Internal Auditor training
Hi Everyone,
I am doing internal Audits in my company but don't have Internal Auditor training certificate. My colleague has this certification and was thinking that he can be give me training on this and that document will be good for Audit :).
Question is do anyone has sample document for internal Auditor training? can you peas share?
Thanks
Does your GFSI scheme require a training for an internal auditor? Usually, it's quite a simple procedure and does not require additional training as long as a person has a regular food safety training.
Typically unless your colleague is a certified lead auditor by a recognized body (e.g., ASQ, exemplar global) it would be difficult for your colleague to train you and it be recognized as sufficient by an auditor. I would highly recommend looking into training by a certified lead auditor because internal auditing is one of the most important programs of any management system and you don't want to skimp on it.
The language in BRCGS (Issue 8) on 3.4 (Internal Audits) is fairly similar to ISO language. What I would focus on is 3.4.2
internal audits shall be carried out by appropriately trained, competent auditors. Auditors shall be independent (e.g. not audit their own work)internal audits shall be carried out by appropriately trained, competent auditors. Auditors shall be independent (e.g. not audit their own work)
Somehow it messed up the formatting on the last part of what I was going to say. Anyways...
Typically your internal audit program would describe:
- The training or competency requirements for internal auditors (could be based on education, industry experience, past auditing experience)
- The training or competency requirements for those who would train your auditors (previous training, years training, certifications, industry experience, etc.)
The two would look a little different. To determine if your colleague training you is appropriate you should look at what their auditing experience and training is. If they just received training then they aren't in much a different situation as yourself.
Typically lead auditor trainer is one who holds certificates and recognitions in internal auditing by a certified body (as mentioned above) and has been using auditing techniques for a good period of time
They are also likely to have extensive knowledge in root cause analysis tools and the proper application of corrective and preventive actions
In the end it all depends if the auditor believes you have been appropriately trained, but most of the time they will look at the background of the person who trained you (especially if they have questions or concerns about your internal audit and RCA/CAPA programs).
If you are running an effective internal audit and RCA/CAPA program you are probably less likely to get interference on this by an auditor, but if they see a gap in either system they might start looking at gaps in training or competency.
From SQF Guidance
Implementation & Audit Guidance What does it mean? This element requires the site to audit the activities in their System on a regular basis to ensure that everything is running as intended. The internal audit program should include all aspects of the system elements and the good manufacturing modules at least annually. The internal audit can be broken down into multiple pieces and conducted throughout the year to meet the annual requirement. However, all elements must have been audited at least once. It may be necessary to update the audit schedule based on customer complaints, internal or external food safety events such as recalls or regulatory warning letters, or internal or external audit results. This program requires a document(s) that outlines the methods and responsibilities, schedule, and process for completing the internal audit all the way through to verification of corrective actions. For internal audits to be effective, staff conducting internal audits must be trained in internal auditing techniques, information gathering and objective observation. This training need not be “formal” training provided by an external source. Internal auditor training covers internal audit procedures, including the planning and scheduling of internal audits, preparing internal audit reports, and initiating and following up on audit findings. Internal audits should combine several information gathering techniques, including interview of personnel, review of records and observation of current conditions.
Thanks
Thanks Olenazh, Jdpaul and Scampi for your inputs!!
Scampi do you have a format or some document covering below advised points? if yes, can you please share?
This training need not be “formal” training provided by an external source. Internal auditor training covers internal audit procedures, including the planning and scheduling of internal audits, preparing internal audit reports, and initiating and following up on audit findings. Internal audits should combine several information gathering techniques, including interview of personnel, review of records and observation of current conditions.
Thanks
Hi. Does your company have internal audit procedure and schedule? It should cover all required forms, interviews, impartiality, evidence collection, how to raise, report, track, and close non-conformances, etc. If it does then internal auditor training is basically a training in this procedure plus some auditing skills and techniques.
