Some of the companies that start in the certification processes and even those that are in the process of transitioning to the new version of ISO 9000, have encountered some difficulty in meeting the requirement to determine and provide training on competencies.
Competency is understood as "a combination of appropriate or applicable education and training, as well as skills and experience, that can be demonstrated." It is not necessary for a person to have all four, only those that are necessary for a particular task.
As established in section 6.2 Human Resources of the ISO 9001: 2000 standard, "personnel who carry out work that affects product quality must be competent based on appropriate education, training, skills and experience" for which all The company must determine the necessary competence for this type of personnel, in addition to providing the required training and ensuring that they are aware of the importance of the work they carry out and how it contributes to achieving quality objectives.
The ISO 9004: 2000 regulation establishes regarding the participation of staff, that if the management wants to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the quality management system, it must seek the participation and support of the staff, for which it must:
- provide ongoing training and career planning, define your responsibilities and authorities, set individual and team goals, manage process performance and evaluate results, facilitate active participation in goal setting and decision making, through recognition and rewards, facilitate open and two-way communication of information, continually review the needs of your staff, create the conditions to promote innovation, ensure effective teamwork, communicate suggestions and opinions, use measures of staff satisfaction, and investigate the reasons why the staff is linked and dissociated from the organization.
Management must ensure that the personnel have the necessary competence for the effective and efficient operation of the organization and analyze both the competency needs it has, as well as those expected according to future demands related to plans and objectives. strategic and operational. You must anticipate the succession needs of managers and the workforce (career planning) as well as changes in the organization's processes, tools, and equipment.
Another way to ensure that staff is competent is by evaluating the staff's individual competence to perform defined activities, (Must include legal and regulatory requirements and standards that affect the organization and its stakeholders).
When training is provided, planning for education and training needs must take into account changes brought about by the nature of the organization's processes, the stages of staff development, and the culture of the organization itself.
To support the achievement of the organization's objectives and the development of its staff, educational planning and training consider
- staff experience, tacit and explicit knowledge, leadership and management skills, planning and improvement tools, team building, problem solving, communication skills, culture and social behavior, knowledge of markets and the needs and expectations of customers and other stakeholders, and creativity and innovation.
To facilitate the active participation of staff, education and training should also include aspects such as:
- the future vision of the organization, the policies and objectives of the organization, the change and development of the organization, the initiation and implementation of improvement processes, the benefits of creativity and innovation, the impact of the organization on society, induction programs for new personnel, and programs for periodic updating of trained personnel.
Training plans should include:
- objectives, programs and methodologies, necessary resources, identification of the necessary internal support, evaluation in terms of increased staff competence, and measurement of effectiveness and impact on the organization.
The education and training provided should be evaluated in terms of expectations and impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization as a means of improving future training plans.
An essential part of a good plan is to consider who does what. The people assigned to the activities must be competent to do so. This also includes people not directly involved in product manufacturing such as purchasing, planning, customer service. In small companies, everyone can affect quality in some way.
In planning work assignments and identifying the competencies you will need for the job, training should be considered as an option to achieve the necessary competencies.
It is advisable to regularly review the experience, qualifications, capacities and own and people's skills related to the tools and requirements necessary for the current business, as well as future activities.
Training:
Comparing current staff competencies against what is needed is what is known as a competency gap analysis. The gap is required to be reduced through training or by acquiring extra skills, through recruiting new.
If you decide to train your own people, they will probably need both training and experience before they can be considered competent.
Management review, corrective and preventive actions, and internal quality audits can help identify areas where training is lacking.
Generally, work assignment is an activity where you need to consider the need for training. The skills and abilities required in production and service operations may also indicate additional training needs.
It may be appropriate to have trained personnel before being recruited as new personnel (including part-time or temporary employees) as well as full-time employees. Training can cover:
- the nature of the business, health, safety and environmental regulations, quality policy and other internal policies, the role of the new employee, and the procedures and instructions of relevance to them.
It may be helpful to plan for training to take place in stages, such that one training period is followed by a period of familiarization, and then a period of other training and familiarization.
Quality internal audit training is not only highly desirable, if not essential, and a great asset if taken by potential internal auditors, it could also be considered a management tool.
The training can be in the workplace through internal seminars or in some external location. Depending on the topics, the development of relevant key personnel is committed. Attending a seminar can also provide worthwhile training.
As an alternative to training, you can hire a consultant with the necessary competence or sub-hire the activity.
It is important to evaluate the effectiveness of any of the actions that you carry out. For example, have you selected the correct training course? If the training has been well understood? If what was learned in training is used at work? It is not enough just to give (and record) the training, you must also evaluate it.
Certain activities may require a level of proficiency before it can be safely or appropriately performed (eg, internal quality audits, welding, or nondestructive testing). Personnel may need to be pre-qualified for some tasks (eg forklift, driver, or inspector).
Records are required to show that the employee possesses certain competencies. You need to keep records of the training the employee has received and the results of it. Records that demonstrate successful completion of the training program and that you possess proficiency can be as simple or complex as necessary. Keep in mind that if your staff is competent enough the amount of detail in your procedures may be reduced. However this competence must be demonstrated and recorded.
Being simplistic, records can consist of a signature confirming that staff can use certain equipment, carry out a specific process, or follow certain procedures. The record must include a clear description that the person is trained and competent to perform the task for which he has been trained. The effectiveness of any other education and training should be re-evaluated, after a period, to confirm that the proficiency achieved continues.
Remember that some jobs require qualification, such as the forklift operator. Training should be conducted by personnel with the appropriate skills, qualifications, and experience. You must keep records showing the qualifications of personnel that were used for training purposes. Of course in some cases you may need to be accredited by a regulatory body before training is recognized as sufficient.
