Driving Quality Excellence Through Competency Based Training
Turn skill gaps into a competitive edge with our scientific approach to competency based training and ISO 9001 compliance.
In the modern corporate area, competition has never been fiercer. The demand for qualified personnel has moved beyond simple recruitment; it is now about sustainable competency management.
ISO 9000 defines competence as the “ability to apply knowledge and skills to achieve intended results.” or in simple words – ability to perform.
For any forward-thinking organisation, ensuring that employees are not just “qualified on paper” but truly competent is the key to driving efficiency and innovation.
ISO 9001:2015 specifically addresses this through Clause 7.2 (Competence). This clause is the bedrock of a Quality Management System (QMS), ensuring that the right people with the right competence and skills are in the right roles at the right time.
Understanding ISO 9001 Clause 7.2 Requirements
The requirements for training and competency under ISO 9001 are straightforward yet profound. Regardless of your industry or size, your organisation must follow four critical steps:
- Determine the necessary competence for personnel.
- Ensure individuals are competent based on education, training, or experience.
- Acquire the necessary competence where gaps exist.
- Retain documented evidence (records) of this competence.
By following these steps, you move from an ad-hoc approach to a structured competency based training model that guarantees customer satisfaction.
Step 1: Determining the Necessary Competence
The first step in compliance is competence mapping. This is where you define the specific “blueprints” for every role that affects your QMS performance. These requirements must be job-specific and aligned with your broader organisational objectives.
The Role of Competence Mapping Consultants
Many organisations find it difficult to translate abstract goals into concrete requirements. This is where competence mapping consultants provide immense value. They help you distinguish between:
- Core Competencies: The universal values and skills that create an organisation-wide culture.
- Technical Competencies: The specific functional skills required to increase productivity and service efficiency.
Using tools like a competency register, database, or a detailed human resources plan ensures that your human resource management report is backed by data rather than guesswork.
Step 2: Ensuring and Assessing Individual Competence
Once you have defined what is needed, you must verify if your current or prospective employees actually possess those traits. This involves a rigorous competency assessment.
Beyond the Resume
While resumes and diplomas provide a starting point, ISO 9001 encourages a deeper competence assessment. For high-stakes roles—such as safety officers or technical engineers—a practical assessment of skills is often required.
Professional competency assessment consulting can help you design evaluation processes that include:
- Structured Interviews: Targeted questions to probe behavioural traits.
- Observations: Real-time monitoring of task performance.
- Psychometric Testing: Identifying the underlying potential for future leadership roles.
Using objective data in this stage also supports diversity and inclusion in the workplace by removing subjective bias from the hiring and promotion process.
Step 3: Bridging the Gap with Competency Based Training
What happens when an employee no longer meets the required standards? ISO 9001 requires organisations to take “actions” to acquire the necessary competence. The most effective action is competency based training.
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Category: Blog
About the author
Director – Sustainable solutions at Consultivo
Madhabi Guha specialises in the domains of ESG, Social Compliance, Business and Human Rights, Development Projects and focuses on supporting go-to-market teams along with customer and partner relationships. Madhabi has been working in the sustainability & business excellence advisory business for over 14 years.
Madhabi has been developing individuals, teams, and organisations in the areas of leadership, excellence and Human Factors in the field of sustainability, people and community.
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