We’re BRCSG certified and have never had issues with internal audits part of the BRC audit. Our trainer has an external lead auditor training.
We have one person who attended an external Internal Auditor Training and received a Certificate and then she trains the rest of us on the Internal Audit Team. We have never had any issues or questions about it. The scope of the training covers the points that Scampi shared. Suggest the person who is going to train you utilize his/her training materials provided in the class he/she attended to develop the training outline and materials for your facility as we are asked to see the the training course materials at times. - If you do think you need a more formal training with an official certificate then IFSQN has a course at a very reasonable cost; I think a class might be coming up in a month or two.
We have one person who attended an external Internal Auditor Training and received a Certificate and then she trains the rest of us on the Internal Audit Team. We have never had any issues or questions about it. The scope of the training covers the points that Scampi shared. Suggest the person who is going to train you utilize his/her training materials provided in the class he/she attended to develop the training outline and materials for your facility as we are asked to see the the training course materials at times. - If you do think you need a more formal training with an official certificate then IFSQN has a course at a very reasonable cost; I think a class might be coming up in a month or two.
Hi Mulan1010,
Thank you for the mention.
We do indeed provide Internal Auditor Training (& Certificate) at only $97USD per person for 4 hours of training plus an exam: Practical Internal Auditor Training for Food Operations
We've had a lot of positive feedback regarding this training, customer reviews can be found here.
The training and it is suitable for Internal Audit Team members as per the requirements of the main GFSI benchmarked standards. It can be taken at your own pace via the recording or you can attend live and participate in the chat and contribute to the audit exercise. The next live webinar is on Tuesday, April 05, 2022.
Internal Audit Team Leaders, may find it useful but we would recommend taking a full Lead Auditor Training course.
Kind regards,
Tony
I always think this subject's a bit tricky because the standard only stipulates that internal auditors must be appropriately trained and competent - and doesn't specify what appropriate training and competency consists of.
I don't think the training need necessarily be provided by an individual who themselves holds a formal auditing qualification, but any training provided should result in competence. You could make the argument that this would be manifested in the quality of the audits and objective evidence... But ultimately it's the opinion of the auditing body that would determine whether or not the appropriateness of training and competency of internal auditors would be sufficient for compliance at 3rd party audit.
In practise, I would think that large food businesses with a good level of resource would be expected to have at least one internal auditor formally trained and have that training cascaded internally... Whereas smaller less resources companies may find informal internal training sufficient for all internal auditors - which would depend on the outlook of your 3rd party auditor.
Just for compliance, it's 'safer' to be able to present training certificates from reputable training bodies.
Somehow it messed up the formatting on the last part of what I was going to say. Anyways...
Typically your internal audit program would describe:
- The training or competency requirements for internal auditors (could be based on education, industry experience, past auditing experience)
- The training or competency requirements for those who would train your auditors (previous training, years training, certifications, industry experience, etc.)
The two would look a little different. To determine if your colleague training you is appropriate you should look at what their auditing experience and training is. If they just received training then they aren't in much a different situation as yourself.
Typically lead auditor trainer is one who holds certificates and recognitions in internal auditing by a certified body (as mentioned above) and has been using auditing techniques for a good period of time
They are also likely to have extensive knowledge in root cause analysis tools and the proper application of corrective and preventive actions
In the end it all depends if the auditor believes you have been appropriately trained, but most of the time they will look at the background of the person who trained you (especially if they have questions or concerns about your internal audit and RCA/CAPA programs).
If you are running an effective internal audit and RCA/CAPA program you are probably less likely to get interference on this by an auditor, but if they see a gap in either system they might start looking at gaps in training or competency.
Hi.. just want to clarify , i had successfully completed the IFSQN Practical internal Audit training course and obtain a certificate on August 2019, let me know is it ISO certified . and which ISO standard.
am i eligible to do internal audit in my company.... Please Revert back. Thankyou.