guessed it, more training.
Consultants: ISO consultants come fully trained at no cost to you. They are first in line when the new standards come out and are constantly monitoring for changes in the ISO world. We can help you with ISO 9001, ISO 45001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001 and ISO 27701.
Staff Turnover: How likely are you to keep that member of staff you’ve invested in indefinitely? Especially if you are providing them with a free qualification they can use elsewhere? It’s hard to say, even the most loyal of workers can have their priorities shift. Are you willing to go through the training process again should that staff member leave?
Don’t forget, some ISO’s need renewing annually and it’s good practice to have on-going monitoring throughout the year.
Consultants: Hire a consultant once a year to get you certified and make sure you keep it year on year. Simple.
Theory v Practice: Lets say you’ve gone down the training route and now you have a freshly trained team member who knows the theory behind the ISO in question. Trouble is, they’ve not done it in practice.
This can cause frustration. Both for you because you are relying on them to get you certification ready but also for the employee who has no one to ask when they come up against a stumbling block. That’s a fair amount of pressure for one person to be under.
Consultants: They do this day in, day out. No one does it quicker. They live and breathe ISO standards? They know exactly where to start and hit that ground running.
Timescales: Do you have a set time frame for certification? A freshly trained person will need plenty of time to understand how all that theory applies in practice to your specific business and come up with ways to meet the standards.
It’s important to remember that while they are busy doing this, they are not doing the job you employed them to do. What’s the impact on both the business and staff morale? Especially if work loads increase elsewhere.
Consultants: They are hired to do one job and one job only. No distractions. When you hire one your company is their sole focus and they will not stop until you are certification ready.
Consultants have also dealt with a wealth of businesses large and small. They’ve seen what works well and what doesn’t. They bring this to the table and can easily make recommendations on how to get you up to standard.
Impartiality: This is essential and, unfortunately, your staff are not independent. This makes it difficult to have the impartiality required to carry out the gap analysis and recommend the changes. Especially if those changes affect their team mates.
Consultants: They are completely independent. They know the standards and will tell you without hesitation if you’re not meeting them. They can also tell you what needs to be done to get you up to standard. Even if it’s not a popular recommendation.
If you’re committing to certification, then that commitment usually means setting aside an annual budget and a lot of staff time. We believe we are the least disruptive option for your business and potentially cheaper long term. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be. Besides, our prices may surprise you.
Contact us today for a FREE no obligation chat. You have nothing to lose so you may as well understand all your options.