Training employees is one of the most important things to do for better implementation of the ISO 14001 standard within your organization. Before you start the implementation process, you should inform your employees that what the standard is why you are implementing it, and what benefits it will provide to the employees. Once your employees are sure that this implementation is beneficial for them, they’ll surely take an active part in the process.
Below, you can find some effective tips regarding how to perform a perfect training program for ISO 14001:
Assessment
First, you should assess your training needs before you start conducting the training program. It’s more than important to assess your training needs in order to identify the gap present between the requirements of the ISO 14001 and your employees’ current competence. Once you know this gap, you’ll be able to find out how much training your employees need to meet the requirements of the standard.
Objectives
Once you have a rightly performed assessment, the next step should be related to determining the training objectives to achieve your desired results. You are supposed to create clear and transparent objectives, which should be achievable, smart, time-bound, measurable, and most importantly, realistic. The standard is all about environmental management and different employees work in a different environment. So, the objectives you design should be specific to all departments within your organization.
Training Method
Choosing the training method is also as important as the above two steps. You may come across many ISO 14001 consultancy and certification companies offering different training methods and modalities that can help you achieve your training goals for the ISO 14001 EMS. Training is quite easy for disciplined and experienced workers. However, it can be complex for the people who are a little undisciplined or new in your company.
Training Plan
Once you have identified the training method, your next move should be to design a designated training plan to train your employees in truly a professional manner. The plan you made should clearly indicate how, when, where, and what your employees will achieve through the implementation of the standard.
Implementation
It’s the right time to start some action and implement the plan you have made. Implementing the training program while keeping records will help you measure the results for the objectives. The records may include test results, questionnaires, written reports, records of attendance, and other related things.
Monitoring
Monitoring and measurement of the effectiveness of training will help you know whether you are moving in the right direction or not. The best way to monitor the effectiveness is to check the work of your employees. If there is an improvement, it means that you have done the right job. Otherwise, if they still do the same mistakes, it means that you should change your plan.
Improvement in the Training Program
Continual improvement is an integral part of all ISO standards and it should be included in your plans also. If you see that a plan isn’t working well, you shouldn’t be bothered in bringing improvement in your training program!
